Guides
Guides for home service operators
The tools and paperwork around the work: design software, licenses, insurance.
11 of 11 planned guides published · 10,470 searches a month across the section.
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Pesticide applicator license: a guide for lawn and landscape operators
When lawn and landscape work needs a pesticide license, how commercial and restricted-use certification differ, and how to get licensed in your state.
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Deck building software for deck contractors
Free manufacturer deck planners vs RedX Decks, compared on what a contractor needs: permit drawings, cut lists, and a design you can sell.
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Do you need a handyman license?
How handyman licensing actually works: state job-value limits, the permit rule, trades you can't touch, and how to check your own state.
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Do you need a landscaping license?
Landscaping licensing comes in three layers: contractor, pesticide and fertilizer, and irrigation. Which apply to your work, with real state examples.
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Tax deductions for self-employed contractors and home service operators
The deductions that matter for a 1-4 person home service business: mileage, equipment, software, half of self-employment tax, QBI, and home office.
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Should your handyman business be an LLC?
What an LLC does and doesn't protect for a handyman, what it costs, how it's taxed, and the order to set it up alongside licenses and insurance.
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Do you need a license to start a cleaning business?
Cleaning businesses rarely need a special license, but they do need a business license, often an EIN, sales tax registration in some states, and a bond.
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Should you form an LLC for your cleaning business?
Whether a house or commercial cleaning business needs an LLC, what it protects when you work in clients' homes, how it's taxed, and how to set it up.
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Subcontractor vs employee: how to classify your first helper
How the IRS separates subcontractors from employees using behavioral, financial and relationship control, and what misclassification costs a small crew.
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Price increase letter: templates for recurring service customers
Price increase letter templates for lawn care, cleaning and other recurring service customers, with timing, how much notice to give, and what to leave out.
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Do you need an LLC for your lawn care business?
When a lawn care business should become an LLC, what it protects on the job site, how it's taxed, and how it fits with licensing and insurance.