Guides
Short answers to the tax questions freelancers and gig workers ask most.
- How to pay quarterly estimated taxes (step by step)Who needs to pay, how much, the 2026 due dates and the three ways to pay the IRS.
- What happens if you miss a quarterly tax paymentHow the underpayment penalty works, how big it usually is and what to do now.
- Why the 2026 mileage rate changed on July 1The IRS raised the business rate from 72.5¢ to 76¢ mid-year. Here's how to use both rates.
- 1099-NEC vs 1099-K: which one you'll get in 2026The new $2,000 1099-NEC threshold, the $20,000 1099-K rule and why you owe tax either way.
- “No tax on tips” for gig workers: what it coversDelivery and rideshare drivers may deduct up to $25,000 of tips for 2025–2028. Here's what it does and doesn't cover.
- Side hustle and a W-2 job: raise withholding or pay quarterly?Two ways to cover tax on side income, and how to choose between them.
- Uber and Lyft driver tax deductions (2026)What rideshare drivers can write off, how to handle the 1099-K and the mistakes that cost drivers money.
- Standard mileage rate vs actual car expenses: which is better?How each method works, when actual expenses win, and the first-year rule you need to know.
- Etsy seller taxes explained (2026)What Etsy sellers owe, which forms you'll get, and the costs you can deduct.
- First year freelancing: a tax checklistThe setup steps and habits that make your first 1099 year easy instead of painful.
- Can you deduct your phone and internet as a 1099 worker?How to work out the business share of your phone and internet, and what records to keep.
- What tax records to keep as a freelancer (and for how long)The records the IRS expects from self-employed people, and how long to hold on to them.
- How much should freelancers save for taxes?Why the 30% rule of thumb is often wrong, and what federal set-aside rates look like at different incomes.