SelfEmployLab builds free, plain-English calculators and guides for freelancers, 1099 contractors and people with side income in the United States.
Why this site exists
Working for yourself means doing the tax math that an employer’s payroll department used to do for you: self-employment tax, quarterly estimates, deductions, setting money aside. Most of that math is simple once someone shows it, but the answers are often buried in long IRS instructions or behind a signup form. We wanted tools that give a clear number quickly — and show how they got it.
How we keep it accurate
- Official numbers only. Rates, wage bases, thresholds and due dates come from the IRS, the Social Security Administration and state tax agencies, never from other blogs.
- Math you can check. Every calculator explains its formula and includes a worked example you can verify by hand.
- Sources and dates on every page. Each page lists the sources it relies on and when it was last updated.
- Yearly review. Tax figures change every year; we update calculators when new figures are published.
Who writes it
SelfEmployLab is edited by Thomas P., who builds the calculators and writes the guides. Thomas works from the primary sources — IRS publications, forms and revenue procedures, and Social Security Administration data — and every worked example on the site is checked by hand against the calculator that goes with it.
What we are not
We are not a tax preparer or advisory firm, and our results are estimates. For decisions about your own return, talk to a CPA or enrolled agent. See our Disclaimer.
Contact
Spotted an error or want a calculator we don’t have? Email [email protected].