Benchmarks for 12 kinds of 1099 work
Each category carries its own illustrative expense range, from about 12.5% of income for professional, tech and marketing work to 52.5% for online sellers.
Tax Savings Calculator
Find potential savings you might be missing
Adjust your numbers
W-2 income changes the federal tax comparison on the right. The illustrative expense gap stays the same, and tax savings examples may stay flat when the applicable rates do not change.
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Select an expense, then enter how much you spent on it this year.
7 ideas to review- Review mileage or actual vehicle costs. Choose the method that applies; do not add both.
- Business share of your phone, plan, and work apps.
- Business trip charges not reimbursed by a platform.
- Business-use portion of a qualifying membership.
- Work-related cleaning costs, subject to the vehicle method and records.
- Eligible water, bags, and other work supplies.
- Have other costs for your 1099 work that are not listed? Add their total here for review.
Only amounts you enter affect the comparison. Check eligibility, business use, and records with a tax expert.
Potential expense gap to review to maximize savings
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compared with a category assumption
This potential write-off opportunity uses an illustrative category expense benchmark. Actual tax savings depend on what qualifies.
Enter your estimated 1099 income to see a potential expense gap.
Gross 1099 income$—
Illustrative category benchmark$—
Illustrative expense gap$—
$0$—
Entered: $—Unreviewed comparison: $—
Turn potential savings into a plan with 
Find the deductions you may be missing.
1099vibe helps you identify business write-offs, organize receipts and records, and get tax expert-informed guidance so you can keep more of what you earn.
How the estimate works and what it leaves out
The benchmark uses the midpoint of the category ranges supplied for this calculator. The featured expense gap is the benchmark minus entered review amounts, floored at zero. It is an illustrative comparison, not tax savings or proof that any additional costs exist. These are product assumptions, not IRS expense averages for individual occupations. A zero gap does not mean you have no deductible expenses.
The two supporting federal savings examples compare simplified 2026 federal income and self-employment tax before and after a hypothetical additional expense amount. That amount is the smaller of the remaining expense gap, 10% of gross 1099 income, and positive business profit after entered review amounts. Entered amounts are treated as qualifying solely for this illustration. The model uses the standard deduction, 2026 brackets, 92.35% net self-employment earnings, the 2026 Social Security wage base, Medicare tax, and a simplified additional Medicare tax. The two outcomes use a basic 20% qualified business income assumption and no QBI assumption. They are not bounds on actual savings. Your W-2 amount is treated as an approximation of both income-tax wages and Social Security wages; if those amounts differ, the result will change. For joint filers, the spouse W-2 amount affects household income tax and the additional Medicare threshold, but does not reduce your personal Social Security wage base.
This is not a full tax return. It does not calculate itemized deductions, credits, other income, the detailed qualified business income limits, alternative minimum tax, state tax, payroll details, business entity choice, or every special tax rule. Checked ideas without entered amounts do not affect the calculation. Entered costs still require documentation and eligibility review. Vehicle mileage and actual vehicle costs for the same vehicle cannot simply be added together. Some rental activity belongs on Schedule E and may not be subject to self-employment tax.
Sources: 2026 brackets and standard deduction, self-employment tax, 2026 Social Security wage base, qualified business income, and Schedule C instructions.
How the calculator works
A benchmark, your numbers, and the gap between them.
Only what you enter counts
Ticking an idea changes nothing on its own. The gap narrows only by the amounts you type, so the result reflects your own records, not a guess.
Two federal savings scenarios
Savings are modeled on up to 10% of your income in extra expenses, with and without a basic 20% QBI assumption, using 2026 brackets, self-employment tax and your W-2 income.
Tax savings FAQ
Questions about write-offs and what they’re worth.
What an expense gap means, which costs may count, and how to keep the records that back them up.
What is an expense gap?
It is the difference between an illustrative expense benchmark for your kind of work and the business expenses you have entered. A rideshare driver, an online seller and a consultant spend very different shares of their income to earn it, so each category uses its own benchmark. A large gap is a prompt to look for costs you may not be tracking. It is not proof those costs exist, and a small gap does not mean you have missed nothing.
Is the expense gap the same as my tax savings?
No. The gap is an amount of spending to review, not a tax figure. A deductible expense lowers your taxable profit, and the tax saved is only a fraction of the expense — roughly your income tax bracket plus self-employment tax. That is why the calculator shows the gap and the two federal savings scenarios separately, and why the savings figures are much smaller.
How do business expenses lower taxes on 1099 income?
Ordinary and necessary business expenses reduce your net profit on Schedule C. Net profit drives two federal taxes: income tax, at your bracket rate, and self-employment tax, which is generally 15.3% on 92.35% of net earnings up to the Social Security wage base. Because one expense can lower both, a dollar of legitimate write-offs is often worth more to a 1099 earner than a deduction is to a W-2 employee.
What counts as a deductible business expense?
Generally, a cost that is ordinary for your line of work and necessary to run it. Common examples include business mileage or vehicle costs, the business share of your phone and internet, platform and payment fees, supplies, software, professional insurance and licenses. Personal costs don't qualify, and mixed-use costs only count for their business share. The ideas listed for each category are starting points to review, not a guarantee that a cost is deductible for you.
Can I deduct both mileage and my actual car expenses?
Not for the same vehicle in the same year. You choose either the standard mileage rate — 72.5 cents a mile for January through June 2026 and 76 cents from July 1 — or the business share of actual costs such as fuel, repairs, insurance and depreciation. To use the standard rate for a car you own, you generally have to choose it in the first year you use that car for business. Business parking and tolls can usually be deducted on top of either method.
How does the home office deduction work?
You may qualify if you use part of your home regularly and exclusively for your business, and it is your principal place of business or a place you regularly meet clients. The simplified method allows $5 per square foot for up to 300 square feet, a maximum of $1,500. The regular method uses the business share of actual home costs instead. A kitchen table you also eat at generally doesn't qualify.
What records do I need to support my write-offs?
Keep something that shows what you paid, when, and why it was for your business: receipts, invoices, bank and card statements, and platform fee reports. For mileage, keep a log with the date, destination, business purpose and miles for each trip, recorded as you go rather than rebuilt at tax time. The IRS generally expects records to be kept for at least three years after you file.
Why does the calculator show results with and without QBI?
The qualified business income deduction lets many sole proprietors deduct up to 20% of their business income from income tax. Because it already shelters part of your profit, an extra expense saves a little less when QBI applies, so the calculator shows both outcomes. Above $201,750 of taxable income for single filers, or $403,500 for joint filers, limits can apply that this calculator doesn't model. QBI does not reduce self-employment tax.
Why does my W-2 income change the savings?
W-2 wages stack underneath your 1099 profit, so they can push that profit into a higher income tax bracket, where each deductible dollar saves more. Wages also count toward the Social Security wage base: if your own W-2 pay already reaches it, extra 1099 profit owes only the Medicare part of self-employment tax, and expenses save less on that side. A spouse's wages affect a joint return's brackets but not your own wage base.
I missed write-offs on last year's return. Can I still claim them?
Often, yes. You can generally file an amended return on Form 1040-X to claim a refund within three years of filing the original return, or two years of paying the tax, whichever is later. Amending can also change your self-employment tax and any state return, so it is worth having a tax professional confirm the expenses qualify before you file.
Does this calculator include state taxes?
No. The savings scenarios are federal income and self-employment tax only. Most states also tax business profit, so a legitimate expense can lower your state bill as well. For an estimate that includes your state, use the 1099 tax calculator, and for payment timing, the quarterly tax calculator.
This calculator is an illustrative planning tool, not tax advice or a tax return. Its expense benchmarks are product assumptions, its savings scenarios are federal only, and the amounts you enter are treated as qualifying purely for the illustration. Whether a cost is deductible depends on your facts and your records, so have a credentialed tax expert review them before you file.
IRS guidance: Schedule C instructions, Publication 463 (car expenses), standard mileage rates, home office deduction, recordkeeping, Form 1040-X.