Guides

The rules behind the calculators, written the way you'd explain them to a friend who just went freelance.

• Mileage Logs: What the IRS Will Accept, and What It Won't

  A reconstructed spreadsheet made in April is the weakest possible evidence. Here is what a contemporaneous log needs, and the 2026 rate change most people miss.

  Updated October 26, 2026

• How to Actually Pay the IRS (Without a Cheque)

  Direct Pay, EFTPS and card payments compared — what each costs, how long each takes to set up, and which one to use when the deadline is tomorrow.

  Updated October 26, 2026

• Schedule C, Line by Line, for People Who Have Never Filed One

  Schedule C is where your freelance income becomes a tax number. Here is what each part does and the three lines that cause most of the trouble.

  Updated October 19, 2026

• The Home Office Test Most Freelancers Fail

  Regular and exclusive use is stricter than people assume. A spare room that hosts guests twice a year does not qualify — here is where the line actually sits.

  Updated October 19, 2026

• Solo 401(k) vs SEP IRA: Why One Shelters Far More at Freelance Incomes

  At most freelance incomes a solo 401(k) shelters tens of thousands more than a SEP, because you contribute twice. Here is the mechanism and the catch.

  Updated October 13, 2026

• Reasonable Compensation: The S-Corp Rule That Decides Whether It Works

  There is no safe percentage. The IRS tests what your services are actually worth, and it has held that position since a 1974 ruling.

  Updated October 13, 2026

• LLC vs Sole Proprietor: What Actually Changes (and What Doesn't)

  Forming an LLC changes your legal liability, not your tax bill. Here is what the change actually buys you, and the thing people confuse it with.

  Updated October 7, 2026

• Freelance Tax Deductions: What Actually Counts, and What Gets Disallowed

  A deduction saves a freelancer around 30 cents on the dollar, not 22. Here is what qualifies, what does not, and the records that make it stick.

  Updated October 7, 2026

• 2026 Tax Brackets for the Self-Employed (and Why Your Bracket Is Lower Than You Think)

  The 2026 federal tax brackets and standard deduction, and what they mean for freelancers: worked examples at $50k, $80k and $120k of profit.

  Updated October 4, 2026

• 2026 Retirement Contribution Limits for the Self-Employed: Roth IRA, SEP and Solo 401(k)

  Every 2026 retirement limit a freelancer needs: Roth IRA, SEP IRA and solo 401(k), with income limits and a worked example at $100,000 of profit.

  Updated October 4, 2026

• No Tax on Tips for the Self-Employed: Who Qualifies and What It Really Saves

  How no tax on tips works if you are self-employed: the $25,000 cap, who qualifies, the phase-out, and why self-employment tax still applies.

  Updated October 4, 2026

• Quarterly Tax Due Dates for 2026 (and Why Q2 Catches Everyone)

  When are quarterly taxes due in 2026? The four estimated tax payment dates, why the periods are not equal lengths, and what actually happens if you miss one.

  Updated October 1, 2026

• The QBI Deduction: Up to 20% Off, and Most Freelancers Get It Automatically

  Section 199A can take 20% off your business income before tax. Below the threshold it is close to automatic — above it, the rules change sharply.

  Updated October 4, 2026

• Self-Employment Tax: Why Your First Freelance Year Costs More Than You Expect

  Self-employment tax is 15.3% on top of income tax, and it catches almost everyone who leaves a salaried job. Here is exactly how it is calculated.

  Updated October 7, 2026

• The Estimated Tax Penalty Is Not a Fine. It's Interest.

  The IRS underpayment penalty is interest on what you were short, charged from each quarter's due date. How it works and how to avoid it entirely.

  Updated October 7, 2026

• S-Corp vs Sole Proprietor: When the Election Actually Pays

  The S-corp election saves payroll tax but costs real money to run. Here is where the line falls, and the three things that quietly erase the saving.

  Updated October 13, 2026

• Quarterly Taxes for Freelancers: What to Pay and When

  How estimated quarterly taxes work when you are self-employed: what you owe, the four due dates, and the safe-harbour rule that prevents IRS penalties.

  Updated October 4, 2026

• How to Set a Freelance Rate That Is Not Secretly a Pay Cut

  Why dividing a salary by 2,080 hours produces a rate that loses money, and how to work backwards from the take-home you actually want.

  Updated October 4, 2026