Freelance & Self-Employment Calculator

Comprehensive calculator for freelancers and self-employed professionals. Calculate required rates, self-employment tax, quarterly payments, take-home pay, and compare W2 vs 1099 income.

Progress0%

Step 1 of 4

I want to...

Filing Status

Target Annual Take-Home

Figures current as of 2026. Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, SSA 2026 COLA Fact Sheet (Oct 24, 2025)

How to Use This Calculator

Select calculation mode: find hourly rate from income goal, or calculate income from a known rate.
Enter target annual take-home or your hourly rate, along with hours worked per week.
Set billable percentage and filing status for tax estimates.
Review calculated hourly rate or annual income along with tax and expense breakdowns.

How the result changes with Hours Worked per Week

Hours Worked per Week	Required Hourly Rate	True Annual Take-Home
13	$289.22	$69,766.00
31	$121.29	$69,766.00
54	$69.63	$69,766.00
73	$51.50	$69,766.00

What each input means

I want to...: Choose your calculation direction.
Filing Status: For tax calculation purposes.
Target Annual Take-Home: The amount you want to take home after all taxes and expenses.
Your Hourly Rate: Your current or planned hourly rate.
Hours Worked per Week: Total hours worked (billable + non-billable).
Billable Percentage: What % of your time is billable? Typical: 60-80%.
Weeks Worked per Year: Account for vacation, holidays, sick time (52 - time off).
Annual Business Expenses: Software, equipment, co-working, professional fees, etc.
Annual Health Insurance: Cost of self-purchased health insurance.
Retirement Contribution: SEP IRA (up to 25%) or Solo 401k contribution rate.
Profit Margin: Extra margin for business growth, emergency fund.
Other W2 Income: If you also have W2 employment income (affects SS tax cap).

What each result means

Required Hourly Rate: Minimum rate to achieve your income goal.
True Annual Take-Home: What you actually keep after all taxes and expenses.
Self-Employment Tax: Social Security + Medicare taxes.
Quarterly Est. Payment: Pay quarterly to avoid penalties.
Effective Tax Rate: Total taxes as % of net earnings.
Effective Hourly Take-Home: What you earn per hour worked after all costs.
Equivalent W2 Salary: Comparable W2 salary for this freelance income.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
I want to... = 0, Filing Status = 0, Target Annual Take-Home = 85000, Your Hourly Rate = 75 = 12 input(s) provided
Calculate Required Hourly Rate
94 = $94
Calculate True Annual Take-Home
True Annual Take-Home
69766 = $69,766
Calculate Daily Rate
Daily Rate
751.97 = $751.97
Calculate Weekly Rate
Weekly Rate
2819.9 = $2,819.9

Figures and sources

2026 federal income tax brackets (2026) — IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32
2026 Social Security wage base (2026) — SSA 2026 COLA Fact Sheet (Oct 24, 2025)

Engine last updated July 28, 2026. Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

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