Business Tax Buddy
A freelancer needed to track income, expenses, and quarterly taxes — but accounting software was built for accountants, not solo operators.
PWA
Mobile-first app
IRS
SE tax formulas built in
4
Quarterly deadlines tracked
Daily
Client usage
The Problem
The client was juggling multiple revenue streams — direct maintenance clients and freelance platform work — each with different fee structures and tax implications. They needed to track gross income, platform fees, and net income across sources, calculate self-employment tax using IRS formulas, plan quarterly estimated payments, and categorize expenses with variable business-use percentages. Spreadsheets were becoming error-prone, and generic accounting software like QuickBooks added unnecessary complexity for a single-user operation. They needed something purpose-built that spoke their language, not an accountant's.
The Solution
A custom Progressive Web App designed as a personal tax command center. The application handles the full lifecycle of freelance tax management — from logging a payment the moment it hits the bank to calculating how much to set aside for the next quarterly deadline. Income tracking automatically decomposes freelance platform payments into gross amount, service fees, sales tax on fees, and net received — because platform fees are deductible expenses that need to be separated from income. The self-employment tax engine implements actual IRS Schedule SE formulas, and the quarterly payment planner updates in real-time as income flows in throughout the year.
Key Features
Platform Fee Decomposition
Automatically breaks down freelance platform payments into gross amount, service fee, sales tax on fees, and net received — critical for accurate deduction tracking.
Self-Employment Tax Engine
Implements IRS Schedule SE formulas: 15.3% on 92.35% of net income, including the 50% SE tax deduction for income tax purposes.
Quarterly Payment Planner
Tracks all four quarterly estimated tax payments with due dates, calculated estimates based on year-to-date income, actual amounts paid, and confirmation numbers.
Business-Use Percentage Tracking
Expenses can be marked with a business-use percentage (e.g., 75% for home internet) with automatic deductible portion calculations.
Data Export & Portability
Full JSON export/import for backups and migration between instances — the client always owns their data.
Results & Impact
- Client uses the app daily on their phone to log income and expenses the moment they happen — replacing error-prone spreadsheets.
- Quarterly tax estimates update in real-time as income flows in, eliminating end-of-quarter scrambles to calculate payments.
- Purpose-built for sole proprietorships with Texas-specific tax rules and Upwork fee structures baked in — zero unnecessary complexity.
- PWA installed on the client's home screen with none of the app store overhead of a native build.