2026 tax year · Louisiana

Services and task work taxes in Louisiana

TaskRabbit, Rover, Upwork and the rest report your gross and withhold nothing. The gap between that and what you are actually taxed on is mileage, in Louisiana that gap is worth $2,115 in tax.

Take a driver who grossed $34,000 over 18,000 business miles. After mileage at 74.3 cents and the rest of the stack, worked through on the services and task work page $9,030 comes off and $24,970 is left as taxable profit. That profit is what Louisiana and the IRS charge against.

What that leaves you owing in Louisiana

Louisiana uses graduated 2026 income tax brackets topping out at 3%, across 3 brackets, on top of federal income tax and self-employment tax.

Self-employment tax$3,528
Federal income tax$568
Louisiana income tax$339
Total tax$4,436
Effective rate on gross13.0%

Earning more in Louisiana

A single filer taking the standard deduction, standard mileage method, this work as the only income, the calculator above handles the other filing statuses. Miles rise with earnings, so the deduction rises too, and the effective rate on gross climbs more slowly than it would for someone whose income grew without expenses attached:

VolumeGrossMileage offTaxable profitLouisiana taxTotal taxRate on gross
Part-time $11,000 $1,485 $9,515 $88 $1,433 13.0%
Steady side income $34,000 $4,455 $29,545 $424 $5,507 16.2%
Full-time $55,000 $7,425 $47,575 $759 $9,932 18.1%

Switching state opens that state's page.

Enter your numbers and press Calculate to see your 2026 estimate.

Louisiana specifics that change the number

Louisiana is a community property state. In community property states, income earned during marriage is generally owned equally by both spouses. This affects QJV eligibility, MFS filing strategies, and retirement account contribution rules.

Working across a Louisiana line

Services income is sourced to where the work was physically done. A job over the line can create a filing obligation in that state even for a single afternoon, and reciprocity agreements do not help, they cover wages paid by an employer, not self-employment income.

On $24,970 of profit, what the states around Louisiana would charge:

StateIts taxvs Louisiana
Texas No income tax −$374
Arkansas $896 +$522
Mississippi $999 +$624

Services and task work tax questions in Louisiana

How much should a Louisiana contractor set aside?

About 13.0% of gross on the $34,000 example, $4,436 across self-employment tax, federal income tax and $339 to Louisiana. Set aside from each payout rather than finding it in April.

Does the $34,000 on my 1099-NEC match what Louisiana taxes?

No. Louisiana taxes profit, not gross. After $9,030 of deductions the taxable figure is $24,970, so the Louisiana bill is $339 rather than what gross alone would suggest.

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