Freelancer finance guides
Plain-English answers to the money questions that come with working for yourself — then the calculators to run your own numbers. Free, no signup, no advice you didn't ask for.
How much should I set aside for taxes?
The honest answer to the most-Googled freelancer tax question — why "30%" is a starting point, not a rule, and how to find your real number.
Read the guide → 1099 vs W-21099 vs W-2: which is actually better?
What you really trade when you give up a salary for contract work — taxes, benefits, time off — and the rate that makes you whole.
Read the guide → Side hustleIs my side hustle actually profitable?
How to find your true hourly wage after expenses, taxes, and the unpaid hours your side gig really costs you.
Read the guide → RentalsIs a rental property worth it?
Reading real cash flow — cap rate, cash-on-cash, and DSCR — past the rosy numbers most listings and calculators show.
Read the guide → DeductionsThe freelancer tax-deduction checklist
The write-offs self-employed people most often miss, what actually qualifies, and how to keep records the IRS will accept.
Read the guide → TaxesSelf-employment tax explained (the 15.3%)
Where the 15.3% comes from, how it's figured on 92.35% of your profit, and why half of it comes back to you.
Read the guide → TaxesHow to pay quarterly estimated taxes
Who owes them, the 2026 due dates, and exactly how to pay — Direct Pay, EFTPS, card, or mail.
Read the guide → 1099 vs W-2What hourly rate should I charge?
Why dividing a salary by 2,080 underprices you — and how to build a rate that covers taxes, benefits, and unpaid time.
Read the guide → TaxesThe QBI deduction explained
The 20% Section 199A deduction most freelancers can take — who qualifies, the thresholds, and the SSTB phase-out.
Read the guide → Side hustleForm 1099-K & payment apps
Why PayPal, Venmo, and marketplaces send a 1099-K — and why getting one doesn't change what you owe.
Read the guide → RentalsCap rate vs cash-on-cash vs ROI
Three rental return metrics investors mix up — what each measures, and when to reach for which.
Read the guide → TaxesThe safe harbor rule for estimated taxes
How to avoid the underpayment penalty without predicting your income — the 90/100/110% tests in plain English.
Read the guide → TaxesFiling taxes as a freelancer for the first time
The forms, the self-employment tax, and the quarterly payments — everything a first-year freelancer needs.
Read the guide → RetirementSEP-IRA vs Solo 401(k)
Two retirement plans for the self-employed — how much you can contribute, the tax savings, and which to pick.
Read the guide → BusinessDo I need an LLC as a freelancer?
What an LLC does and doesn't do for your taxes, when liability protection matters, and when an S-corp starts to pay off.
Read the guide → RentalsRental tax deductions & depreciation
How deductions and 27.5-year depreciation shelter rental income — and the recapture catch when you sell.
Read the guide → MoneyBudgeting on an irregular income
Turn a bumpy freelance income into a steady paycheck you pay yourself — a simple four-account system.
Read the guide →Why we wrote these
When you work for yourself, no employer withholds your taxes, explains your benefits, or tells you what a number means. These guides fill that gap in plain language and link to primary sources — the IRS and state tax authorities — so you can check the math yourself. Each one pairs with a free calculator on this site, because the right answer almost always depends on your numbers, not a rule of thumb.