💰 How much of that $1,800 is actually yours?

The client paid you. Now what? Set aside too little and you're scrambling at quarterly tax time. Set aside too much and you're hoarding cash you should be paying yourself.

This calculator gives you the safe number in 30 seconds.

What you get (free):

✓ Excel + Google Sheets compatible

✓ Updated for 2026: new brackets, $184,500 SS cap, current QBI rules

✓ Single / MFJ / Head of Household

✓ All 50 states (no-tax through very high-tax buckets)

✓ Handles W-2 + freelance combo income

✓ Per-payment tracker with auto running totals

✓ 5% safety buffer built in — you'll never be short

Setup: under 2 minutes. Pick filing status, enter rough annual income, pick your state. The set-aside % updates live.

Built for US freelancers, contractors, designers, devs, writers, consultants, creators — anyone with 1099 income and a tax bill that isn't auto-withheld.

This is one piece of The Freelancer's Financial Playbook by Variable Income Lab — the full 85-page system for managing variable income. Inside the calculator: a 50% discount code (FREE2PAID) if you want the rest (dry-month protocol, baseline income method, full 30-min monthly workflow).

👇 Claim it free below.