Photography business regulations - experiences?

[Tejpor]

Any experience of fellow members with commercial photography / photographic print sales - and the necessary evil, business registration & tax regulations?

In Hungary, photography as business is regulated(!). You actually have to prove that you have the necessary skills and credentials by completing an University degree or at minimum a course which last two years... In theory, you do not just snap a few images and sell them ("regularly"), whatever the merits of your image.

I do not know if it is enforced, though. What is the situation in your country?

[pluton]

In the USA, all relates to money.  Any schmo may publicly claim to be a photographer no matter his/her skills or artistic gift.  If one earns money doing it, the Internal Revenue Service is interested in how much.  One may claim to the IRS that your occupation is "Photographer", but that is a tax classification only.

[charlie]

To add to what Keith said about the USA & the IRS, depending on the State you're in they might be interested in how much you're earning as well so they can take their cut, and the city where the business resides could be interested in a business license fee as well.

There are many professions that are regulated with required schooling & licensing, such as medical & law related occupations, but photography is not among them.

[Tejpor]

Insteresting, so the USA is quite liberal in this respect. What do other members from the EU find?

[Bent Hjarbo]

In Denmark there is no regulation, anyone can call oneself a photographer.
The taxman just want to know how much you earn.
So very much like the US.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

'Photographer' as such is not a protected vocation in any way in my country. Anyone can be a 'photographer'. Whether you earn money or not defines your relationship to the authorities. As soon as you run a registered company and pay VAT, you are classified as 'professional' business and follow specific taxation rules, amongst which in particular important are deprecation of investments over several years and full deduction of business expenses. When you are not considered as a business professional, you are by definition doing 'photography' as a hobby and thus cannot deduct expenses except under very limited situations. The breaking point is when you are eligible for VAT registration, which equals an earning of at least NOK 50.000 over a 12-month period (in fact, registration then is mandatory). You do need to be registered to invoice clients. Otherwise, the payment is considered a salary and the taxation rules are very different from what applies to a business.

[Akira]

The same goes in Japan.  Unlike doctors or attorneys, you don't need any official credentials to work as photographer professionally (meaning: you can sell your photographs to make a living).

[Bjørn Rørslett]

You usually do need to hold a Press Card to gain access to larger events as a photographer, though. Meaning you at least should have a registered business and sometimes membership in photographic organisations.

[Akira]

You usually do need to hold a Press Card to gain access to larger events as a photographer, though. Meaning you at least should have a registered business and sometimes membership in photographic organisations.

Again, the same goes in Japan.

[David H. Hartman]

I California the State Board of Equalization will wish to collect Sales and Use Tax so righteous invoice system must be in place. If accounting records aren't up to par they will make their best guess and you will pay. A proper accounting is a must anywhere that taxes are assessed.

Dave who wrote his own invoice program in dBase III Plus