Detailing for extra cash... QUESTIONS

B

Boston Man

New member
Tell me what you think



I am still a student so i dont work during school. The company i used to work for past summers is not hiring anymore because of the economy. If i cannot find another job, i will attempt detailing. I plan on charging up to $200 for paint correction using my G110. So the max i will make is $200/day





My Plan:

I am going to walk around my neighborhood and knock on doors telling them about my detailing service. Give them a flyer with my website (not yet made) and have them look at my previous detailing works. My area has low/middle class to middle/high class families. $300k homes - $multimillion dollar homes.



Questions:

Do i need a business license?



How do i do taxes? If i make $200 on a job, does the customer pay me the sales tax then i report that tax? Or do they not pay me the tax and report it themselves?



Would this be the same as a kid walking around asking if he can shovel driveways?





Thanks
 
Not 100% on this but...



Pretty sure you will need a business license. Now if you were working as a contractor (employee) for someone else you wouldn't.



Your price will include any applicable taxes. Don't forget that you will have to send all the other taxes you would be paying if you were a normal employee too. That can add up.



But yeah, that's what I believe it would be. If you keep it low key it might be OK to skip over that stuff though. But SHHHHHHH!
 
I do this for friends and family as a "hobby," in which it really is. They just ask me to do it so might as well lol :)
 
Get a license. But be prepared to be told you must recover all of the waste water.



Get insured. Basic insurance will run $100. If you're not driving the cars there is no need for garage keepers(which is the expensive stuff).



Because you are selling a labor and not a product for resell, you pay taxes on everything billed. Only if you were to sell a tub of wax or some product would you tax only that item sold. Then you would pay tax on the profit as well.
 
XRL said:
Not 100% on this but...



Pretty sure you will need a business license. Now if you were working as a contractor (employee) for someone else you wouldn't.



Your price will include any applicable taxes. Don't forget that you will have to send all the other taxes you would be paying if you were a normal employee too. That can add up.



But yeah, that's what I believe it would be. If you keep it low key it might be OK to skip over that stuff though. But SHHHHHHH!
Click to expand...



There's a stationary detailing place down the street... I'll go see if they're hiring.





Jean-Claude said:
Get a license. But be prepared to be told you must recover all of the waste water.



Get insured. Basic insurance will run $100. If you're not driving the cars there is no need for garage keepers(which is the expensive stuff).



Because you are selling a labor and not a product for resell, you pay taxes on everything billed. Only if you were to sell a tub of wax or some product would you tax only that item sold. Then you would pay tax on the profit as well.
Click to expand...

How do i recover water if i work on the customer's residence?



I'm going to see if there is even any interest in my service before i do all this



Thanks guys
 
that is how I started out...charging cheap, working my butt off, learning as I went! (learning as in paint hardness and polish/pad combos, not learning what detailing was all about)



just claim the money on your income taxes, especially if the customer wants a receipt for business purposes! if its all cash, its up to you to claim it or not, but be ware if you start saving a bunch of money, the govt is going to wonder where you are getting it! you dont need a DBA or a license if you do work under your own name, which is what you are basically doing (hobby detailing). but if you change up the name and do "boston man detailing" then you need at least a DBA, possibly a business license if you want to do separate taxes. With a DBA, you can claim on your own taxes, but beware you will get personally sued if something goes wrong. If you register the business as an LLC, there is less chance to get sued yourself, they would just go after the business assets.



There are a lot of legal things to question and they vary from state to state, so I would suggest talking to a lawyer instead of a forum!
 
Boston Man said:
There's a stationary detailing place down the street... I'll go see if they're hiring.







How do i recover water if i work on the customer's residence?



I'm going to see if there is even any interest in my service before i do all this



Thanks guys
Click to expand...



You could just use ONR. The other option, is to get some absorbent socks to put at the bottom of the drive way. That way the run-off does not go into the storm drain. That is the main issue.
 
or if not on a slope, after you vacuum, use the wet/dry vac and soak up whatever is left on the floor (if it hasnt all dried up)
 
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