Aliens.
Resident aliens are generally subject to the same rules
that apply to U.S. citizens. Nonresident aliens are not subject to SE
tax. Residents of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands, or American Samoa, however, are subject
to the tax. For SE tax purposes, they are not nonresident aliens. For
more information on aliens, see Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens.
Church employee.
If you work for a church or a qualified church-controlled
organization (other than as a minister or member of a religious order)
that elected an exemption from social security and Medicare taxes, you
are subject to SE tax if you receive $108.28 or more in wages from the
church or organization. For more information, see Publication 517, Social
Security and Other Information for Members of the Clergy and Religious Workers.
Fishing crew member.
If you are a member of the crew on a boat that
catches fish or other water life, your earnings are subject to SE tax if all
the following conditions apply.
You do not get any pay for the work except your share of the catch or a share of the proceeds from the sale of the catch, unless the pay meets all the following conditions.
The pay is not more than $100 per trip.
The pay is received only if there is a minimum catch.
The pay is solely for additional duties (such as mate, engineer, or cook) for which additional cash pay is traditional in the fishing industry.
You get a share of the catch or a share of the proceeds from the sale of the catch.
Your share depends on the amount of the catch.
The boat's operating crew normally numbers fewer than 10 individuals. (An operating crew is considered as normally made up of fewer than 10 if the average size of the crew on trips made during the last four calendar quarters is fewer than 10.)
You are not subject to SE tax if you are under age 18 and you are working for your father or mother.
Notary public.
Fees you receive for services you perform as a notary public
are reported on Schedule C or C-EZ but are not subject to self-employment tax
(see the Instructions for Schedule SE (Form 1040)).
State or local government employee.
You are subject to SE tax if you are
an employee of a state or local government, are paid solely on a fee basis, and
your services are not covered under a federal-state social security agreement.
Foreign government or international organization employee.
You are
subject to SE tax if both the following conditions are true.
You are a U.S. citizen employed in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands by:
A foreign government,
A wholly-owned instrumentality of a foreign government, or
An international organization.
Your employer is not required to withhold social security and Medicare taxes from your wages.
U.S. citizen or resident alien residing abroad.
If you are a
self-employed U.S. citizen or resident alien living outside the United
States, in most cases you must pay SE tax. Do not reduce your foreign
earnings from self-employment by your foreign earned income exclusion.
Exception. The United States has social security agreements with many countries to eliminate double taxation under two social security systems. Under these agreements, you generally must only pay social security and Medicare taxes to the country you live in. The country to which you must pay the tax will issue a certificate which serves as proof of exemption from social security tax in the other country.
See the Instructions for Schedule SE (Form 1040) for more information.
Information courtesy of the Internal Revenue Service.
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