Hello my fellow home business owners! I apologize for my absence..my DSL service went out Thursday and didn't get fixed til today. Don't you just love technology?

Taxes are one area where home business owners don't have an advantage. Not only are we responsible for paying our own taxes, we often end up paying more because we have to cover all of our social security tax while those working for employers only pay about half. Worried about giving out your social security number on all the W-9 forms and other paperwork freelancers and independent contractors have to deal with? Get an Employee Identification Number or EIN. It works just like a SSN would but is a lot safer. You can get one from the IRS for free and online. Here's how:

https://sa1.www4.irs.gov/modiein/individual/index.jsp
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00.html

Check it out and make your paperwork a little easier and a lot safer!