Guides
The things nobody explains until you need them
8 guides on tax, structure, records and money for people whose income is not fully withheld. Each one answers the question and does not require an account.
Tax
Tax
9 min read
Quarterly taxes, explained for a first-year freelancer
What quarterly estimated tax is, who has to pay it, the four deadlines, how to work out each amount, and what actually happens if you miss one.
7 min read
Self-employment tax, and why your first bill is double what you expected
What the 15.3% actually is, why it is charged on 92.35% of profit, how a job changes it, and what reduces it.
10 min read
Schedule C, line by line
What the main expense lines are for, which ones are most often used wrongly, and why the line an expense lands on matters more than the category you called it.
Money
Money
6 min read
How much of each payment to set aside for tax
Why the usual rules of thumb are wrong in both directions, what actually drives the number, and how to keep the reserve honest as the year moves.
6 min read
Budgeting when every month is different
Why monthly budgets fail on variable income, what to do instead, and how a tax reserve fits alongside an emergency fund rather than competing with it.
Records
Records
7 min read
Tracking business expenses so the deduction actually holds
The difference between a charge and a deduction, the $75 receipt line, what mileage records have to contain, and why reconstructing it later does not work.
6 min read
What an accountant actually needs from you
The handover that makes a return cheap and quick, what makes it expensive, and why a folder of receipts is the worst version of both.