Pay Yourself a Salary Calculator

Good months and bad months? Pay yourself the same amount every month from a buffer account.

How to pay yourself as a freelancer

Irregular income is stressful because personal bills arrive every month. The fix is to separate the two: all client payments go into a business account, and you pay yourself a fixed monthly amount from it.

Salary = (last year's income × (1 − tax rate) − business costs) ÷ 12 × safety margin. The safety margin (e.g. 85%) leaves room for a slower year.

Frequently asked questions

How big should a freelancer's buffer be?

Three to six months of your salary is a common target. The more irregular your income, the bigger the buffer you need.

What if I've freelanced for less than a year?

Use your expected income for the next 12 months, but be conservative — and lower the "pay yourself" percentage until you have a full year of data.

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