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- Calculator
Quarterly tax estimator
Work out what to send the IRS every quarter, including self-employment tax, the QBI deduction and the safe-harbour minimum that protects you from penalties.
- Calculator
S-corp breakeven
Find the profit level where an S-corp election saves more in self-employment tax than it costs in payroll, filing fees and extra accounting.
- Calculator
Freelance rate calculator
Turn the take-home you want into an hourly rate that actually covers tax, unpaid time, health insurance, time off and the hours you cannot bill.
- Calculator
Solo 401(k) calculator
See exactly how much you can put into a solo 401(k) this year as both employee and employer, and how much more it shelters than a SEP IRA.
- Calculator
Home office deduction
Compare the simplified $5-per-square-foot method against deducting a share of your real housing costs, and see which gives you the bigger deduction.
- Calculator
Mileage deduction
Work out your 2026 business mileage deduction using both IRS rates — 72.5 cents through June, 76 cents from July — and compare it with actual expenses.
- Calculator
Self-employment tax
Work out the Social Security and Medicare you owe on freelance profit, including the wage base cap and the half that comes back as a deduction.
- Calculator
Estimated tax penalty
Free IRS underpayment penalty calculator for 2026. See if you owe the estimated tax penalty, quarter by quarter, and what it takes to avoid it.
- Calculator
Freelance take-home pay
See what is actually left from your business profit after federal income tax, self-employment tax and an estimate of state tax.
- Calculator
1099 vs W-2 offer
Compare a contract rate against a salary offer properly — both halves of payroll tax, employer health cover, 401(k) match and unpaid time all counted.
- Calculator
Business expense value
Work out what a deductible purchase actually costs you after federal, state and self-employment tax relief — and why a deduction is not a rebate.
- Calculator
Invoice late fee
Work out what an overdue invoice is now worth with a monthly late fee, simple or compounded, and see the annualised rate you are actually charging.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.
- Guide
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.