Online sales or subscriptions for freelancers

[LuisMesquita 2]

Hi,

 

I'm a freelancer 3D artist working for film and especially games. Is it possible, as a freelancer, to earn income from subscription based websites like Patreon, revenue from Youtube videos or from online sales of digital goods (like 3D assets, textures, character models, etc)? Can I just declare this income normally as a freelancer or do I need to be registered as a different type of business?

 

Thank you,
Luis Mesquita

[scook17 182]

I believe Patreon is more of a donation based model, so more of someone donating to an artistic they enjoy etc.

Youtube is based on commission from advertising youtube performs, so is more a B2B transaction.

Online sales of digital assets is questionable as to if it's freelance work (commissioned by a client on a one off basis) vs. selling assets created for the purpose of mass sale, which seems to me more like a shopkeeper, so a self employed activity vs. being a freelancer. Here B2B or B2C may play an element, especially concerning sales taxes (MWST/VAT etc).

 

I am sure there are rulings on these, and how they are classified, but you'd need to ask a tax advisor.

[LuisMesquita 2]

Thank you for your insight! It definitely looks like different work activities, which also raises the question if I can be self employed and a freelancer at the same time.

 

On 5/22/2022, 10:35:38, scook17 said:

I am sure there are rulings on these, and how they are classified, but you'd need to ask a tax advisor.

 

On this note, I know people who consulted tax advisors to ask similar questions and the answers were always "I don't know". I'm afraid to pay for it and get the same answers. Would be great if someone could refer a tax advisor who's familiar with this kind of field.