The main difference between gig work and full employment taxes is that taxes are not automatically withheld from gig workers' paychecks, whereas full-time employees have taxes withheld by their employers. Gig workers are responsible for calculating and paying their own taxes, including self-employment taxes covering both the employee and employer portions of Social Security and Medicare, often resulting in a higher effective tax rate. Full-time employees have taxes, including federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare, withheld automatically from their paychecks, with employers also contributing to some taxes on their behalf.