Building a tax buffer when nobody withholds for you
When you freelance, every payment arrives before tax. A simple percentage rule, a separate account and a quarterly check stop the annual tax bill from becoming a crisis.
Freelance income and tax buffers
Tomás Reyes
Tomás has been self-employed as a translator for twelve years, through two lean years and one very good one. He covers irregular income, emergency funds and setting money aside when no employer does it for you.
Stories by Tomás
Sizing an emergency fund when your income is never the same twice
The three-to-six-months rule assumes a steady salary. Here is a way to size a buffer from your own worst months instead, with a worked example.