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Price the year, not the piece

Health Insurance for Artists, Makers, and Craft Sellers

You can price a piece. Pricing a year is the skill this page teaches.

Price my maker yearCall (352) 769-2245
  • 1099-Kis gross, not income
  • COGSmaterials deduct as pieces sell
  • Fair seasonfunds the whole year

The quick answer

Makers total platform sales, fair cash, commissions, and gallery remittances into one Schedule C, then deduct materials (through cost of goods sold once inventory matters), booth fees, studio rent, and mileage. The net lands far below the sales dashboard — and that net is what prices marketplace coverage.

Maker income is a quilt: platform sales with 1099-Ks, craft-fair weekends in cash, commissions by deposit, gallery checks after consignment splits, maybe teaching on the side. None of it comes with benefits, all of it counts, and the deductions — materials, booth fees, studio rent — are better than most artists ever claim.

What Makes Artists & Makers Different

  • Income arrives from platforms, fairs, commissions, and galleries at once, some on 1099-Ks and some in a cash box.
  • Materials and inventory accounting (COGS) reduce income differently than simple expenses — the one place maker taxes get genuinely tricky.
  • Fair season and holiday markets concentrate revenue like every seasonal trade on this site, with the same premium-budgeting answer.

The Patchwork Ledger

Platform payouts report on 1099-Ks at thresholds you should not architect around; fair cash counts identically with or without paper. One Schedule C gathers it all: sales, commissions, gallery remittances net of the split, teaching fees.

Against it: materials (through cost-of-goods-sold once inventory matters), booth and jury fees, studio rent, tools, packaging, mileage to fairs, and platform commissions. The net is usually far below the sales dashboard, and the net is what prices your coverage.

COGS: Where Maker Taxes Earn a Preparer

Materials that become inventory are deducted as pieces sell, not as supplies are bought — cost of goods sold. A maker who buys a year of clay in December has not reduced December’s income by that amount, and the marketplace estimate should follow the tax treatment.

This is the single place this page says: a preparer who understands inventory pays for themselves. Bring the estimate they bless to the coverage conversation.

Fair Season Funds the Whole Year

Holiday markets and fair season concentrate sales exactly the way wedding season concentrates a planner’s deposits — and the answer is identical: reserve for premiums in the strong months, because a quiet February is not a Qualifying Life Event and Open Enrollment will not reopen for an empty booth.

Injury risk is real too — kilns, torches, blades, and repetitive strain. Urgent care handling and PT access earn their place in the plan comparison next to premium.

Tools & Downloads for Artists & Makers

Use them here, download them, share them — no email wall, no cost.

Income worksheetEstimate the MAGI figure the marketplace asks artists & makers for
Estimated MAGI:$0This is the number the marketplace asks for — an estimate, not an eligibility determination.

If your studio holds real inventory, let a preparer set the COGS treatment and estimate from the number they bless.

Review this number with Carter
60-day deadline calculatorLosing coverage? Find the exact day your enrollment window closes
Special Enrollment window closes:—

Losing qualifying coverage generally opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period from the coverage end date. The window is firm — start before it is close.

Premium vs. deductible break-evenTwo quotes side by side — see what the monthly difference buys
Premium difference over a year:—

Arithmetic only — networks, copays, and out-of-pocket maximums matter just as much, which is what the call is for.

↓ Artists & Makers expense tracker (CSV)↓ Artists & Makers coverage checklist↓ 60-day Special Enrollment checklist↓ Open Enrollment prep checklist↓ What to bring to our first call

Everything here is free to use and share — no email required. Browse the full tool & download library →

What I Hear From Artists & Makers

  • A sales dashboard that looks like income until COGS and fees do their work.
  • Cash fair weekends counted casually until a 1099-K forces the issue.
  • Premiums due in the months between markets.
  • Kiln, torch, and blade risk carried with no coverage at all.

Questions Artists & Makers Ask

Etsy sent a 1099-K. Is that my income?

It is your platform gross — before fees, shipping you paid, materials, booth costs, and everything else on the Schedule C. Your income for the marketplace is the net after all of it, which for most makers sits dramatically below the 1099-K figure. Build the estimate from the bottom line, not the form.

How do materials really deduct?

Consumed supplies deduct as expenses; materials that become finished inventory deduct through cost of goods sold when pieces sell. If your studio holds real inventory, this timing difference is worth a preparer’s hour — and the marketplace estimate should track the tax treatment they set.

Fair season is my whole income. How do I stay covered in the quiet months?

Reserve premiums out of season earnings the way you reserve for taxes and booth fees. Dropping coverage in a slow stretch locks you out until Open Enrollment — a risk with kilns and blades in the studio. If the year genuinely comes in lower, update the estimate and let the credit take more of the load.

Do commissions and gallery sales count differently?

Same Schedule C, different timing: commission deposits count when received, gallery consignment counts when the gallery remits your share. Track both by payment date and the estimate stays honest — and update the application if a large commission or a gallery relationship changes the year.

Price the year, not just the piece

Bring your platform summaries, fair calendar, and materials spend. We will build the real net — COGS respected — and set coverage the whole studio year can afford.

Price my maker yearCall (352) 769-2245

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