Tax guides
Five reference guides covering the questions that come up every year for someone working for themselves. Each one is written to be read start to finish rather than skimmed for a number — the numbers are in the calculators.
If you are new to self-employment, start with the self-employment tax guide, then the quarterly payments guide — between them they cover what you owe and when it is due, which is most of what goes wrong in a first year. The LLC vs S-corp guide only becomes relevant once profit is consistently into five figures.
Complete Guide to Self-Employment Tax (2026)
What self-employment tax is, the 92.35% adjustment, the Social Security cap, the half-deduction against AGI, and how it interacts with income tax.
Freelancer Tax Deductions: the Full List
Every deduction available to a self-employed filer, which ones reduce self-employment tax as well as income tax, and the substantiation each one needs.
Quarterly Estimated Taxes Explained
Who owes them, the four deadlines, the safe-harbour rule that prevents penalties, and what the penalty actually costs when you miss.
1099 vs W-2: the Tax Comparison
The payroll tax difference, what a salary quietly includes, and the rate multiplier that makes contract work genuinely equivalent.
LLC vs S-Corp: Which Saves More
Why an LLC alone changes nothing, what an S-corp election actually saves, and the profit level at which it starts covering its own cost.
Looking for your state?
These guides cover federal rules, which are the same everywhere. State rates, brackets, local income taxes, LLC fees and deadlines are on the state pages, one per jurisdiction.