Going 1099?
Run the numbers first.
Five calculators, built specifically for new contractors. Your MVR, your IRS safe harbor, your W-2 break-even, your true hourly, and your savings rate all in one path.
Run this path in order so each answer feeds the next tool.
The fastest way to get leverage is to stay inside the sequence instead of opening random calculators one by one.
Freelance Rate Calculator
Next stepWhat do I actually need to charge - not guess, but calculate?
Most people quote desired take-home divided by hours. That misses 15.3% self-employment tax, health insurance, business expenses, retirement, and the 20-30% of your week spent on non-billable work. This calculator builds your rate in three tiers: the minimum you need to survive, the target that includes a profit buffer, and the effective rate per hour of total time spent.
- Minimum Viable Rate (MVR) - your absolute floor, no margin
- Target Rate - MVR plus your profit margin percentage
- Effective Hourly Rate - target rate across all hours including overhead
- Billable utilization impact when your week is not 100% billable
- ShowMath breakdown so you can see every assumption
1099 Quarterly Tax Planner
How much goes to the IRS, when, and what keeps me out of penalty territory?
Self-employed people owe taxes four times a year, and the IRS charges penalties if you underpay. This calculator computes both safe-harbor methods, picks the lower one, and breaks the bill into actual quarter-by-quarter payment amounts.
- Safe harbor amount instead of a rough estimate
- Q1-Q4 payment schedule with due dates
- Penalty risk context before you get surprised
- State tax layered into the plan where it matters
- A clearer reserve percentage between invoices
W-2 vs 1099 Comparison
Is the contract offer actually better than the salary offer after everything?
A bigger contract number can still lose once you account for self-employment tax, self-funded health insurance, missing retirement match, and unpaid time off. This step quantifies those tradeoffs in dollars and shows the actual break-even point.
- W-2 vs 1099 take-home side by side
- Benefits dollar value itemized across health, retirement, and PTO
- Hidden self-employment tax cost surfaced clearly
- Break-even 1099 rate to match the W-2 outcome
- Transparent math across the full comparison
True Hourly Rate Calculator
What am I actually earning per hour of my life, not just per billable hour?
Your contract rate is not your real rate. Commute time, unpaid overtime, decompression time, work wardrobe, tools, and certifications all reduce it. This calculator turns the headline rate into the real hourly value of the work.
- Nominal versus true hourly rate
- Annual hours lost to commute and unpaid overtime
- Biggest cost culprit named clearly
- Remote break-even salary for comparison
- A full ladder from gross rate to real rate
Savings Rate Calculator
Am I building wealth fast enough without the match, or falling behind?
The quiet cost of going 1099 is the missing employer match. This step shows whether your current savings rate can still carry you toward independence or whether the new work setup is creating a long-term gap.
- Savings rate tied to years-to-independence
- Coast FI context for long-term flexibility
- Ten-year projection instead of vague retirement hope
- A clearer gap between current pace and future target
The tax bill hits before the new identity feels stable
Your former employer used to withhold for you. As a contractor, the first quarter can bring a large tax bill before your workflow, pricing, and reserve habits feel settled. This workflow fixes that shock by turning uncertainty into sequence.
The contract number usually hides missing compensation
Health insurance, payroll tax, retirement match, and paid time off were part of the old system even if you did not see them line by line. This workflow makes those hidden deltas visible before you commit to the switch.
A good contract still fails if it does not improve life
The real question is not just whether the revenue is bigger. It is whether your time, take-home pay, and long-term savings all improve enough to make the change worth it.
Make the contractor switch easier to revisit with real defaults.
The move to 1099 gets clearer when your rate floor, tax burden, and savings goals reuse the same assumptions every time. This section turns the workflow into a living comparison system instead of a one-off decision day.
Keep this workflow from starting at zero.
Save the inputs this path keeps reusing so every tool opens with the same baseline instead of asking you to rebuild the story.
- Income, expenses, and take-home goals stay aligned across the stack
- W-2 versus 1099 comparisons reuse the same compensation picture
- Savings and tax tradeoffs stay visible as offers change
Get the weekly independent-work notes
Practical notes on pricing, quarterly taxes, and contractor decision-making for people building a stronger 1099 setup.
Going 1099 Workflow keeps this lane alive after the first pass.
Answers the real question behind the transition: does this income path improve life after taxes, time costs, and long-term planning?
Keep the momentum inside the same operating system.
Most people do not stop with one workflow. Once this path is under control, the adjacent systems are usually where the next leverage lives.
Tax Stack
Estimate the annual hit, plan quarterlies, lock in safe harbor, track deductions, and close the year with a cleaner summary.
Cash Flow OS
Build the budget baseline, stress-test the next 12 months, track net worth, size the retirement pull, and connect it to financial independence.
Start with the number everything else depends on.
What do you need to charge to replace your full compensation?