Freelancer money & business guides
Straight-talking guides on pricing, invoicing, margins and managing irregular income — written by freelancers, for freelancers. Each one pairs with a free tool you can use right away.
How Much Higher Should a 1099 Rate Be Than a W-2 Salary to Break Even
How much higher should a 1099 rate be than a W-2 salary to break even? Worked add-backs on an $80k job: FICA, health, 401k, PTO, SE tax, and the multiplier.
Do Freelancers Charge Sales Tax on Services? A State-by-State Reality Check
Should freelancers charge sales tax on services, and which states tax them? The default rule, the broad-base exceptions, the digital trap, and the invoice line.
Your First Year Freelancing: Do You Actually Owe Quarterly Taxes Yet?
First year freelancer, unsure if you owe quarterly estimated taxes yet? The $1,000 trigger and the prior-year safe harbor that can drop required payments to $0.
Freelance Day Rate: How to Convert From Hourly (Without Underpricing)
How to calculate a freelance day rate from your hourly rate without underpricing — with worked numbers, a billable-days table, and when day beats hourly.
Freelance Hourly Rate: Real Take-Home vs Advertised (The Rate Reality Index)
Freelance hourly rate vs real take-home: I ran 2026 advertised rates for 5 trades through SE tax and overhead. Your real number is ~40% lower. Full math inside.
Freelance Rush Fee: How Much to Charge (With Worked Examples)
How much should I charge for a rush job? A tiered freelance rush fee on a $1,200 base, with opportunity-cost math, an effective-hourly check, and a clause.
Per-Word, Per-Hour, Per-Project: Converting Freelance Writing Rates
Convert freelance writing rates between per-word, per-hour, and per-project — with worked numbers, a writing-speed table, and when to refuse per-word.
What Is a Good Profit Margin for a Freelancer Running Solo?
What is a good profit margin for a freelancer? Real benchmark bands, a worked $90k P&L, the owner's-pay trap, and how 5 points becomes real take-home.
Standard Mileage Rate vs Actual Expenses: Which Is Better Self-Employed (The Break-Even Miles)
Standard mileage rate vs actual expenses, which is better self-employed? The break-even miles, worked with real numbers and the first-year lock-in rule.
From Salary to Freelance Rate: The Multiplier That Actually Keeps You Whole
Convert salary to freelance hourly rate with a multiplier that survives reality: employer FICA, benefits load, and the billable hours you'll never get back.
Do I Pay Self-Employment Tax on a Small Side Hustle? The $400 Rule
Do you pay self-employment tax on small side hustle income? The $400 net-profit rule, worked at $700 and $2,000, and why a 1099-K changes nothing.
What’s My Real Tax Rate as a Freelancer? Adding Up SE Tax, Federal, and State
Your total tax rate as a freelancer is self-employment tax plus federal plus state income tax — worked on $80k net profit, no-tax vs high-tax state.
How Much Should a Virtual Assistant Charge Per Hour? Setting Your Floor
How much should a virtual assistant charge per hour? Work backward from a real take-home floor, factor in utilization and SE tax, then price retainers right.
Finding Your Freelance Break-Even Point
How to work out the break-even point for a freelance or one-person business — what contribution margin is, why your own pay belongs in fixed costs, and how much cushion to aim for.
Quarterly Estimated Taxes for Freelancers
How U.S. estimated taxes work for the self-employed — the four payment dates, the safe-harbor rule that protects you from penalties, and a habit that makes it painless.
Self-Employment Tax, Explained (Without the Jargon)
What U.S. self-employment tax is, why it's 15.3%, where the money goes, and why half of it comes back — written for freelancers seeing it for the first time.
The Hidden Costs of Freelancing You Must Price In
The costs new freelancers forget — and that quietly turn a "good" rate into barely breaking even. A specific, itemised reality check.
Hourly vs. Project-Based Pricing: Which Should You Use?
The real trade-offs between charging by the hour and charging per project — with a simple rule for choosing on each job.
How Many Hours Can a Freelancer Actually Bill in a Week?
Why your billable hours are far below 40 — and how the gap quietly wrecks underpriced freelancers. With a worked example.
How Much Should Freelancers Set Aside for Tax?
A sensible way to estimate a tax set-aside on freelance income, why a separate account helps, and why the exact number depends on where you live.
How to Chase a Late Invoice Without Burning the Relationship
A calm, escalating sequence for chasing overdue freelance invoices — including the exact emails to send at 1, 7 and 30 days late.
How to Get Clients to Pay Your Invoices on Time
Practical, relationship-friendly tactics that get freelance invoices paid faster — terms, timing, and the small wording changes that work.
How to Pay Yourself a Steady 'Salary' on Irregular Income
A simple system for turning lumpy freelance income into a predictable monthly paycheck to yourself — buffers, percentages, and accounts.
How to Price a Project (Not Just an Hour)
A repeatable way to turn a vague project into a confident fixed price — estimating hours, adding a buffer, and protecting your margin.
How to Raise Your Freelance Rates (With Scripts)
When and how to raise your rates with existing and new clients — including the exact wording to use, without losing the work.
How to Set Your Freelance Rate When You're Just Starting Out
A practical, numbers-first way to set your first freelance rate — working backwards from the income you need, not from what a stranger on Reddit charges.
Invoice Numbering: Simple Systems That Keep You Organised
Why invoice numbers matter, the simple numbering systems that work, and the mistakes that cause messy records and tax-time headaches.
Managing Irregular Income: Smoothing the Freelance Roller Coaster
How to live on income that arrives in lumps — buffers, baseline budgets, and a simple system so a slow month is not a crisis.
Margin vs. Markup: The Difference That Quietly Costs You Money
Margin and markup are not the same number — confusing them eats your profit. A clear, example-led explanation for freelancers.
How to Protect Your Profit Margin from Scope Creep
Scope creep is where freelance profit goes to die. How to spot it early, word your quotes to prevent it, and reprice gracefully.
Why (and How) to Separate Business and Personal Money
A separate business account is the single highest-leverage admin habit for freelancers. Why it matters and how to set it up simply.
Should You Ask for a Deposit? Milestone Payments for Freelancers
When to take a deposit, how big it should be, and how milestone payments protect your cash flow on bigger freelance projects.
A 15-Minute Weekly Bookkeeping Routine for Freelancers
A dead-simple weekly money routine that keeps you organised and makes tax time painless — no accounting background needed.
What to Put on a Freelance Invoice (With a Real Example)
Exactly what every freelance invoice needs, what is optional, and a worked example — so you get paid without back-and-forth.