[Summary]
During your first year as a freelancer, it's easy to focus too much on getting a job and put off preparing your taxes. In the first year, it is important to create a record-keeping system.
The first thing you need to do is to organize your sales, expenses, invoices, receipts, and withholding tax by month. If you want to use the blue tax return, be sure to check the deadline for filing.
In this article, we will organize the points that beginners should check first in the order in which they are most likely to stumble in practice. Since taxes vary depending on individual circumstances, please confirm the final decision with an official or specialized contact such as the National Tax Agency, local government, tax office, or tax accountant.
First, the conclusion
The first thing you need to do is to organize your sales, expenses, invoices, receipts, and withholding tax by month. If you want to use the blue tax return, be sure to check the deadline for filing.
| Check points | way of seeing |
|---|---|
| sales management | Record invoice date, payment date, business partner, and amount. |
| expense management | Save receipts, card details, and usage notes. |
| Withholding tax | Check whether taxes are deducted from your compensation. |
| Blue declaration | Approval application and bookkeeping required. |
The important thing when reading tax articles is not just memorizing the system name. It's about looking at your income, accounts, deductions, and reporting methods separately.
common misconceptions
- Manage sales only by depositing money in your passbook.
- Overlooking the amount of tax withheld.
- You will find out later the deadline for business opening notification and blue tax return.
This is an area where it is easy to get confused just by reading the search article. In particular, "sales" and "income," "income tax" and "resident tax," and "NISA" and "taxable account" need to be treated as different things.
Order of actual checking
If you are confused, it will be easier to organize if you check them in the following order.
- Have you created a monthly sales table?
- Did you separate your work accounts and cards?
- Have you decided whether to use the blue tax return?
- Do you have tax funds set aside?
If it is still difficult to make a decision after looking at the above, it is safer not to leave it to your own judgment. Please check through official channels such as consultation with the tax office, the National Tax Agency's tax return preparation corner, and consultation with a tax accountant.
Summary
In the first year of freelancing, the habit of recording comes before knowledge of taxes. If you take even 30 minutes every month to sort things out, you'll feel much less anxious before filing your tax return.
While it's hard to get away with not knowing about taxes, there's no need to fear them too much if you sort them out early. When your income increases, when you start investing, or when you want to use deductions, it is most practical to prepare your records early rather than at the end of the year.
Source/reference materials
- National Tax Agency, No.1900 Salary earners who are required to file a final tax return
- National Tax Agency, No.1906 When salaried workers earn supplementary income from online auctions, etc.
- National Tax Agency, No.2070 Blue tax return system
- Confirmation date: 2026-05-30