Schedule C line by line, for people who hate forms

Line 1, gross receipts

Everything clients paid you, including payments through Stripe, PayPal, Upwork and direct transfers. Refunds you gave go on line 2, not as an expense.

Lines 8 to 27, expenses

Advertising on line 8, car costs on line 9, contract labor on line 11, insurance on line 15, legal and professional fees on line 17, office expense on line 18, rent on line 20b, travel on line 24a, meals on line 24b at 50 percent, and utilities on line 25. Software subscriptions usually go on line 27a as other expenses, with a short description.

Line 30, home office

The simplified method is $5 per square foot of a space you use regularly and only for work, up to 300 square feet. The regular method uses a share of rent, utilities and insurance and can be larger, but it takes more records.

Line 31, net profit

This is the number that drives both income tax and self-employment tax. Every correct expense you record lowers it.