Irregular income 
How to budget when income changes every month
Build the floor budget from your lowest recent month.
Money guides for freelancers
Freelancer Finance — money guides for irregular income
Educational money guides and calculators for freelancers with irregular income. US-first tax and retirement examples, maths shown, no investment picks.
Maths shownnot just answers
You get paid unevenly. Rent doesn't care. This site helps freelancers turn lumpy income into a plan: what to charge, what to set aside for tax, and how much buffer you actually need.
Maths shownEvery guide shows its worked example, not just its answer.
Sources datedTax and retirement figures carry a check date and an official source.
No picks, no promisesNo investment picks, no income guarantees, no personal advice.
HOLD where it mattersTax and retirement guides in Compliance HOLD stay clearly marked until a qualified reviewer is engaged.
Start with the tools
Tools first, because a number you can change beats a paragraph you can only read.
Calculator
Freelance rate & net income after fees
What to charge so fees and tax don't eat the job.
Calculator
Tax set-aside calculator (US)
How much of each payment to move out of reach.
Calculator
Irregular-income budget calculator
Budget on your lowest month, not your best.
Calculator
Emergency-fund calculator
How many months you need, and how long it takes to get there.
Featured guides
One starting point from each pillar — the full set is on the guides index.
Tax (US) · HOLD 
Self-employment tax, explained
The 15.3% nobody warns new freelancers about.
Rates & safety net · HOLD 
Work out your real rate floor
Price the year, not the hour — taxes, benefits, and unbilled time included.
Retirement (US) · HOLD 
SEP IRA vs Solo 401(k)
Which lets a freelancer save more — and which is simpler.
The four pillars
Irregular income & budgeting
The floor method, the buffer account, surviving a $0 month.
Freelancer tax (US)
Set-aside, quarterly payments, and the 15.3% nobody warns you about.
Rates & safety net
Pricing that covers real costs, plus the fund for real shocks.
Retirement for the self-employed (US)
Saving when no employer does it for you.
New here? Read About, how we check our work, and how affiliate links work here before you trust any number on this site. Photos are stock photos, not clients or the founder — see Image credits.
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Educational only. These numbers are estimates from the assumptions shown on the page — not advice for your situation, and not a prediction of what you'll owe or save. Tax and retirement rules change. Consult a tax professional before you act on a tax or retirement figure.