Archived Cammodels And Taxes

[EtherealMOD]

I searched and searched this site for information on how I would file my taxes when I started camming (no, I'm not a cammer yet-want to get all my ducks in a row first). Since I didn't find anything in the forum I went ahead and did some research of my own before I posted "How will I file my taxes?". I'm sure some of you have been camming long enough to have already gone through tax season, or others of you may have been exotic dancers/ect and know more regarding claiming your earnings. For those of you, like me, who are completely new to being "self-employed" here is a SUPER FABULOUS SITE. My jaw dropped at all the "expenses" I can claim (thank you for helping me justify that monthly tanning bill my Fiance LOATHES, and now he isn't getting out of the gym bill either!).

Now, while the site did cover most of my concerns-I do have some other questions.

Do the camming sites have you fill out a federal tax form and tax your gross earnings (I ask bc I thought I saw someone post that they were submitting a tax form upon registration)?
Are you issued a W2 at the end of the year for the wages your earned-or do I need to track that as well?
I realized that not all the sites are run out of the USA, so this is mainly why I ask-are there some sites that do and some that don't?



Any additional information or advise from experience is greatly appreciated!

Thanks Ladies

PS-I really hope I do "well" for all the research and labor I have put in to starting up my camming career. I can't help being overly prepared for everything that I do.

[EtherealMOD]

Say your goal is $1000 per week, making $48,000 a year. Let's say for the sake of argument 30% of what you make goes toward various tax. That leaves you with 33,600 by the end of the year. What a doosie! Especially if you're working full time. That's next to nothing for fucking yourself with a dildo for horny men. So my question is, is 1000 per week camming a little on the low side, especially if your working full time? I mean 40 hours per week, 52 weeks in a year leaves you around 16 to 17 bucks per hour.

So again is 1000 dollars a week a bit low? It seems like thats the general goal? I hope I'm not the only one a little taken aback by these figures. (or my math could be totally wrong!) I'm new to camming and I want to improve myself and make bigger bucks! Am I missing something? What are your thoughts

If you're happy with the money, then yes its worth it. If you're not happy with the money, then no its not worth it.

You have to keep in mind though that most cam girls live in REALLY inexpensive areas so even if they walk away with 30k after taxes are paid, that's still upper middle class where they live, and they feel like 30k is A LOT of money.

Most of the cam girls who live in the more expensive areas (think California, New York, major cities) seem to be heavily involved with modeling or porn as a way to promote themselves (which works), but they are essentially working for free or even lower pay when it comes to modeling and porn jobs, but it pays off because exposure translates to $$$. But even that takes a few years to build up, and nothing is guaranteed.

I see you live in Nevada. Honestly, if money is what you're after, you're MUCH better off dancing. There is a lot of money in Nevada clubs (my personal experience).

From a tax standpoint, you're absolutely correct. If you are a US resident, you're going to wind up paying a 15% Social Security + Medicare tax on every dollar of your income, plus a sliding scale US federal income tax of something on the order of another 15% ( for a single camgirl with a $50,000 annual income who does not own a home etc. ) Additionally, some US states will nail you with another 2-4-6% in state income taxes.

So yes there is clearly a cost / benefit equation to be considered for 'marginal' camgirls who are only generating $1000 in 'pre-tax' camming income for 40 hours worth of effort, or as you point out, $16.66 an hour net of taxes. The first major issue is the fact that camming, or any other self-employed business activity, provides zero 'free' employee benefits i.e. health care, retirement, unemployment insurance, worker's comp insurance etc. If you scrutinize the 'equivalent cash value' of receiving such benefits, it undoubtedly adds up to at least $5 per hour. So from that standpoint, the decision to work as a 'marginal' full time camgirl earning $1000 for 40 hours worth of effort, versus accepting a straight job at $12 an hour that includes employee benefits, is pretty much a toss-up. Of course, finding a $12 an hour job with employee benefits these days isn't as easy as it once was either !

The second major issue is the fact that working as a camgirl will indeed create a 'paper trail' of previous work history in the 'adult industry'. This in turn may have negative future consequences regarding the types, and pay rates, of straight jobs that a retired camgirl may be able to land in the future. 5-10 years ago, the negative effects were more or less confined to a 'gap' in the retired camgirl's resume. However, today, between 1099's sent to the IRS by webcam hosts, cross-border financial transaction monitoring etc., it's increasingly likely that past adult webcam work will show up in a background check. And when image recognition technology starts being routinely applied in the future, i.e. a state or some private database starting with high school yearbook / driver's license photos and running blanket automatic match searches against pictures posted on the internet, there won't be any way to 'hide' an 'adult industry' work history. As to what sort of dollar figure to associate with this future risk of lower paying jobs I have no idea ... but it definitely won't be zero.

^Oh my gosh! I don't see any reason to cam anymore.

Oh my. Can someone else please verify these numbers?

I know taxes are steep, but I had assumed that at $48,000 you'd still be taking home at least 40k after taxes.

If I have to pay $15,000 in taxes from making 48k.....I need to raise my weekly goal.

Maybe start stripping.

The #s are accurate. We have to pay our own Social Security taxes which are an additional 15% on top of 15% federal income taxes. Then state taxes on top of that. In an hourly or vanilla job, most or all of that 15% Social Security tax is paid by your employer. Since you are your own employer, you must pay 100% of it. So it evens out to about 1/3 of your money as being whats due for taxes All camming income is traceable and reported to the IRS whether you get a 1099 or not. That's not true for stripping since no one except you knows how much you're making.

Does writing off items on your taxes actually alleviate any of this (part of your rent, supplies, etc) to a noticeable degree?

At an economical standpoint, probably not, but to me, it's worth it.

"Hey, I owe $150 for my cable bill. I forgot about this." *hops on cam* "Sweet, now I can pay it on time. Not only that, but I made over $300."
"Wakes up to alarm clock. I don't feel like working today." *turns off alarm*
"These cramps suck; I guess today is my day off."
"I think I'll make an extra $300 this week so I can go on a shopping trip."

Not to mention that I can be rude to customers and not get in trouble for it, and I can spend a lot more time with my SO, and I can travel. To me, it's like living the dream.

"Livin' the dream." I love it!

in Canada I have to pay 40% tax. Boo. But I love what I pay taxes for so I can't really complain.

It is worth it too me. I love that I can have a flexible schedule, be a night owl, and have a descent chunk of money then working a vanilla job or something else.

Camming has brought a lot of good to my life. Idk what I would have done if I did not start doing it. Like Sammi says it is like living a dream!

Camming is all what you make out of it. Anyone that is self employed is going to pay out of the ass for things.

A bit, but there's only so much you can write off. Office supplies, part of your internet fees, part of your phone bill, lingerie for lingerie stores, part of your rent. That's about all you can write off legally, and by writing those off, all it does is opt you from owing taxes for that money, but its not that noticeable as a writeoff really. If you're looking for a lot of writeoffs, open lots of home-based busineses, IMO.

I only work this job because I like it. That and I physically cannot hold a 9-5 due to severe autoimmune problems. I could probably get on disability for this with a lawyer, but I don't want to be poor and stuck for the rest of my life. So I opt for camming instead. I definitely don't do this for the money though. Its not even really a lot of income in my area. If I wanted easy money, I'd go back to dancing and move where there's money (Nevada or Texas probably).

I have to agree, even though I'm not entirely happy with this realization, it's definitely still worth it (I'm certainly not against taxes, although I don't like how tax money is distributed).

It's just one more thing that's gonna motivate me to work harder and get more of my business plans in action

Edit: Thanks, Glamour. I think that this job would not be worth it for most people who don't enjoy it (unless they just desperately need the cash).

Posts like this just make me wish SM would give us even FIVE percent more of what we earn. Ugh. I understand the back end and advertise, but I doubt giving us just 40% would kill them.

what Melonie said is extremely important.
This thread should be a sticky because many models, especially new ones and more so the ones who try to undercut the prices and the perceived value of our services are doing themselves and to the rest of us a HUGE disfavor.
This job is awesome only and only and ONLY IF we earn big money.
and you can;t earn big if you charge low. No way in hell. Never.

Just yesterday I was calculating my earnings from one of the sites I work with.
After paying the fees to receive the money, and paying taxes, after spending for make-up, cloths and stuff ( you need to spend some of it at least once every 2 weeks or U;ll feel like a slave lol).. after all these, I saw a little small # of $ remaining. I was like FUCK! I thought I was doing better for myself.

Ill say this to the last day of my camming carrier..
You need to charge high and work alot.
Otherwise it is not worth it.

i agree considering the amount of viewers in this section, there should definitely be a sticky that makes a point of charging a fair amount for the services we provide

Fridays, you're really good at elaborating the point! Why don't you make a post about it and quote some of the finer points made by melonie and I'm sure Isobel would be happy to sticky it I think a lot of girls don't realize to include taxes and things when they are getting started.

i agree with mel and friday.
it isn't worth it, FOR ME, in the long run if i wasnt making bank. and im still not making enough to be fully worth it i think, i need to push myself a little harder. But i'm working now expecting to not be hireable for a good job in the future (even with a bachelors degree). Go hard or go home, i need to make enough money to be able to invest it into some other cash cow when my time in camming is up. The average career in the adult industry or any industry based of physical looks is very short so you need to make as much as you can if you plan on working in this industry for a few years. When your looks are gone, and theres a 5 year gap in your resume with your naked image all over the internet, it's gonna be hard to get a good job.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. This really should be a sticky. I live in an expensive area too but I really watch my spending and even after all the taxes are taken out of my earnings this is still my dream job. I have mobility, flexibility and I love it. I will never go back to working a 9-5 regular job. But that's just me tho.

If you're single, if you don't have any kids, if you don't own a home or condo with a hefty mortgage payment, etc., the $15k in combined taxes due on $48k of self-employed business income is definitely in the right ballpark. And that assumes that you live in a state that doesn't levee an additional state income tax of another $ 1-2-3,000 ! I'll be honest and share with you that during the last year I was 'working' full time as a dancer / camgirl / model / actress, between Social Security tax, federal income tax, NY state income tax, and NY city income tax, my combined tax rate was more than 40% ... which prompted me not only to look towards 'retirement' but also to look towards moving 'way south of the border' where the income tax rate is zero ( well, at least zero tax due on the first $91k of annual income ) !!!


In regard to 'employee' tax rates, what most 'employees' never see is that, while they are paying a ~7.5% Social Security / Medicare tax on their paycheck earnings, their 'employer' is also paying another ~7.5% to match their own Social Security / Medicare tax. Self-employed business persons have to pay both the 'employee' and 'employer' portion thus the 15%. And that 15% is charged on every single dollar of business 'profits' earned.

In regard to a combined 40% tax rate in Canada, at least Canadians get health care provided for them without forcing them to reach deeper into their own pockets. In the USA, for a self-employed business person paying a combined 30% tax rate, all medical care costs have to be paid out of their 'after-tax' earnings ( whether via private health insurance, or by direct payment to health care providers ).

Back to US self-employed camgirls ... yes every legitimate dollar of business expense tax deductions subtracts from the total amount of business income on which Social Security / Medicare as well as federal ( and state ) income taxes will be calculated. But business expense tax deductions must all be considered in terms of % personal use versus % business use, so the total dollar amounts won't be as high as you might think. However, a few 'big ticket' business expense items can result in significant tax deductions ... most notably 1000+cc 'professional sized' breast implants, a new laptop and HD camera used exclusively for camming etc.

I agree with charging high - this is a luxury, and there are difficulties with this work if you have other plans in the future, but I have found that for myself, the benefits far far outweigh any down sides. I feel if you are going to be in this business you need to treat it like a profession though and not a hobby. Get the best equipment, provide the best customer experience and you will be able to get the higher prices.

I've been in the corporate world and I'm wondering how many of you realize how bad it is out there? Do you realize how little they pay and how much they expect? I made a good living for many years however my work was eventually outsourced to India.

Unless you want to be a nurse or physician or some similar in-demand and hands on profession I don't see too many opportunities out there like this. I love camming myself. Of course if you don't enjoy it or feel it's somehow morally wrong you should not be trying it. I do see a lot of hosts who should probably move on to something else.

Not wanting to sidetrack this thread, but before I ever started dancing and camming I obtained a degree in Respiratory Therapy and worked in major hospitals in NY and NJ. While I got paid a fairly decent hourly rate, I also was stuck working nights, weekends and holidays. I was also subject to being forced to work double shifts if my 'replacement' didn't show up, as well as call-ins on my days off, as well as 'marathon' work stretches if and when some bad accident overloaded the hospital with emergency patients. I also was exposed to every disease carried by the patients I was caring for ( and eventually contracted TB from a hospital patient which 'sidelined' me for 6 months while surviving on disability checks ). And every blood sample I took from a patient for analysis carried some risk of contracting AIDS from an accidental needle stick. Just trying to make you aware that the health care profession has as many cons as pros !!! And this is especially true in light of National Health Care, where 'reimbursements' to Doctors for services to patients now often fall short of the actual cost to the doctor of providing those services !!!


I'll also add that many camgirls 'shoot themselves in the foot' via poor work ethic. Keep in mind that the 'costs of doing business' for a camgirl are essentially the same if they work 20 hours a month or 200 hours a month ... the monthly cable modem bill is identical, the cost of their computer and camera is identical etc. And camgirls often subject themselves to additional costs by paying 'premiums' to receive their money on an expedited basis, rather than waiting for a couple of weeks for a 'premium free' paper check to arrive. Yes the 'premium' paid can be deducted as a business expense, but it still only recoups 30 cents on the dollar at a 30% combined effective tax rate. Minimizing expenses and maximizing earnings are the secret to business success.




That's why I approached exotic dancing / camming / magazine and movie work etc. in a 'serious professional' manner. Not wanting to blow my own horn too loudly, but I worked my boobs off for 12 years ... all the while living a low key low cost lifestyle and saving / investing every dollar that I could. The end result was that when I reached the point where age and psychological 'fatigue' started becoming a major factor ( I may still look like I'm in my early 30's from the outside but my knees / back / toes tell a different story from the inside ) I had enough of a nest egg built up to provide all of the passive income I'll need to live reasonably well for the rest of my life. Well at least that's the case as long as I live in a low tax country LOL ... but I can deal with the 'hardships' of palm trees, oceanside margaritas, and rich single guys on vacation !!!

I think that is very very relevant Melonie! Everyone assumes a 'real job' would be better but at least for me there are no real alternatives at the moment that don't have major downsides and pay too low for what is expected of me. I'm delighted I can do what I do.

i always think about the tax. and put 30$ every 100$ i make. so in order to really make 1000 a week, you'd have to make 1450.

to me.. it is worth it because the most i could make a week with a vanilla job ends up being a little less than 400 because of tax. plus, as a camgirl, im not actually working 40 hours per week. the freedom i get with this job is excellent.... working 2-10 every day is aweful... i hated life!! but now theres more earning potential.

you know whats been on my mind is... whenever i do graduate and end up making a bit of money... i dont know if i'll be able to handle working for someone and dealing with the work hours. i dont know if i could do a 9-5 job! but not only that, my friend has a masters degree in business and i dont think she makes 1000 a week. a lot of grad's do, but a lot dont.

[wonderland1]

Bumping because it's tax season. Any useful cam model tax filing info is appreciated. Thanks.