Start here by the problem you are solving
Owe the IRS more than a W-2 paycheck ever suggested? Start with the Complete Self-Employment Tax Guide for the 15.3 percent rate, the 92.35 percent adjustment, and how Schedule SE turns net profit into a bill. Missed a deadline or paid an underpayment penalty? How to Pay Quarterly Estimated Taxes covers 2026 due dates, the 100/110 percent safe harbor test, and current IRS payment options. Charging too little before April hits? How to Set Your Freelance Rates builds an hourly or project rate that already includes the tax load. Leaving deductions on the table? Every Freelancer Tax Deduction for 2026 is a Schedule C checklist with this year's limits. When the concept is clear, tools turns it into a number for a specific income.
What each guide answers (and what it does not)
The live guides split by job, not by page length. The self-employment tax guide explains how SE tax is calculated and why it sits beside income tax, but it does not file a return or settle multi-state questions. The quarterly payments guide covers due dates, safe harbor math, payment channels, and a complete annualized-income walkthrough for sharply uneven earnings. It remains planning guidance, not preparation of Form 2210. Rate setting gets a practical ladder in the freelance rates guide: billable hours, overhead, and tax reserves feed a defensible number, though it is not a niche market-rate database. The deduction guide lists Schedule C write-offs with 2026 figures, but it cannot replace a CPA on an audit or a gray-area expense. The 1099 vs W-2 guide starts with worker classification, then compares benefits, taxes, unpaid time, and filing work; it does not replace a legal status determination.
Editorial standard for FreelanceMath guides
Figures trace to IRS.gov, SSA.gov, and published Revenue Procedures. 2026 inflation adjustments, including standard deduction and bracket thresholds, follow Rev. Proc. 2025-32. Social Security wage-base figures come from SSA announcements that set the 2026 cap used in SE tax math. Guides carry a last-updated date, get a full review each October to November when the next-year revenue procedure and wage base land, and update within one week of material guidance changes; errors are corrected immediately with the date revised. Sourcing and refresh timing are documented on how the math and sources are maintained. Site scope sits on about.
Topic gaps and what comes next
A complete library still needs more decision points than the current guides can cover. The 1099 vs W-2 guide now covers classification and offer choice beyond the live comparison calculator. Planned topics include a retirement accounts guide for Solo 401(k), SEP-IRA, and SIMPLE options, deeper safe-harbor versus annualized-income treatment on the existing quarterly guide, and an advanced Schedule SE line-by-line pass on wage-base interaction and Additional Medicare Tax. Those remaining topics are not live pages yet. Related context sits on the taxes hub.
When to use which guide
| Problem | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| SE tax bill looks outsized vs W-2 years | Self-employment tax guide | Explains the 15.3 percent rate and Schedule SE math |
| Missed a quarterly deadline or paid a penalty | Quarterly estimated taxes guide | Lists 2026 due dates and safe harbor tests |
| No defensible rate before a client bid | Freelance rates guide | Builds a rate that already includes tax load |
| Deductions feel incomplete at year-end | 2026 deduction guide | Schedule C checklist with current-year limits |
| Choosing a 1099 contract vs a W-2 salary | 1099 vs W-2 guide | Checks classification first, then compares the whole offer |
| Need a dollar figure after reading | Tools | Runs the concept against a specific income |
| Want primary-source detail first | Methodology | Documents sources and update cadence |
This page and the guides it links to provide general information only, not tax or financial advice.