#freelance

We ran a $150,000 net-income freelance consultant through the calculator with a $70,000 reasonable salary — the S-Corp election clears even a $3,000/year compliance cost, because only the salary gets hit with payroll tax.

$75K salary ÷ 2,080 hours ≠ $36/hour freelance equivalent. Bake in self-employment tax, lost benefits, and 35% non-billable time, and the equivalent rate climbs to $100/hour. Here's the breakdown.

Revenue is the headline number. Real income comes after expenses, self-employment tax, income tax, and unbilled hours. We ran a service-based hustle through all four layers — gross of $1,800 became real of $870 over 35 hours.

Most freelancers pick a number that 'feels right.' The right number is a calculation: take-home target → required gross → billable hours → hourly rate. Plus the 20% scope-creep buffer that turns hourly into project rates.