See what a monthly freelance retainer may leave after account expenses and a self-selected tax reserve. Enter the retainer amount, recurring expenses, and estimated tax percentage to separate operating profit from spendable net earnings. The tax figure is only a planning reserve because actual liability depends on jurisdiction, deductions, entity type, and total income.
Net earnings are the amount left after the costs and tax reserve entered here, not a tax return calculation.
Consult a qualified tax professional for obligations in your jurisdiction; do not treat this estimate as tax advice.
A $5,000 retainer with $450 of expenses leaves $4,550 before tax. Reserving 25% ($1,137.50) produces estimated net earnings of $3,412.50 per month.
No. It is applied to positive revenue remaining after the entered account expenses.
The calculator reports a loss and applies no tax reserve to that negative amount.
No. Enter business costs attributable to the retainer; personal costs come from net earnings.
No. It multiplies the monthly result by 12, so adjust the monthly revenue or use only contracted months for a separate projection.
Not necessarily. It is a planning input and may differ from your effective or marginal tax rate.
| Input | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer revenue | User-entered planning assumption | USD |
| Monthly account expenses | User-entered planning assumption | USD |
| Estimated tax reserve rate | User-entered planning assumption | % |