9 steps I cross off the list before filing my taxes as a freelancer, to keep things organized and save as much money as possible

• I'm self-employed, so tax season is slightly more complicated for me than for someone with more traditional employment.
• As tax filing day approaches, I'll be working my way through a list of to-dos to make sure I'm maximizing my savings.
• To start, I've submitted my last quarterly payment of 2019 and sent 1099s to my contractors, and then I'll be combing through any deductions I might have missed, wrapping up my accounting, and checking my vehicle logs.
• See Business Insider's picks for the best tax software »

For freelancers and small business owners, tax season is a lot more complicated than for your average 9-5 employee. But it doesn't have to be overwhelming - there are lots of resources available, and tools to make the process easier. I'm a freelancer, and here's how I'm preparing to file my taxes this tax season.

1. Make my last quarterly tax payment for 2019

Like most freelancers, I have to send quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS to avoid penalties for failing to pay my taxes throughout the year. Since the final payment for the 2019 tax year was due January 15, I've already checked this one off the list. I used a credit card to make sure I earned points or cash back on my tax payment.

2. Send 1099s or W2s

Since I work with contractors, I have to file 1099-MISC forms and send copies to them no later than January 31 - so I've also finished this tax. If you have employees, you're required to report their earnings to the Social Security Administration on form W-3 and send each employee a copy of Form W-2 by the same deadline.

If this applies to you, you've hopefully already done it, because penalties for missing that deadline are steep: Starting at $50 per form if it's less than 30 days late, and up to $270 per form if you never file them at all.

3. Review common freelancer deductions for anything I've forgotten

There's so many potential deductions for freelancers and small business owners that it's easy for even seasoned professionals to overlook deductible expenses. Before I wrap up my accounting for 2019, I'll be doing some research on deductible expenses for freelancers to make sure I'm deducting everything I'm entitled to.

4. Wrap up my accounting

It's important to have clear numbers to fill in on my tax returns, so I'll be reconciling all of my end-of-year income and expenses, closing my virtual books, and printing off the end of year profit and loss statement and summary of expenses I'll need to file a tax return. Fortunately, Quickbooks Self-Employed makes it easy to enter my final end-of-year expenses and produce the necessary documents.

5. Check my vehicle logs

If you use your personal vehicle for business purposes, you can take a credit of 54.5 cents per mile driven - but you have to have supporting documentation in case you get audited. There are a lot of apps available to help automate this process, but you can also do it manually with a spreadsheet or even a notebook. I'll be taking a look at my calendar and comparing it to my mileage log to make sure I didn't forget to account for anything - those miles can really add up!

6. Gather documentation for deductible expenses

The best way to protect yourself against an audit is to have clear documentation for everything you're deducting on your tax return. In addition to my accounting records, I've got a folder on my computer where I keep copies of phone bills, bank and credit card statements, receipts for large purchases, and other relevant documents.

If you have a home office or other part of your home that's used exclusively for business, also take photos of that space - that provides supporting documentation if you're taking a home office deduction. Also make sure to measure the space while you're at it, since you'll need that number for your tax return.

If you work for a gig economy company like Uber, Lyft, Postmates, or Airbnb, check your account for a tax summary that provides some of the relevant numbers you'll need to report income and expenses.

7. Add money to my retirement plan

Most types of retirement plans, including the SEP IRA (Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Arrangement -common for freelancers), allow adding funds for the 2019 tax year well into 2020. I'll be double-checking to make sure I've contributed the maximum amount for 2019, and adding more money if I haven't - this will both reduce the amount of taxes I owe and help set me up for success in the future.

8. Look for deals on tax software

We're long past the days where filling out tax forms by hand was the best way to file your taxes, so I'll be keeping an eye out for the best deal I can find on tax software that will meet my needs. (But keep in mind that if your household made less than $69,000 in 2019, you may be able to file your taxes for free.)

9. Sign up for a new credit card

This one may seem out of place, but tax season is a great opportunity to earn a bunch of credit card rewards or cash back, especially for freelancers. I'm able to earn over 40,000 points a year paying my taxes, and you can easily earn even more than that by signing up for a new credit card and using the tax payment to meet the minimum spending requirement for a sign-up bonus.

For example, the Chase Ink Business Preferred Card offers a whopping 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points when you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening the card - those points are worth $1,600 according to The Points Guy, which definitely helps take the sting out of a big tax bill!

• More tax day coverage:
• When are taxes due?
• How to file taxes for 2019
• What is a tax credit?
• H&R Block vs. TurboTax

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