The Side Hustle — 1099 Calculator
See what your 1099 income really costs in federal, state, and local tax — then compare ten ways to shelter it and find the strategy that leaves you the most money in ten years.
01Your numbers
Everything stays in your browser — nothing is sent or saved.
Examples of deductible business expenses — tap any to learn more:
The employee-deferral limit ($24,500) is shared across all your jobs, so day-job deferrals shrink the employee portion of a solo 401(k). Employer-side contributions are not affected.
Advanced: other income & deductions ▸
Add other income types and deductions for a fuller picture. These are taxed on their own tracks — capital gains and qualified dividends at preferential rates, investment income may trigger the 3.8% NIIT, and rental income skips self-employment tax. Leave blank to ignore.
State & local income tax counts toward itemized deductions too, capped at $40,400 (2026). The calculator adds that automatically when you itemize.
Growth & rate assumptions ▸
02This year's tax burden — before & after
Each color is one layer of tax. The second column shows the same year with the optimal strategy's deduction applied.
03What the side hustle itself costs
Taxes caused by the 1099 income alone — your total bill minus what you'd owe with no side hustle.
04Strategy showdown — where should the money go?
Every year, all 1099 profit left after taxes goes into the strategy. Pre-tax plans are filled to their annual maximum first (which itself lowers the tax bill), and whatever cash remains simply stays in the bank earning savings-account interest. Bars show projected after-tax value at 5 and 10 years, using your state and local rules.
Swipe the table sideways to see 5- and 10-year values →
05The optimal mix — best combination of strategies
Every retirement plan paired with every destination for the leftover cash — 30 combinations, all simulated. This is the one that leaves you the most after-tax money at 10 years.
Swipe the table sideways to see 5- and 10-year values →
06Best strategy at every income level
The same 10-year simulation, repeated across the whole income range (your expense input held fixed). Each column’s height is the winning strategy’s after-tax value at 10 years; its color tells you which strategy is #1 at that level of 1099 income.