Basically, a scheduling company helps lots of other mystery shopping companies fill their assignments. That means registering with one scheduling company directly connects you with lots of other companies.

Here are FOUR scheduling companies for you to register with: (more…)

Being a mystery shopper means you are an independent contractor — which means you are effectively running your own small business.

With that, comes a load of advantages with your taxes. Yes, your taxes will be a little more complicated, but you get to have a whole slew of deductions that would otherwise have been unavailable to you.

This is important, because many people LOSE a lot of money because they miss out on their deductions.

When filling out your IRS forms, you get to do something called a Schedule C. This is where you report all of the money you’ve been paid as part of your business (yes, all of it!). But you also get to report ALL of your expenses. And with mystery shopping, there are a lot of expenses.

Look at it this way: You need to use the internet to get assignments. That’s an expense. You might need to buy a fax machine. That’s an expense. You need to drive to the assignment. Your mileage is an expense. You have to buy something at the store. That’s an expense. You might need to print a report, mail it, or fax it. All of those things are expenses.

And expenses are subtracted from your gross revenue. That’s how you determine your net profit. And its profit that you pay taxes on.

There is one very important rule that you must keep in mind when it comes to expenses: It has to be a “required” expense. That means, the expense had to be necessary for your mystery shopping.

This is great because all of money you were required to spend as part of your mystery shopping assignments gets to be deducted from your revenue. That means, with mystery shopping, you get paid a lot of money without having to pay taxes on it.

(Please double check all of your expenses with your accountant to make sure they’re allowed. I personally use TurboTax, which walks me through the whole thing. I recommend you do your taxes using such a tool, or consult with an accountant before filing.)

Throughout the year its vital that you keep good records of all your expenses. Keep a log of your miles traveled. And keep a folder with all of your receipts. Those receipts are worth a lot of money come tax time.

If you have a separate space in your house, such as a small office, where you manage your mystery shopping, then you get to deduct a portion of all of your utilities AND your mortgage/rent payment. That can be a nice bonus.

Keep your eyes open for items that can be counted as expenses for your business. You’ll be surprised at how much can slip through the cracks if you’re not careful. But all of those expenses that you find means a lot of savings come tax time.

But is it worth it to pay Shadowshopper ? In many cases it is. I recommend signing up for their free trial. If they have a lot of assignments available to you, and you want to take them, then the Shadowshopper sercice is worth every penny.

Here’s what some people have had to say about Shadowshopper :

“I’ve had nothing but good experiences while using Shadow Shoppers . I signed up for a one year subscription for $19.99 and was a silver member. I submitted my profile and began receiving emails from companies which I applied for each and everyone on my own. I presently work with five mystery shop companies and two demo comapanies. I presently gross over $1500.00 per month and presently I’m very happy with the choice to sign up with Shadow Shoppers .” - Kenneth Baker

“I paid $19.95 for a 3 month subscription to ShadowShopper and it was well worth it. I received plenty of job shops and I was able to apply and register with many companies. I am able to shop in my city and nearby communities that are within a close distance to where I live. Shadowshopper is a great way to get started if you are a newcomer to the world of mystery shopping! Now that I am registered with different companies,I receive shop offers directly to my e-mail and I am able to go directly to their job posting boards and apply for job offers. It was definitely worth the small amount of money I invested. I have no regrets and neither will you. After 3 months, I no longer need their services so I will not be renewing but I was satisfied with the information I received from ShadowShopper .” - Beverly Kelley