Budget Planner for Freelancers: Pay Yourself, Set Tax Aside and Smooth Out Irregular Income

The freelancer budgeting problem

A salaried budget assumes the same paycheck every two weeks. Freelancers get a big invoice paid one month and almost nothing the next — and nobody withholds tax. Without a system, a good month feels like spending money and April feels like a disaster.

A budget planner for freelancers needs to do three things:

1. Separate business money from your money — and show what is genuinely yours to take.
2. Set tax aside on every payment — for self-employment tax and quarterly estimated taxes.
3. Pay you a steady paycheck — so your household budget works like everyone else's.

How Till helps freelancers

Till, the VaultlyApps small business profit planner, is built for freelancers, makers and Etsy sellers:

• The cash drawer splits business cash into bins — sales tax collected, income-tax set-aside, bills due in the next 30 days, your card balance, a cushion — and shows what is left for you.
• Pay yourself — choose a monthly paycheck and a cushion; six pay stubs show which months are already covered.
• Tax set-aside uses your own percentage (never a guess) and shows US quarterly estimated tax dates.
• Invoice tracker with line items, payment terms, part payments and reminders for overdue clients.
• Mileage and expense log, so deductions don't slip through.

Example: a month with two invoices

A designer is paid $4,200 and $1,800 in one month, then $900 the next. With 28% set aside for tax and a $3,000 monthly paycheck, after setting aside $1,680 for tax Till shows $4,320 available — this month's $3,000 paycheck plus $1,320 toward next month — so the quiet month is no longer a crisis.

Pair it with a household budget

Once your paycheck is steady, budget it like any salary — Flow's single "Safe to Spend" number or the 50/30/20 budget calculator both work. Check your prices with the profit margin calculator, and read how to pay yourself as a small business owner for the full method.

How you get it

All VaultlyApps planners are a one-time purchase on Etsy — no monthly subscription. They install like an app on iPhone, Android, iPad, Mac, Windows and Chromebook, keep your data private on your own devices (no bank login needed), and can sync between your phone and laptop with a 6-digit code. Open the free live demo first to see if it fits.