About Side Hustle Calculators

Side Hustle Calculators exists because gross revenue is misleading. Most freelancers and gig workers see a big number in their Uber or Etsy dashboard and think they know what they made. They do not — not until they subtract self-employment tax, platform fees, mileage, health insurance, and retirement contributions.

Our tools do that math for you. We build free, browser-based calculators that show you what you actually keep after taxes, fees, and the costs that a W-2 employee never has to think about.

What we cover

For US freelancers and side hustlers, our calculators cover:

  • Self-employment tax (Schedule SE) — Social Security, Medicare, and the 0.9% additional Medicare surtax on earnings above $200,000
  • Gig take-home — per-platform fee structures, IRS mileage deduction, and state income tax across all 50 states for Uber, DoorDash, Etsy, Airbnb, Fiverr, and more
  • Freelance rate — the salary-to-hourly conversion that accounts for SE tax, benefits replacement, and the reality that you can only bill about 60% of your working hours
  • Home office deduction — IRS Simplified Method vs. Actual Expense Method, compared side-by-side
  • Quarterly estimated tax — who owes it, how to calculate it, and how to pay it in 3 minutes via IRS Direct Pay

For Canadian sole proprietors and side hustlers, we cover CPP contributions, provincial income tax, and the $30,000 GST/HST registration threshold.

How we maintain accuracy

Every tax rate, threshold, and formula in our calculators is sourced from official government publications: IRS notices, CRA technical publications, and statutory rates. We do not guess. When the IRS updates a rate — such as the 2026 standard mileage rate ($0.725/mi per Notice 2026-10) or the Social Security wage base ($184,500 for 2026) — we update the calculators and note the change.

All calculations are for the 2026 tax year unless otherwise noted. Each tool displays the date it was last updated. Tax law changes frequently; if you spot something outdated, let us know.

Who we are

Side Hustle Calculators is built and maintained by the team behind NorthOS, a bookkeeping app for Canadian sole proprietors and freelancers. These calculators grew out of the same work we do helping self-employed people navigate the CRA: the belief that ordinary people deserve clear, accurate financial tools without a paywall or a sales pitch.

A note on our tools

Our calculators are informational tools, not professional tax advice. The outputs are estimates based on the numbers you enter. For complex situations — multiple businesses, S-Corp election, cross-border income, or large year-over-year income swings — a CPA will save you more than they cost.

Questions or feedback? Get in touch.