TaxWave works with legal, tax, and finance professionals to correctly structure business income, maximize professional deductions, and resolve IRS balances that resulted from high-income years without adequate planning. We understand the professional norms and compliance expectations of regulated industries.
Why Legal, Tax & Finance Professionals Face Self-Employment Tax
Self-employment income differs from W-2 income in one critical way: no employer withholds taxes on your behalf. Every dollar earned as an independent contractor, booth renter, platform worker, or freelancer is subject to the 15.3% self-employment tax in addition to ordinary income tax — and the full obligation is due on a quarterly schedule most new self-employed workers miss the first time.
When quarterly estimates are missed or business deductions go unclaimed, IRS balances compound quickly. TaxWave helps legal, tax & finance professionals stop that cycle: filing any delinquent returns, reclaiming missed deductions, and negotiating directly with the IRS for the best available resolution.
Tax Relief by Role
Attorneys
Solo practice attorneys and small firm partners earn professional income with the same structure as any self-employed person — no employer withholding, quarterly obligations, and significant business expenses. The combination of high income potential and high overhead creates real tax planning challenges, and contingency fee attorneys face particularly large swings when a case settles.
Learn more →Legal Support Professionals
Freelance paralegals, legal researchers, contract attorneys, deposition transcribers, and court reporters provide essential services to law firms and earn professional income on a 1099 basis. The work is skilled and the pay is good — but the tax obligations that come with 1099 income are the same regardless of the professional context.
Learn more →Tax Professionals
Self-employed tax preparers, enrolled agents, and independent tax advisors understand tax law deeply — but managing their own taxes while managing everyone else's can be genuinely difficult. The seasonal income concentration, high-volume client work, and demands of tax season leave little time for personal tax planning, and even experienced tax professionals end up with IRS balances.
Learn more →Accountants & Bookkeepers
Independent accountants and bookkeepers spend their days managing other people's finances while their own financial and tax planning often takes a back seat. The irony is real — and the result is that self-employed accounting and bookkeeping professionals are among those TaxWave most commonly helps with delinquent returns and IRS balances.
Learn more →Financial Advisors & Insurance Agents
Financial advisors and insurance agents operate in commission-driven businesses where a great year can generate six-figure income — and a slow year can leave a prior-year tax balance with reduced cash flow to address it. The market-sensitive nature of financial services work creates tax planning challenges that require proactive management.
Learn more →Credit, Debt & Funding Consultants
Credit repair specialists, debt settlement negotiators, and business funding brokers help clients navigate financial hardship — and often face their own financial and tax challenges in return. The consulting-based income model with no withholding, combined with the unpredictable deal-based revenue of funding brokers, creates real tax planning complexity.
Learn more →Common Questions
Professionals who advise others on legal and financial matters often have complex tax situations of their own — business income, referral fees, equity compensation, and professional expenses that require careful handling. The same complexity that makes their clients' taxes difficult applies to their own returns, and the stakes of getting it wrong are higher at their income levels. Because self-employment income arrives without any employer withholding, the full federal income tax and 15.3% self-employment tax obligation accumulates over the year. Without quarterly estimated payments, a single year of solid income can produce a large April bill — and without guidance, that balance compounds through penalties and interest.
Yes. TaxWave works with legal, tax & finance professionals to prepare any unfiled returns, apply every legitimate deduction, and negotiate the best available IRS resolution — whether that's an installment agreement, Offer in Compromise, penalty abatement, or Currently Not Collectible status. The process starts with a free consultation.
Self-employment tax is the Social Security and Medicare tax owed by self-employed workers — replacing the payroll taxes that an employer would otherwise split with a W-2 employee. The rate is 15.3% on net self-employment earnings up to the Social Security wage base ($168,600 for 2024), and 2.9% above that. You deduct half of SE tax as an above-the-line deduction, which reduces your income tax — but the SE tax itself is owed regardless.