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//// Career · Side Income

Side Hustle Income Estimator

Your $75/hr side rate sounds great — until you subtract SE tax and expenses. See what you actually net, compare it to what those same hours earn at your day job, and get a clear verdict: worth it, maybe, or reconsider.

Where this fits

💼 Income & OffersGoing 1099FreelancersEmployees

This tool lives inside Going 1099 and is most useful for freelancers and employees.

SE Tax Rate15.3%
QBI Deduction20%
Quarterly DeadlinesApr · Jun · Sep · Jan

Side Hustle Details

Apply SE Tax

Turn on if this is additional 1099 income on top of a W-2 salary

Opportunity Cost Comparison

Worth It

Your effective side hustle rate ($61/hr) is 137% of your day job rate — financially worth pursuing.

Income Breakdown

Monthly Gross
$3,248
SE Tax
− $438

15.3% × 92.35% × net income

Business Expenses
− $150
Monthly Net Income
$2,660
Annual Net Income
$31,918

Efficiency Metrics

Effective Hourly Rate
$61

net income ÷ hours worked

Opportunity Cost (same hours at day job)
$1,948/mo
Net vs Opportunity Cost
+$711/mo
Break-Even Hours
2.3 hrs/mo

to cover expenses

1

Monthly Gross Revenue

gross = hourly_rate × hours/week × 4.33

= $75/hr × 10 hrs × 4.33 weeks

= $3,248/month

2

Self-Employment Tax (on Net SE Income)

SE tax = (gross − expenses) × 0.9235 × 15.3%

= ($3,248 − $150) × 0.9235 × 15.3%

= $438/month

92.35% factor reflects the employer-equivalent deduction. Applies only to net self-employment income.

IRS Schedule SE

3

Net Monthly Income

net = gross − SE_tax − expenses

= $3,248 − $438 − $150

= $2,660/month ($31,918/yr)

4

Effective Hourly Rate

effective = net ÷ hours_worked

= $2,660 ÷ 43.3 hrs

= $61/hr

5

Opportunity Cost Comparison

opp_cost = main_job_rate × hours_worked

= $45/hr × 43.3 hrs

= $1,948/month at day job vs $2,660/month side hustle

Side hustle earns $711/month more than working those hours at your day job.

6

Break-Even Hours

break_even = expenses ÷ net_hourly_rate

= $150 ÷ $61/hr

= 2.3 hrs/month just to cover expenses

#ShowYourWork

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