Desired 1099 Rate Calculator

Fill in your situation — taxes, insurance, expenses, and schedule — then dial in your rate at the end to see exactly what you'll take home.

Business Structure

Select your tax filing structure. This determines how self-employment and payroll taxes are calculated.

Work Schedule & Billable Hours

Working Weeks per Year

Hours per Week

Unpaid Time Off: As a 1099 contractor, you don't get paid time off. Plan for vacation, holidays, and gaps between contracts.

Unpaid Weeks Off (per year)

Automatically reduces working weeks

Tax Filing

SE tax is calculated on Schedule C net profit (after malpractice/E&O and overhead). Health, dental, and vision are deducted via Form 7206 — they reduce income tax but NOT SE tax.

Filing Status

State

Math Breakdown

Uses graduated brackets for states with progressive income tax (CA, NY, MN, etc.) and flat rates for others. Some states impose additional S-corp franchise fees not captured here. Consult a CPA.

Enable QBI 20% Deduction

Math Breakdown

20% of (net profit − ½ SE tax). Form 7206, retirement, and HSA reduce income tax base but NOT QBI per §199A. Expires after 2025.

Add 2% Quarterly Tax Buffer

Benefits & Insurance

Insurance falls into three IRS tax buckets. Schedule C (reduces SE tax): Malpractice/E&O and other business insurance. Form 7206 (reduces income tax only): Health, dental, vision. After-tax (non-deductible): Life and disability.

Schedule C — Reduces SE Tax Base

Malpractice / E&O

Math Breakdown

Deductible on Schedule C Line 15. Reduces net profit and SE tax base.

Other Business Insurance

Math Breakdown

Any other Schedule C business insurance (general liability, cyber, etc.). Reduces net profit and SE tax base.

Form 7206 / Schedule 1 — Reduces Income Tax Only

Health, dental, and vision are self-employed health insurance deductions (Schedule 1 Line 17). They reduce AGI and income tax but do not reduce Schedule C net profit — so SE tax is calculated on your full profit before these.

Health Insurance

Math Breakdown

Form 7206 deduction. Reduces income tax base but NOT Schedule C net profit or SE tax.

Dental Insurance

Math Breakdown

Form 7206 deduction. Reduces income tax base but NOT SE tax base.

Vision Insurance

Math Breakdown

Form 7206 deduction. Reduces income tax base but NOT SE tax base.

After-Tax Personal Coverage — Not Deductible

Not deductible per IRS Schedule C and IRC §264. Funded from your net take-home and subtracted from net income in the calculation.

Disability Insurance

Math Breakdown

Not deductible. After-tax payment means any disability benefits collected are 100% tax-free. Subtracted from net take-home in the calculation.

Life Insurance

Math Breakdown

Never deductible per IRC §264. After-tax personal cost. Subtracted from net take-home in the calculation.

Total Annual Insurance & Benefits$0

Business Overhead

Schedule C Business Expenses: Home office, internet/phone, hardware, software, accounting, marketing, travel, legal, education, certifications.

Business Expenses

Retirement & Savings

Retirement Contribution

Contribution Period

HSA Contribution (annual)

Math Breakdown

2026 limits: $4,300 individual / $8,550 family. Above-the-line deduction — reduces income tax base but NOT SE tax or QBI per §199A.

HSA Coverage Type

Stipends (Optional)

Tax Treatment: Client stipends are additional taxable compensation — separate from your hourly billing rate. The calculator estimates marginal tax and shows your net stipend benefit below your take-home income.

I receive client stipends (meals, lodging, travel, etc.)

Your Billing Rate

All your costs are loaded. Drag the slider or type a rate to see your real net take-home.

Hourly Billing Rate

Math Breakdown

Your gross billing rate — what you charge clients per hour. The calculator works forward from this: computes all taxes, expenses, and deductions, then shows your net take-home.

/ hr

Annual gross: $0Monthly gross: $0

$0$100$200$300$400$500

Net Take-Home Income

per year after all taxes & costs

$0 / mo

Your Rate

$0/hr

Gross Billing

Effective Tax

0.0%

Gross Billing Required

$0

Schedule C Business Deductions

Operating Expenses

Math Breakdown

Schedule C business expense. Reduces net profit and SE tax base.

Schedule C Net Profit

Math Breakdown

Gross − Sched C insurance − overhead = $0. SE tax is calculated on this figure.

Tax Liability

Self-Employment Tax

Math Breakdown

SE income = $0 × 92.35% = $0. SS (12.4%) on SE income up to $176,100: $0. Medicare (2.9%): $0. Total = $0.

0.0%$0

Federal Income Tax

Math Breakdown

Graduated 2026 federal brackets × taxable income. Taxable = Net profit ($0) − ½ SE tax ($0) − Form 7206 ($0) − Retirement ($0) − HSA ($0) = $0.

0.0% eff.$0

State Income Tax

Math Breakdown

Applied to taxable income of $0.

0.0% eff.$0

Total Estimated Taxes

Math Breakdown

Sum of all taxes plus optional 2% quarterly reserve.

0.0% of gross$0

Retirement & Savings

Math Breakdown

Solo 401(k)/SEP + HSA. Above-the-line deductions (Sched 1) — reduce income tax base but NOT SE tax or QBI.

Net Take-Home Income

$0

Billable Hours / Year1,920

This calculator provides estimates for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax or legal advice.Consult a qualified CPA or tax professional before making structure decisions.