For consultants, freelancers and anyone who bills for their time. Your books done the day you upload your statements, checked against your bank, for $79 a month.
Free to join. The first 1,000 in get their catch-up free.
Sales tax
North Carolina's sales tax is 4.75%, and cities and counties add their own, about 7% in all on average. If what you sell is taxable, you collect it and file returns with the state.
State income tax
North Carolina taxes income at a flat 3.99%, including the profit from your business.
Federal tax
Working for yourself, you pay 15.3% self-employment tax on most of your profit, plus federal income tax, usually in four estimated payments: April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15.
Contractors
Paid a contractor $2,000 or more in 2026? Send them a 1099-NEC by January 31.
What every business in Durham (about 300,000 people) keeps track of in 2026. Rates change, so check with your accountant before you file.
Consultants in Durham, by the numbers
Durham County, home to Durham, has 306 consulting firms with employees (Census Bureau, 2023).
That's 37% more than in 2018 (224).
Another 1,955 are run by one person with no employees, mostly self-employed owners.
Across North Carolina there are 6,972 with employees, so about 4% are in Durham County.
Every one of them has books to keep: sales to match to the bank, costs to sort and tax to work out.
Why consultants need different books
Invoices out and payments in at their own pace, clients in other provinces, states or countries, software subscriptions everywhere, and a home office. The work is simple; staying on top of who owes you and what to set aside is not.
What a bookkeeper for consultants in Durham keeps track of
Invoices, payments and who's late
Retainers and what's left of them
Software and subscriptions
Your home office
Tax to set aside
Taxes for consultants in North Carolina
Whether consulting services are taxed depends on the state, and many states don't tax them. Check North Carolina's rules; anything you sell as a product is usually taxed at 4.75% plus local tax.
Clients paying you $2,000 or more in 2026 send a 1099-NEC, but you report all your income either way.
You pay estimated tax four times a year: April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15.
A space at home used only for work can be written off.
What SumSwift does for consultants and freelancers, for $79 a month
Invoices made, emailed and chased in SumSwift, with a pay link your customers can use
Retainers applied to invoices as you bill
Subscriptions watched, with price rises and charges you forgot about flagged
What to set aside for tax, with the payments and their due dates
Home office worked out for your taxes
Every statement checked against the balances your bank printed, to the cent, with personal spending kept off your profit
Up to 3 accounts included. Prices in USD. Your accountant still files your tax return, with clean books and free access.
Questions.
How much does a bookkeeper for consultants cost in Durham?
Published price guides put most small businesses at $300 to $1,500 a month for a bookkeeper, more when the books are busy, as they often are for consultants. SumSwift does the monthly work for $79 a month, the day you upload your statements.
How much should I set aside for taxes?
Often 25% to 35% of profit, depending on where you live and your income. SumSwift works out yours from your real books.
Do I charge sales tax to clients in other places?
It depends on the country and where the client is. In Canada it follows the client's province, and clients outside Canada are usually zero-rated.
Does SumSwift know North Carolina's tax rules?
Whether consulting services are taxed depends on the state, and many states don't tax them. Check North Carolina's rules; anything you sell as a product is usually taxed at 4.75% plus local tax. Clients paying you $2,000 or more in 2026 send a 1099-NEC, but you report all your income either way.
Behind on my books. Can you catch me up?
Yes. A catch-up of up to 12 months is $599, once, checked against your bank to the cent.