ABSTRACT

Indie developers and other people who work on games for a living face all kinds of interesting income tax and small business formation issues that more traditional businesses simply don’t: not being geographically bound, relying on alternative funding, long periods of time with no income, and having multiple options for tax treatment of game development costs. The Definitive Guide to Taxes for Indie Game Developers addresses the income tax issues that the average indie game developer is most likely to encounter, in the context of the American Internal Revenue Code and types of taxes.

Written by a former tax law practitioner turned game developer and industry consultant with a decade of tax and accounting experience, this newly revised Second Edition includes key provisions of the 2018 tax reform, such as the new qualified business income deduction, R&D credit expansion, and permanent reduction to corporate income taxes. In-depth explanations and examples are provided along with references to Tax Court and Supreme Court cases relevant to each tax benefit.

Key Features:

  • Includes authoritative sources with relevant IRS publications, Revenue Rulings, and Tax Court cases
  • Features easy to read, accessible, and humorous language: No legalese!
  • Approaches how business decisions as an indie developer affect personal finances

Readers will gain a thorough understanding of taxation’s role in managing a game studio of any size and going indie with any lifestyle. The accompanying companion website is a valuable resource that is annually updated to keep current on any tax reforms.

chapter Level 1|10 pages

Types of Taxes

chapter Level 2|4 pages

Chaotic Neutral Married

Filing Statuses

chapter Level 3|7 pages

Deductions, Credits, and Exclusions

chapter Level 4|13 pages

Solid Recordkeeping as an Important Framework

chapter Level 5|8 pages

Tax Impacts of How Your Game Gets Funded

chapter Level 7|22 pages

Business Entities

Formalities and Setting Up

chapter Level 8|7 pages

The Load Screen

Startup and Organizational Costs

chapter Level 9|15 pages

The Main Event

Business Expenses

chapter Level 10|7 pages

The Lost Levels

Nondeductible Items and Net Operating Losses

chapter Level 12|17 pages

Turn-Based Strategy

Depreciation of Big-Ticket Items

chapter Level 13|16 pages

Gone Home

The Deal with Home Office Deductions

chapter Level 14|9 pages

Late Game Content

Minding Your QBI

chapter Level 18|8 pages

Sales Tax: Torment

chapter Level 19|11 pages

Classification Quest

Do I Issue a W-2 or 1099?

chapter Level 21|13 pages

How to Choose and Work with a Tax Professional