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.
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Pay and income
Pay slips, deductions, raises and making sense of what actually lands in your account each month.
How to read a pay slip, line by line
Gross pay, pre-tax deductions, withholding and the year-to-date column. A walk through a sample pay slip and the five things worth checking every month.
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.