Home computer maintenance business? Is it legal? Or do need a license to operate?

Question

I have a few people already that I help with home computers. They pay me a few dollars for the service. But, what if I were to have more customers and grow my network of business. Would I need a license to operate?

Answer 1

While the legal side of things can be tricky, you could get away with it if you keep it small and go to your customers homes to pick up the sick pc or on-site repair. The extra traffic might tip of the local chamber of commerce and they might say something about the zoning.So just keep it small and on the down low. If you need a good supplier tomshardware.com is a good site to go to. A good thing to offer would be a monthly maintenance package. All you do is go in and vacuum out the box as well as clean the exterior. Check for chip creep if its an old motherboard. Also stock up on artic silver as the stock cpu hardly ever comes properly setup for cooling(a quick polish on the heatsink never hurts) All this for only $30 bucks and can be done within an hour. Get four or five customer a week and do this inhome and you doing pretty hot. and don't forget to upsell. Everyone always needs extra memory. Package B could also include a complete virus,spam,and Trojan check. Aswell as the standard defrag(for windows boxes)and disk cleanup. this for an ext ra 15 bucks. a complete tuneup Hey pc is more like cars than one thinks(or is it the otherway around?)

Answer 2

If they pay you via 1099 as a consultant, it's OK. If you want to start a business, just go to city hall and buy a license for about $100.

Answer 3

you would only need a license to operate if you were paid by check or credit. if you are paid in cash, totally under the table, then you don't need to get a license. however, if someone were to report you for running an unlicensed business, you could get in a lot of trouble with the IRS.