About Freelancer Tax Tools
Why this site exists
The self-employment tax system in the United States is confusing, poorly explained, and full of gotchas that trip up millions of freelancers every year. When we started freelancing, we went looking for a simple, accurate calculator to estimate our quarterly tax payments — and what we found was a mess. Most "free calculators" were lead-gen tools buried behind email gates. The ones that were actually free often got the math wrong, usually by forgetting that only 92.35% of net self-employment income is subject to SE tax, or by ignoring the deductible half of SE tax on the 1040.
We built Freelancer Tax Tools because we wanted a tool we could actually trust, share with friends who were starting to freelance, and point to when someone asked "how do I figure out my quarterly taxes?" The answer should be a calculator that shows its work, not a 47-page PDF from the IRS.
What we believe
Calculators should show the math. Every calculator on this site displays a full breakdown of how it arrived at the result. If you want to check it against a spreadsheet or your CPA's work, you can. We never hide numbers behind a "get your results" button.
Free means free. No accounts. No email gates. No "enter your phone number to see your results." Our calculators run entirely in your browser — your financial data never touches our servers. We fund the site through advertising, not by selling your information.
Accuracy matters. Tax calculators that use the wrong rates or forget about edge cases do real harm. Our calculators are reviewed by a licensed CPA and updated each year when the IRS publishes new thresholds, rates, and contribution limits. We test against IRS worksheets and published examples to catch errors before they go live.
Plain English beats jargon. The IRS already writes in legalese. We don't need to add to it. Our guides and calculator labels are written in clear, direct language that anyone can follow, whether you've been freelancing for ten years or just got your first 1099.
What we are not
We are not accountants, CPAs, enrolled agents, or tax attorneys. Nothing on this site is tax advice. Our calculators are mathematical tools that apply publicly available formulas and rates to the numbers you enter. They do not account for every possible deduction, credit, or provision in the tax code, and they cannot replace the judgment of a qualified tax professional who understands your specific situation.
If you have complex income (multiple businesses, rental properties, foreign income, stock options), earn above $100k in self-employment income, or are making major business structure decisions, please work with a credentialed tax professional. Our calculators can give you a ballpark, but they are not the final word.
How the site is funded
Freelancer Tax Tools is funded entirely through advertising displayed on the site via Google AdSense. We do not charge for any calculator or article, we do not sell user data, and we do not accept paid placements or sponsored content that could bias our recommendations. The ads you see are served by Google and are not endorsed by us.
Our calculators
We currently offer six free calculators, each designed for a specific question that freelancers and self-employed workers commonly face:
Self-Employment Tax Calculator — estimates the 15.3% SE tax (Social Security and Medicare) on your net freelance income, correctly applying the 92.35% factor and showing the deductible half.
1099 Tax Calculator — calculates total federal tax liability on 1099 income, combining SE tax and income tax with the standard deduction and current brackets.
Quarterly Estimated Tax Calculator — figures out what you should send the IRS on April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 to avoid underpayment penalties.
Home Office Deduction Calculator — compares the simplified method ($5/sq ft, max 300 sq ft) with the regular method to show which saves you more.
LLC vs S-Corp Savings Calculator — estimates how much an S-corp election could save you in SE tax by splitting income into salary and distributions.
Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator — works backwards from your target take-home pay through taxes, expenses, and non-billable time to the hourly rate you need to charge.
Editorial process
Every calculator and article goes through a three-step review: initial development and testing against IRS worksheets, review by a licensed CPA for accuracy and completeness, and annual updates when the IRS publishes new figures for the upcoming tax year. If you find an error, please email us immediately — we take accuracy seriously and will correct mistakes within 24 hours.
Contact
Found a bug, have a calculator request, or just want to say thanks? Email us at [email protected]. We read every message.