State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Release 24-03 December 18, 2024

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15.6 Self-Employment Income

15.6.1 Definitions

15.6.1.1 Income

Self-employment income is income directly from one's own business rather than as an employee with a specified salary or wages from an employer.

15.6.1.2 Business

Business means an occupation, work, or trade in which a person is engaged as a means of livelihood.

15.6.1.3 Operating

A business is operating when it is ready to function in its specific purpose. The period of operation begins when the business first opens and generally continues uninterrupted up to the present. A business is operating even if there are no sales and no work is being performed. Thus a seasonal business operates in the off season unless there has been a significant change in circumstances (see Section 15.6.5.3 Anticipated Earnings).

A business is not operating when it cannot function in its specific purpose. For instance, if a mechanic cannot work for four months because of an illness or injury, he or she may claim his or her business was not in operation for those months.

15.6.1.4 Income Maintenance Income

IMincome maintenance income is self-employment income that is counted in determining IM eligibility and benefits.

15.6.1.5 Real Property

Real property  means land and most things attached to the land, such as buildings and vegetation.

15.6.1.6 Non-real Property

Non-real property means all property other than real property.  

15.6.2 Ways to Identify

Identify a farm or other business according to the following criteria.

15.6.2.1 By Organization

A farm or other business is organized in one of the following ways:

1. A sole proprietorship, which is an unincorporated business owned by one person.
2. A partnership, which exists when 2 or more persons associate to conduct business. Each person contributes money, property, labor, or skills, and expects to share in the profits and losses. Partnerships are unincorporated.
3. A corporation is a legal entity authorized by a state to operate under the rules of the entity's charter. There may be one or more owners. A corporation differs from the other forms because a corporation:
   1. Is taxed as a separate entity rather than the owners being taxed as individuals, and
   2. Provides only limited liability. Each owners' loss is limited to their investment in the corporation while the owners of unincorporated business is also personally liable.
4. An LLClimited liability company, a business structure that combines the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship (the members are taxed directly) with the limited liability of a corporation.

15.6.2.2 By IRS Tax Forms

A self-employed person who earns more than $400 net income must file an end-of-year return with the IRSInternal Revenue Service. A person who will owe more than $400 in taxes at the end of the year must file quarterly estimates.

IRS tax forms for reporting self-employment income are listed below.

• Form 1065 - Partnership or multi-member LLC
  • Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) -- Partner's Share of Income, Deductions, Credits, etc.
• Form 1120S - S Corporation
• Form 4562 - Depreciation & Amortization
• Form 1040 - Sole Proprietorship
  • Form 4797 - Sales of Business Property
  • Schedule C (Form 1040) - Business (non-farm)
  • Schedule E (Form 1040) - Rental and Royalty
  • Schedule F (Form 1040) - Farm Income
  • Schedule SE (Form 1040) - Social Security Self-Employment
• Other Forms
  • Schedule D (Form 1040) - Capital Gains and Losses
  • Schedule 1 (Form 1040) - Additional Income and Adjustments to Income
  • Form 1040 - U.S. Individual Income Tax Return

15.6.2.3 Employee Status

A person is an employee if he or she is under the direct "wield and control" of an employer. The employer has the right to control the method and result of the employee's service. A self-employed person earns income directly from his or her own business, and all of the following applies:

1. Does not have federal income tax and FICA payments withheld from a paycheck.

   Note:

   A babysitter who works in someone else's home is considered an employee of that household, even if the individual employing him or her does not withhold taxes or FICA.

2. Does not complete a W-4 for an employer.
3. Is not covered by employer liability insurance or worker's compensation.
4. Is responsible for his or her own work schedule.

15.6.3 Self-Employment Income Assets

15.6.3.1 Business Assets

The value of property essential to self-support and used in a trade or business is excluded if the business is currently operating (see Section 15.6.1.3 Operating) for the self-support of the individual. This includes real and personal property (e.g., land, buildings, equipment, and supplies) used in a trade or business and liquid assets used as part of a trade or business.

If the property is not currently operating, it is exempt if there is a reasonable expectation it will resume operating within the next 12 months. The reasonable expectation should be based on the following information:

1. Date of last use
2. Reason property is not in current use
3. Estimated date the person expects to resume use

If the individual decides not to resume operating, the property becomes a countable asset in the month after the decision is made not to resume.

The 12-month limit should only be extended when a disabling condition prevents the person from resuming business use of the property.

15.6.3.2 Bank Accounts

The value of business bank accounts is disregarded, even if a partner or sole proprietor makes withdrawals from the account for personal use. A bank account is a business account if the individual claims that it is a business account.

15.6.3.3 Disallowed Expenses

Expenses that are allowed self-employment deductions on the IRS business tax forms are allowed expenses for Medicaid. Some specific expenses that have been identified as not allowed in the calculation of Self Employment Income on the IRS tax forms and therefore not allowed for Medicaid are:

1. Net loss carryover from previous periods,
2. Federal, State, and local income taxes,
3. Charitable donations,
4. Work-related personal expenses, such as transportation to and from work,
5. Work-related personal expenses such as pensions, employee benefit and retirement programs and/or profit sharing expenses (Business expenses for employees’ pensions, benefits, retirement programs, and profit sharing expenses are allowable, but the work-related personal expenses of the employer are not), or
6. Principal payments on loans for the purchase price of income producing real estate, capital assets/equipment, and durable goods.

15.6.4 Self-Employed Income Sources

All self-employment income is earned income, except royalty income and some rental income.

Self-employment income is income that is reported to IRS as farm or other self-employment income or as rental or royalty income. When income is not reported to the IRS, you must judge whether or not it is self-employment income.

Self-employment income sources are:

1. Business. Income from operating a business.

2. Capital Gains. Business income from selling securities and other property is counted. This does not include personal capital gains, which are counted as unearned income rather than self-employment income.

3. Rental. Rental income is rent received from properties owned or controlled. Rental income is either earned or unearned. It is earned only if the owner actively manages the property on an average of 20 or more hours per week. If rental income is not reported to the IRS, see Section 15.4.23 Rental Income.

4. Royalties. Royalty income is unearned income received for granting the use of property owned or controlled. Examples are patents, copyrighted materials, or a natural resource. The right to income is often expressed as a percentage of receipts from using the property or as an amount per unit produced.

15.6.5 Calculating Income Maintenance Income

IM income (see Section 15.6.1.1 Income) is anything you receive in cash or in-kind that you can use to meet your needs for food, clothing, and shelter by either:

1. Using IRS tax forms completed for the previous year, or
2. Anticipating earnings (see Section 15.6.5.3 Anticipated Earnings)

15.6.5.1 IRS Tax Forms and Worksheets

IM workers should not complete any IRS tax forms on an applicant's or member's behalf. It is the responsibility of the applicant or member to complete IRS tax forms.

Workers should only consult IRS tax forms only if all of the following conditions are met:

• The business was in operation at least one full month during the previous tax year.
• The business has been in operation six or more months at the time of the application.
• The person does not claim a significant change in circumstances since the previous year.

If all three conditions are not met, use anticipated earnings (see Section 15.6.5.3 Anticipated Earnings).

If you decide to use IRS tax forms, use them together with the charts in Process Help, Section 16.2 Self-Employment Income, or the self-employment income worksheets, which identify which income and expenses need to be entered onto the Self-Employment page by line on the IRS tax forms.

For each operation, select the worksheet you need (if applicable) and, using the provided tax forms and/or schedule, complete the worksheet (if applicable) and enter the income and expenses onto the Self-Employment page.

1. Sole Proprietor - Farm and Other Business
   There is no worksheet for Sole Proprietor. See Process Help, Section 16.2.2.3.2 Entering Information for a Sole Proprietorship to identify which lines need to be entered in CWW for each of the following IRS tax forms:
   1. IRS Form 4797 - Capital & Ordinary Gains
   2. IRS Schedule C (Form 1040) - Profit or Loss From Business
   3. IRS Schedule E (Form 1040) - Rental and Royalty Income
   4. IRS Schedule F (Form 1040) - Farm Income
2. Partnership (F-16036)
   1. IRS Form 1065 - Partnership Income
   2. IRS Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) - Partner's Share of Income
3. Subchapter S Corporation (F-16035)
   1. IRS Form - 1120S - Small Business Corporation Income
   2. IRS Schedule K-1 (Form 1120S - Shareholder's Share of Income

When a household has more than one self-employment operation, the losses of one may be used to offset the profits of another. Apply this offset only to those self-employment operations that produced earned income. Do not apply a loss from unearned income to a gain in earned income. Losses from self-employment cannot be used to offset other earned or unearned income.

15.6.5.2 Depreciation

Depreciation is an allowable deduction for EBD Medicaid cases.

15.6.5.3 Anticipated Earnings

If past circumstances do not represent present circumstances, workers should calculate self-employment income based on anticipated earnings. Anticipated earnings should also be used in the following situations:

• The applicant’s or member’s business underwent a significant change in circumstances. A significant change in circumstances is any change that can be expected to affect income over time. It is the applicant’s or member’s responsibility to report significant changes. The following are examples of significant changes:
  • The owner sold or closed down the business.
  • The owner sold a part of his or her business (e.g., one of two retail stores).
  • The owner is ill or injured and will be unable to operate the business for a period of time.
  • A plumber gets the contract on a new apartment complex. The job will take nine months and his or her income will increase.
  • A farmer suffers unusual crop loss due to the weather or other circumstances.
  • There is a substantial cost increase for a particular material such that there will be less profit per unit sold.
  • Sales are consistently below previous levels for an unknown reason. The relevant period may vary depending on the type of business (consider normal sales fluctuations).
• The applicant’s or member’s business was not in operation for at least one full month during the previous tax year.
• The applicant’s or member’s business was not in operation for six or more months when the person applied for or renewed benefits or reported changes.

IM workers should determine whether it is necessary to use anticipated earnings on a case-by-case basis and document the reasons for the determination in case comments.

The date of an income change is the date a worker and applicant or member agree that a significant change in circumstances occurred. IM workers must also judge whether the person’s report was timely to decide if the case was overpaid or underpaid. Changes are then effective according to the normal prospective budgeting cycle. IM workers should not recover payments made before the agreed upon date.

15.6.5.3.1 Reporting Anticipated Earnings

The Self-Employment Income Report form (F-00107) (also called a SEIRF) simplifies reporting income and expenses when earnings must be anticipated. It can be used to report income for any type of business with any form of organization. However, some people, especially farm operators, may find it easier to complete the applicable IRS Form 1040 schedule when income and expense items are more complex.

For anticipated earnings to be determined, the applicant or member must complete a SEIRF for the months of operation since the significant change in circumstances occurred, not to exceed 12 months. (Note: The beginning of a business is a significant change in circumstances.) When requesting verification, the SEIRF forms will be prepopulated with the individual’s and business’ information, and will identify each individual month for which income and expenses are needed. However, he or she may complete a separate SEIRF for each month or combine the months on one SEIRF.

When a new self-employment business is reported or when a significant change in circumstance occurs, recalculate self-employment income as follows:

• When six or more months of actual self-employment information is available (but tax information is not available), calculate monthly average self-employment income using all the months’ (at least six months, but no more than 12 months) income.

  Example 2:

  James applies for Medicaid on November 1, 2017. He reports that he was self-employed starting in April 2017. The agency asks James to complete SEIRFs for April, May, June, July, August, September, and October so that his prospective self-employment income can be determined for his Medicaid certification period (November 2017–October 2018).

• When two or more full months but less than six months of actual self-employment information is available, calculate a monthly self-employment net income average using all of the actual income information. Because at least three months of income is needed, if the business has only been in operation two months, calculate the monthly self-employment net income average using the actual income information for two months, and an estimate of net income for the next month.

  Example 3:

  Bonnie applies for Child Care and Medicaid on April 5, 2016. She reports that she was self-employed starting in January 2016. The agency asks Bonnie to complete a SEIRF for January, February, and March so that her prospective self-employment income can be determined for her Child Care and Medicaid certification period (April 2016–March 2017).

• When at least one full month but less than two full months of actual self-employment income information is available, calculate a monthly net income average using the actual net income received in any partial month of operation, the one full month of operation, and an estimate of net income for the next month.

  Example 4:

  Ricardo applies for FoodShare and Medicaid on February 5. He was self-employed starting December 15. The agency asks Ricardo to complete a SEIRF for December, January, and February so that his prospective self-employment income can be calculated. The completed SEIRF includes Ricardo’s actual income and expenses for December and January, and his expected income and expenses for February. The worker divides the total by three to determine an anticipated monthly average income amount. This amount would be used until Ricardo reports a significant change in self-employment or until Ricardo renews his benefits.

• When there is less than one full month of actual income information available, calculate a monthly net self-employment income average using the actual net income received in the partial month (since the significant change in circumstance occurred) and estimated income and expenses for the next two months.

  Example 5:

  Jenny is a Medicaid member who has been self-employed as a hairdresser since 2012. Jenny’s Medicaid certification period is December 2015 to November 2016. The worker used Jenny’s 2014 tax return to establish a monthly income amount. In March 2016, Jenny reports that she has been unable to work since breaking her arm on February 17. She is not sure when she will be able to return to work, but it will not be until at least May. Jenny completes a SEIRF for February 17–February 28 (actual income since the significant change in circumstance occurred), and for March and April using a best estimate of income. The worker uses these three months (February, March, and April) to determine a prospective self-employment income estimate for the remainder of the certification period (through November 2016).

Use the average until the member’s next renewal or if a significant change in circumstances is reported between renewals.

Use the anticipated earnings amount until the person completes an IRS tax form or reports a significant change in circumstances.

15.6.6 Verification

Self-employment income information is not available through data exchanges and therefore must be verified (see Section 20.3.8 Income).

Completed IRS tax forms (see Section 15.6.2.2 By IRS Tax Forms) are sufficient verification of farm and self-employment income. A completed and signed SEIRF (or SEIRFs) is also sufficient verification.

If a Program Add request is made on a case with self-employment income, use the existing SEIRF information, instead of re-verifying it, if all of the following are true:  

• A recent determination was made.
• SEIRFs were used.
• No significant change has been reported by the individual.
• The business has not filed taxes in the meantime.

Note:

It is not necessary to collect copies of supportive verification, such as receipts from sales and purchases. However, verification can be requested when the information given is in question (see Section 20.4.1 Questionable Items Introduction). If requesting verification, workers must document the reason for the request in case comments.

15.6.7 Self-Employment Hours

Count the time a self-employed person puts in on business-related activities involving planning, selling, advertising, and management along with time put in on production of goods and providing of services as hours of work.

Verification of self-reported monthly hours worked is not required unless questionable (see Section 20.4 Questionable Items).

15.6.8 Backdated Months

Self-employment income is averaged over the number of months the business has been in operation in a tax year or anticipated based on an average of SEIRFs. It is not based on exact income for a single month, as that does not take into consideration seasonal work and fluctuating income for the business. If an individual had applied in a backdated month, eligibility would not be determined on the basis of one month of self-employment income; instead, eligibility would be based on an average of at least three months of income.

When a self-employed applicant or member requests backdated benefits for health care, workers must do the following:

1. Average self-employment income for the application month forward (to determine ongoing eligibility).
2. Determine eligibility for the backdated months as if the applicant or member had applied in the earliest backdated month requested:
   1. If income is reported via federal taxes, the tax filing year has not changed, and no significant change in circumstances has occurred, the same averaged income and expenses from the tax forms can be used for ongoing and backdated eligibility.
   2. In all other scenarios, workers must consider SEIRFs and the average to be counted if that earliest month was the application month. If estimates would have been used, but the month has passed, actual information should be provided on the SEIRFs.
3. Consider any significant changes that occurred during the backdated months that would require a new average to be calculated for the second and/or third month. If there has not been a significant change or a change in the tax filing year during the backdated months, the average calculated for the earliest month can be used throughout the backdated months.

Example 6:

Maggie applied for Medicaid in June and requested backdated eligibility to March. She has been self-employed as a seamstress since February of the same year. She does not file taxes. For the application month of June, SEIRFs would be used for all available months – February, March, April, and May to budget average income for the month of June and ongoing. If she had applied in March, her income would have been averaged based on actual income for the months of February, March, and April, so SEIRFs for February, March, and April would be used for determining her eligibility for Medicaid for the backdated months of March, April, and May.

 

Example 7:

Glenn applied for Medicaid in September and requested backdated eligibility to June. He has been self-employed as a farmer, but reported having a true significant change in circumstances in May. For the application month of September, SEIRFs would be used for all months since the significant change – May, June, July, and August to budget average income for the month of September and ongoing. If he had applied in June, his income would have been average based on actual income for the months of May, June, and July, so SEIRFs for May, June, and July would be used for determining his eligibility for Medicaid for the backdated months of June, July, and August.

 

Example 8:

Hershel applied for Medicaid and FoodShare for himself in April and requested backdated eligibility to January. He owns a bakery and filed taxes. However, he reports that his previous year’s taxes no longer reflect his earnings due to a true significant change that occurred in March. For the application month of April, SEIRFs would be used for all months since the significant change occurred in March, so Hershel’s actual income for March and estimated income for April and May would be used to budget average income for the month of April and ongoing.   If he had applied in January, taxes would be used as verification of his income, so his taxes can be used for determining his eligibility for Medicaid for the backdated months of January and February. However, because of the significant change in March, an average of March, April, and May SEIRFs would be used for determining his eligibility for Medicaid for the backdated month of March.

 

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The information concerning the Medicaid program provided in this handbook release is published in accordance with: Titles XI and XIX of the Social Security Act; Parts 430 through 481 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations; Chapters 46 and 49 of the Wisconsin Statutes; and Chapters HA 3, DHS 2, 10 and 101 through 109 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code.

Notice: The content within this manual is the sole responsibility of the State of Wisconsin's Department of Health Services (DHS). This site will link to sites outside of DHS where appropriate. DHS is in no way responsible for the content of sites outside of DHS.

Publication Number: P-10030