When your job isn't typical, your taxes aren't either. There are a lot of benefits to starting your own business, or providing a service through Uber or a similar company, but it also means you have more to deal with this upcoming tax season.

In addition to seeking out professional advice, there are also free resources available to help you navigate the tax-filing process. Sole proprietors and independent contractors can get helpful information from the IRS Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center. This resource includes online tools such as the Tax Calendar for Businesses and Self-Employed, which has key tax dates and necessary actions for each month of the year.

For those who provide services to consumers, such as rides in personal vehicles for a fee, e.g. Uber, or the use of property, such as apartments or homes for rent, e.g. Airbnb, the IRS created the Sharing Economy Resource Center. It has tips such as:

• Income is generally taxable, even if the recipient does not receive a Form 1099, W-2 or some other income statement, but some or all business expenses may be deductible.
• There are some simplified options available for deducting many business expenses.
• People involved in the sharing economy often need to make estimated tax payments during the year to cover their tax obligation.
• Alternatively, people involved in the sharing economy who are employees at another job can often avoid needing to make estimated tax payments by having more tax withheld from their paychecks. The Withholding Calculator on the IRS website can also be a helpful resource.

As tax filing season approaches, it's important to remember that taxpayers who give money or goods to a charity by Dec. 31, 2016, may be able to claim a deduction on their 2016 federal income tax return and reduce their taxes.
 
Only donations to eligible organizations are tax-deductible. IRS Select Check on IRS.gov is a searchable online tool that lists most eligible charitable organizations. Churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and government agencies are eligible to receive deductible donations even if they are not listed in this database.
 
Claiming Charitable Donations
Only taxpayers who itemize using Form 1040 Schedule A can claim deductions for charitable contributions. Charitable deductions are not available to individuals who choose the standard deduction or file Form 1040A or 1040EZ. Most tax software will alert taxpayers about the tax savings available if their itemized deductions, such as mortgage interest, charitable contributions, state and local taxes, exceed the standard deduction.
 
Monetary Donations
A bank record or a written statement from the charity is needed to prove the amount of any donation of money. Bank records include canceled checks, and bank, credit union and credit card statements. Donations of money include by check, electronic funds transfer, credit card and payroll deduction. For payroll deductions, the taxpayer should retain a pay stub, a Form W-2 wage statement or other document furnished by the employer showing the total amount withheld for charity, along with the pledge card showing the name of the charity.
 
Donating Property
For donations of clothing and other household items the deduction amount is normally limited to the item’s fair market value. Household items include furniture, furnishings, electronics, appliances and linens. Clothing and household items must be in good or better condition to be tax-deductible. A clothing or household item for which a taxpayer claims a deduction of over $500 does not have to meet this standard if the taxpayer includes a qualified appraisal of the item with the return.
 
Donors must get a written acknowledgement from the charity for all gifts worth $250 or more. It must include, among other things, a description of the items contributed. Special rules apply to cars, boats and other types of property donations.
 
Benefit in Return
Donors who receive something in return for their donation may have to reduce their deduction. Examples of benefits include merchandise, meals, tickets to an event or other goods and services.
 
Older IRA Owners Have a Different Way to Give
IRA owners, age 70½ or older, can transfer up to $100,000 per year to an eligible charity tax-free. Funds must be transferred directly by the IRA trustee to the eligible charity. For details, see Publication 590-B.
 
Good Records
The type of records a taxpayer needs to keep depends on the amount and type of the donation. An additional reporting form is required for many property donations and an appraisal is often required for larger donations of property. 

As an employer, your size – for purposes of the Affordable Care Act – is determined by the number of your employees. If you hire seasonal or holiday workers, you should know how these employees are counted under the health care law.

Employer benefits, opportunities and requirements are dependent upon your organization’s size and the applicable rules. If you have at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees, on average during the prior year, you are an ALE (Applicable Large Employer) for the current calendar year. However, there is an exception for seasonal workers.

If you have at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees, on average during the prior year, your organization is an ALE. Here’s the exception: If your workforce exceeds 50 full-time employees for 120 days or fewer during a calendar year, and the employees in excess of 50 during that period were seasonal workers, your organization is not considered an ALE. For this purpose, a seasonal worker is an employee who performs labor or services on a seasonal basis.
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The terms seasonal worker and seasonal employee are both used in the employer shared responsibility provisions, but in two different contexts. Only the term seasonal worker is relevant for determining whether an employer is an applicable large employer subject to the employer shared responsibility provisions.