All About 1099 Jobs in 2023 ' Is Being an Independent Contractor Worth It?
Have you ever wondered whether it's worth being an independent contractor? In many cases, terms such as '1099 jobs' can seem to confuse matters, but this shouldn't have been the way. And with this thought in mind, we have summarized some of the key things you need to know about becoming a 1099 driver, including key questions such as 'what is a 1099 job' and 'is a 1099 job worth it?' Hopefully, this will help you find the ideal solutions for your own independent contracting goals, too.
WHAT IS A 1099 JOB?
A 1099 job is a somewhat confusing term, and many people getting into the field don't really understand it initially. Simply put, a 1099 job is a form of independent contracting. It is referred to as a 1099 job because independent contractors have a 1099 tax form, unlike regular employees. Other common names for 1099 jobs include freelancers and self-employed workers.
There are numerous different reasons why a business might choose to hire a self-employed individual rather than take on a full-time employee. The most obvious is that the job is just too small to justify having a whole new staff member on the books. Alternatively, the business might enjoy the flexibility of hiring independent contractors. This makes 1099 workers brilliant for situations where the job may not be stable in the long-term perspective.
Why Are 1099 Jobs Popular?
The benefits for businesses of 1099 staff are relatively easy to understand. However, the reasons people choose to work as a 1099 employee can be less clear-cut.
Naturally, this will come down to personal choice in many cases. However, it is important to recognize that most people will share one of several common reasons:
- Be their own boss: There's a huge amount of appeal to the idea of 'being your own boss.' This concept undeniably inspires many people to begin working on 1099 and courier jobs rather than spending more hours at the office.
- It's on the go: Being able to pick and choose jobs means that working on '1099 jobs near me' can be much more varied. This helps alleviate the frustration attached to the regular 9-til-5 grind in an office job.
- Harnesses your skills: Everyone has something unique they're particularly good at, and this is also true for 1099 jobs. Being self-employed allows you to work to your skills and choose a career that really works to your strengths.
- Allows control: With a regular job, you generally have little say in whether or not you take on a project. However, there's a significant benefit associated with working as an independent contractor: you can choose which jobs you do and don't take on. As such, if you're not keen on a particular job offer, you can simply turn it down!
These are just a few of the benefits that working on 1099 driving and courier jobs can offer. In line with this, if you have been looking for greater freedom, now could be the time to begin looking into the benefits of independent contracting.
HOW DO 1099 JOBS WORK?
With 1099 driving and courier jobs, the onus is on the worker to find job opportunities. As such, you will need to spend some time looking for clients and establishing a client base. Once you have established yourself on gig work apps and platforms, finding work going forward often becomes a lot easier.
Therefore, it's worth considering the different apps available to find the right option for your own working needs. Remember: you will need to choose your platform and offers carefully since many contracting jobs are paid on a piece-rate basis.
While piece rate pay can be a good payment system for businesses, it does pose the risk of leaving contractors out of pocket. Some apps will even pay less than the federal minimum wage ' let alone in states where the minimum hourly wage starts from around $15.
1099 jobs work differently from regular jobs in that the worker isn't employed by the client. Accordingly, if you decide to begin working as an independent contractor, it's important to keep in mind that you will need to file your own taxes.
ARE 1099 JOBS WORTH THE TIME?
Not all 1099 jobs are necessarily worth the time since some will pay a pitiful rate of pay per hour ' often for a lot of hard work. However, if you can find good earning opportunities, 1099 jobs are definitely worth the time. They offer a simple way to boost your income, and you have full control over how you spend the time accordingly.
Is it Better to be W2 or 1099?
It's not necessarily clear whether it's better to be W2 or 1099. 1099 driving jobs provide excellent freedom for workers. Moreover, 1099 workers may receive more tax deductions. However, W2 workers have better job security overall.
If you're struggling to decide whether W2 or 1099 is better for your situation, there's no reason you can't also work with both. Taking on a regular W2 job and doing 1099 work alongside this is one of the most common forms of independent contracting.
WHAT ARE THE BEST 1099 JOBS AVAILABLE?
If you think that a 1099 job could be right for you, there are plenty of excellent opportunities you could try. It's worth keeping in mind that the type of job you complete may depend on your skills and preferences, so trying several different options could be helpful while finding a new role. Work to your strengths!
#1 Delivery Driving ' ParaWorks and Para
Earning potential ' up to $50 per hour
One of the best delivery driving platforms to consider for your own delivery work is ParaWorks. Indeed, ParaWorks offers many potential benefits for users, which could make it well worth considering as one of the first options for making money with the best-paying 1099 jobs of 2023.
ParaWorks is a brilliant platform for gig drivers that focuses heavily on providing better value-for-money solutions for drivers. While many other platforms offer varying prices for workers, which can leave 1099 jobs highly unpredictable, ParaWorks focuses specifically on valuable driving opportunities. This helps give gig workers greater confidence in their work. Moreover, ParaWorks also offers pre-approval for various apps and provides rapid payouts, so you can get cash last minute when you need to.
In addition to the main ParaWorks app, the Para delivery driver app is designed to make delivery vastly easier. The tool provides several amazing features that help drivers avoid low-paying opportunities with their 1099 courier jobs.
This helps ensure drivers are able to enjoy the best-paying 1099 jobs of 2023 without having to worry about downtime. After all, idle time can be a major drawback for a gig worker. Tools such as auto decline, dollar per mile, estimated total payout, apartment versus the house, flagging, and the like can all make working as a 1099 worker much easier overall.
#2 Delivery Driving ' UberEats
Earning potential ' up to $22 per hour
If you've been looking for a simple food delivery app to learn and use, UberEats could be the perfect place to start. UberEats can also integrate with Para's earnings tracker app for gig drivers, offering greater control over the gig working process.
UberEats drivers have numerous opportunities available to them; better still, when driving alongside the Para app, delivering for UberEats can quickly become very profitable. Plus, there are several simple tricks you can try to make more money as an Uber Eats driver. So, these are worth keeping in mind to streamline your work.
#3 Freelancing ' Upwork
Earning potential ' up to $30 per hour
If you have creative skills (such as content writing, graphic design, or website development), Upwork could be a brilliant place to work for your new side hustle. Indeed, Upwork is widely considered one of the most reliable and popular freelancing apps.
And, although you may need to invest in your account to begin landing those all-important first orders, you may be able to develop a very well-paying side income or full-time income doing what you love.
#4 Freelancing - Fiverr
Earning potential ' up to $25 per hour
Fiverr is a very similar earnings platform to Upwork, but it comes with the further benefit of not needing to necessarily invest in your account to get started. While Upwork can be incredibly limited in the number of available bids, Fiverr instead relies on basic SEO techniques to begin getting gigs to rank. This means that making your first gigs and getting those early clients is much more affordable. However, if you have been struggling to get started, you could always invest in your seller account to help it reach a wider audience.
#5 Guest Hosting ' AirBnB
Earning potential ' up to $1000 per night
If you have a spare room (or even a whole empty property), you could earn an impressive side income through AirBnB hosting. Indeed, Airbnb offers a simple solution for homeowners to find short-term renters, offering an impressive income.
Of course, you will need to put the time in to prepare the property for guests and so on; however, hosting with Airbnb can be a simple way to make hundreds more each week. In some cases, you could earn thousands a week, especially for large AirBnBs!
#6 Ridesharing ' Uber
Earning potential ' up to $22 per hour
Uber is a massive company, and it doesn't just offer food deliveries. In fact, the main Uber app is well known for providing numerous different services, making it a good option to consider for those needing a simple earning solution. Uber is growing by around 20% per year, so there's increasing room for new drivers to join the team as well.
Importantly, multi-apping with Uber can offer many potential benefits for your needs overall. As such, if you want to boost your income further, you'll enjoy numerous potential benefits overall.
#7 Ridesharing ' Lyft
Earning potential ' up to $25 per hour
If you've been looking for a handy ridesharing app to help you make the most of your driving opportunities, Lyft is a popular option. In fact, with over 2 million Lyft drivers on the books, it's safe to say that Lyft is one of the most popular ridesharing apps overall. It's also growing by almost 28% year on year; if you have been looking for a ridesharing app that offers good prospects and opportunities, we'd strongly recommend giving Lyft a go!
#8 Odd Jobs ' TaskRabbit
Earning potential ' up to $33 per hour
TaskRabbit is a brilliant online earnings opportunity if you've been looking for a handy odd jobs platform that can help you make a good income on the side as a 1099 contractor. Whether you're looking for cleaning work, small-scale construction projects, or just grocery collection and delivery, Task Rabbit is a place to start.
#9 Odd Jobs ' ThumbTack
Earning potential ' up to $38 per hour
Similarly to TaskRabbit, ThumbTack is a brilliant place to look for those needing odd jobs. The number of jobs on the platform is impressive, so there's plenty of room to work; however, you're not paid directly through the platform, so make sure that you consider this during your decision.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Finding the ideal job can often seem tricky, and this is a struggle many of us face in our day-to-day lives. However, if you've been asking, 'is a 1099 job worth it,' today's guide may have given you some further ideas. Indeed, working as an independent contractor can offer many benefits, and keeping this in mind could help you choose the ideal job for your needs.
After all, while there's no single solution that's necessarily right for everyone, a 1099 job could be well worth considering if you've been looking for a way to be your own boss. Whether that's for a part-time income or as a full-time job is up to you ' but whichever option you choose, make sure you start with the best gig apps to bolster your earnings potential.
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