while helping their local economies grow. It is our hope that a deeper understanding of Etsy sellers’ experiences will provide greater insight into the many opportunities policymakers have to support microbusinesses and the creative economy. Portable benefits Individuals working outside traditional employment face considerable challenges accessing affordable, group rate benefits like health insurance, retirement savings, disability, and unemployment insurance. According to a report from the US Department of the Treasury, one in five people insured through the healthcare exchange marketplaces are independent workers or self-employed.21 Similarly, full-time Etsy sellers are more likely to obtain health insurance outside of employer-based coverage, demonstrating that when you begin to separate benefits from employment, more people can pursue entrepreneurship. We propose creating a single place to manage benefits, regardless of income source. For example, policymakers could create a Federal Benefits Portal, that would tie all benefits (retirement, health insurance, paid leave, tax-advantaged savings accounts, disability, etc.) to the individual, providing a single marketplace to view, choose, and pay for their benefits, regardless of where or how they earn income. Additionally, individuals need a simple, common way to fund those benefits. Although payroll has been a useful way to administer benefits, it excludes everyone working outside traditional employment. We propose using tax withholding as the universal means to administer benefits contributions, enabling both employees and 1099s to withhold their Social Security and Medicare taxes from their pay, as well as an additional percentage of pre-tax income to fund benefits. Economic security Managing periods of slow sales or unexpected income shocks can be difficult for microbusinesses who lack a consistent paycheck. Weathering this income volatility and building economic security is especially important to independent workers without the protection of unemployment insurance. Policymakers can help to bolster overall economic security by investigating ways to manage both short-term income fluctuations and long-term catastrophic income loss. Microbusinesses need a universal, simple, and flexible approach to smoothing income over time, while ensuring they can pay bills when they’re owed. Increasing access to more flexible tax advantaged savings accounts can help individuals smooth income over the course of the year, and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit can provide an income floor to all working Americans.22 Tax and regulatory simplification Microbusinesses often struggle to learn about and comply with their tax 14 2017 Seller Census Report