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QuarterSet: a quarterly estimated tax calculator, freelancer edition
Quarterly tax estimates for freelance income that arrives in lumps, not on payday.
QuarterSet is a quarterly estimated tax calculator, freelancer edition, for United States sole proprietors and 1099 contractors whose income arrives in lumps. The calculator turns expected profit, other income, and tax already withheld into one figure to set aside each quarter.
Waitlist Not built yet Updated 5 September 2026
What problem does QuarterSet solve?
Freelance money does not arrive the way payroll does. A big project lands in March, nothing clears in May, and a client sits on an invoice until August. Budgeting apps built around a paycheque cannot model that, so the tax question gets pushed back until the next deadline is close enough to hurt. Two moments make it real. The first is the quarter after a good month, when the balance looks healthy and you spend part of it on a laptop, because nothing on the screen says that some of that money already belongs to the tax authority. The second is the sit-down with your preparer, where you learn the reserve you kept was sized from last year and this year went better. There is a quieter failure too. You hoard cash all year, skip the equipment you needed, and collect a refund that was an interest-free loan to the government.
Quarterly estimate calculator (US)
Enter expected profit, other income, and withholding to see what to set aside each quarter. Simplified US estimate with the formula shown.
Free to use. No account. Nothing you type here is stored.
What would QuarterSet do?
QuarterSet would sit on top of the books you already keep. You would enter or import expected profit for the year, any wage income, and tax already withheld, and the app would carry a running estimate that updates every time a payment clears. Each quarter it would show one number to send and one number to keep, with the arithmetic visible rather than buried. A reserve rule would move a share of every incoming payment into a separate account, so the balance you see is money you can actually spend. Because a good year and a flat year call for different choices, QuarterSet would put the figure built from this year's income next to the figure built from last year's tax and let you choose. At year end you would hand your preparer a summary that reconciles against your bank.
How would it work?
- 1Enter expected profit, other income, and anything already withheld, or import them from your invoicing and bank exports.
- 2Watch one running estimate update as payments clear, instead of rebuilding a spreadsheet every January.
- 3Move a set share of each payment into a reserve account so the spendable balance is honest.
- 4Compare the figure from this year's income with the figure from last year's tax, then choose what to send.
- 5Export a year-end summary your preparer can reconcile against your bank.
Who is it for?
- Designers and writers on 1099 work whose best month pays for the three that follow.
- Sole proprietors in their first year of self-employment who have never sent an estimated payment.
- Consultants with a spouse on payroll who need household withholding and freelance profit in one view.
How much should you set aside for taxes on freelance income without an app?
Open a second account before you do any arithmetic. A separate savings account at the same bank, named something dull like Tax, is what turns an intention into a balance. Money you have to transfer back out is money you notice. Then find your own share instead of borrowing someone else's. Take last year's return, divide the total tax line by your total income for that year, and you have the fraction of every dollar that left as tax. If last year resembles this one, that fraction is a defensible starting point. If you had no self-employment income last year, work from the tax authority's own worksheet and current published rates rather than a figure from a forum, and start higher than feels comfortable. Giving yourself a raise in December is easier than finding money in April. Build the spreadsheet with one row per payment received: date, client, gross amount, costs attributable to that job, and net. Add a column that multiplies net by your share, and a running total beneath it. When a payment clears, transfer that row's figure to the Tax account the same day. Keep a second sheet for the year's deductible expenses, because the reserve should follow profit rather than revenue, and every real business cost lowers what you owe. Before each payment date, look up the current due dates and payment options on the tax authority's own website rather than a blog. Pay from the Tax account, write the confirmation number into the sheet, and reset the running total for the next quarter. Sanity-check the share twice a year. If the reserve keeps drifting above what you have paid, lower it. If it is short, raise it and top up from the next good invoice instead of waiting for the shortfall to grow.
What do people use today?
| Option | Good at | The gap |
|---|---|---|
| A spreadsheet and a separate savings account | Free, private, and exactly as accurate as the share you picked, with nothing to log into. | Nothing updates when the year outgrows the plan, and the transfer only happens if you remember to make it. |
| Small business accounting software | Bookkeeping, invoicing, and reports your preparer can open, with costs categorised as they land. | Built around the books first, so the reserve figure, where it exists, is a small readout inside a large product. |
| Free estimated tax calculators online | A fast answer for one set of numbers, with no signup and nothing kept afterwards. | You retype everything each visit, and nothing carries a running total or moves a cent into savings. |
| Vouchers your accountant prints in January | Figures from someone who has read your return, and a person to call when a letter arrives. | Set once from last year's shape, so a year that changes mid-way stays your problem until the next meeting. |
What would it cost?
Free
$0
- The estimate calculator on this page
- One saved profile
- Every formula shown alongside the result
Freelancer
$99/yr
- A running estimate that updates as payments clear
- Reserve transfers sized per payment
- This year and last year side by side
- Year-end summary export
Shared
$149/yr
- Everything in Freelancer
- A seat for your accountant
- Quarterly reminders to both of you
Prices are proposed. Founding members lock in the lowest price if we build QuarterSet.
Questions people ask
What is a quarterly estimated tax calculator (freelancer version)?
A quarterly estimated tax calculator turns expected self-employment profit, other income, and tax already withheld into an amount to send at each quarterly date. The freelancer version matters because the income is lumpy, so the estimate has to be rebuilt as the year goes rather than fixed in January.
How does the free calculator on this page work?
The calculator asks for expected net profit, other taxable income, withholding, filing status, the standard deduction, the Social Security wage base, and an optional flat state rate. Every figure is editable, the formula prints under the result, and nothing leaves your browser. Verify the deduction and wage base against an official source.
Does QuarterSet file anything for me?
QuarterSet would estimate and reserve, not file. You or your preparer still send the payments and the return. The value is that the money exists when the date arrives and the figure can be explained to whoever asks.
What if this year looks nothing like last year?
QuarterSet would show both figures: one built from income you have actually booked this year, and one built from last year's total tax. Choosing between them is a genuine decision, so the app would spell out what each one assumes instead of picking quietly.
Does it handle state income tax?
State handling would start with a single flat rate you type in yourself, which suits a lot of states and no cities. Bracketed states, local levies, and franchise taxes are a much larger job, and a flat rate is an approximation until that work is done.
Do you give tax advice?
No. QuarterSet would be arithmetic on figures you supply, with the formula printed so you or a professional can check it. Anything about your entity type, deductions, or particular circumstances belongs with a preparer who can see the whole return.
How private is my income data?
The calculator on this page runs in your browser and keeps nothing. For the app, the plan is read-only connections and exports that stay yours, because invoice and bank history is the most sensitive material a freelancer holds.
When will QuarterSet launch?
There is no date. QuarterSet gets built only if enough freelancers join this list and say they would pay for it. Joining costs nothing, and the estimate calculator on this page is free whether or not the app happens.
Where does this stand?
QuarterSet is a proposal, not a product. This page collects demand from search and answer engines. Askwright builds it only if enough people join the waitlist and say they would pay. Read how this works.
This page and its calculator are general information, not tax, financial, or investment advice. Figures are simplified and may be out of date. Verify anything that matters with a professional or an official source.