Run the numbers yourself.
Free calculators and plain-English articles for small business owners — and for anyone whose tax situation stopped being simple. No signup, no email gate, no one waiting to get you on a call.
- Calculators and checklists
- 63
- calculators & checklists
- Articles, guides, and case studies
- 152
- articles, guides & case studies
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You just got paid. How much goes to taxes?
Set aside
$2,000
40% of this payment — SE tax plus your federal bracket and state, rounded up to the next 5% for buffer.
Start from your situation
Nobody searches for “Section 199A.” You search for what’s happening. Six common situations, each with the two or three things worth your time.
You just went out on your own
What you'll owe, what to set aside from every payment, and the setup that prevents an April surprise.
Profitable — and the tax bill hurts
The S-corp break-even, the moves that only work before December 31, and the retirement plans that cut the bill.
You're hiring, or already have employees
What a hire actually costs, deposit schedules, and the worker-classification rules that carry personal liability.
You run a business in California
Franchise tax, the PTET workaround, district sales tax rates — the state runs its own math.
You're selling — or buying — a business
Asset vs. stock sale, what you'd actually net, and the planning that has to start before the LOI.
You have RSUs or stock options
Vesting income, AMT exposure, and the withholding shortfall that surprises people in April.
None of these sound like you? Start from a plain-language question instead.
Featured calculators
Eight of the 63. Each one runs in your browser and shows its work.
S-Corp Salary Calculator
Calculate an IRS-defensible W-2 salary for your S-corporation and see your SE tax savings.
Tax strategy & retirementSelf-Employment Tax Calculator
See what SE tax is costing you as a sole prop, and what an S-corp election could save.
Filing & complianceQuarterly Estimate Planner
See all four quarterly estimated tax payment amounts and due dates at a glance.
Pricing & unit economicsHourly Rate Calculator
Work backward from your income goal to the hourly and day rate you actually need to charge.
Cash flow & operationsBreak-Even Calculator
See exactly how many units or how much revenue you need before a product or service turns a profit.
Debt & financingBusiness Loan Payment Calculator
See the real monthly payment and total interest on a business loan before you sign for it.
Tax strategy & retirementRetirement Contribution Maximizer
Calculate your maximum Solo 401(k), SEP-IRA, or SIMPLE IRA contribution and tax savings.
Exit & valuationBusiness Valuation Estimator
Get a rough small-business valuation range from your discretionary earnings and industry.
The long guides
Articles answer one question. Guides walk a whole project — an S-corp election end to end, a distribution plan, an exit — with the calculators built in at each step.
The First-Year Setup Guide: S-Corp, Salary, and Quarterly Taxes
S-corp election decision, defensible W-2 salary, payroll setup, and a quarterly tax routine — with embedded calculators at each step.
GuideThe Solo Service Pro's Tax Strategy Guide
SE tax break-even analysis, deductions most solo pros miss, the S-corp question answered with actual math, and a quarterly routine that eliminates April surprises.
GuideThe Business Owner's Cash & Distribution Strategy Guide
Build a distribution plan, move money out of the business efficiently, and start turning profitable years into a personal balance sheet.
GuideThe Business Exit Tax Planning Guide
Asset sale vs. stock sale, QSBS eligibility, installment elections, and California exit tax — the decisions that determine how much you actually keep.
All 10 guides live in the article library.
Recently published
All 152 articles- Real estate & rental
Case Study: A Duplex Owner Runs the Numbers From Purchase to Sale
A Sacramento duplex bought for cash flow turns out to earn its keep three different ways — and almost none of it shows up as taxable income. Ten years of depreciation, one repairs-vs-improvements fight with a water heater, and the sale math that surprises everyone the first time.
- Real estate & rental
Selling a Rental Property: The Full Tax Bill, Line by Line
The tax on selling a rental isn't one number — it's a stack: depreciation recapture at up to 25%, capital gain on the rest, the 3.8% NIIT on top, and California taxing all of it as ordinary income. Here's the whole stack computed on one sale, and the two exits that defer or erase it.
- Tax strategy & retirement
The Mega Backdoor Roth: Getting $47,500 a Year Into a Roth
The regular backdoor Roth moves $7,500 a year. The mega backdoor — after-tax 401(k) contributions converted to Roth — can move up to $47,500 in 2026, on top of your normal deferral. The catch: your plan document has to allow two specific features, and most don't.
- Entity & S-corp
S-Corp Owner Health Insurance: The W-2 Rule That Decides Your Deduction
If you own more than 2% of an S-corp, health premiums the company pays for you must land in Box 1 of your W-2 — or the deduction is gone. Most owners find out at tax time, when it's too late to fix. Here's the rule, the payroll mechanics, and why September is exactly the right month to check.