Self-employed taxes aren’t one decision — they’re a dozen connected ones. Model them together, and see what moves your tax bill.
Salary and distributions, retirement contributions, the health-insurance deduction, estimated payments, the QBI and ACA thresholds — for the self-employed, they all interact. Enter your situation, build scenarios from your own assumptions, and compare them while the year is still open.
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Worked example. This page uses a hypothetical household and figures chosen by Lumsyl to show how the tool works. The results are not an estimate for you. Your results will depend on your own information and circumstances.
Start with the situation that fits you.
ACA Subsidy Cliff
See what the 400% FPL cliff does to the premium tax credit at your income.
~$19–33k / yr of credit at stake near the cliffOpen →QBI Phase-Out
See how the SSTB phase-out reduces the 20% deduction as taxable income rises.
~$10k+ of deduction at stake for SSTB owners in rangeFreelance Tax Setup
SE tax, estimated payments, and contributions, modeled together for the year.
how the year's payments landS-Corp Election
Compare S-corp and sole-proprietor scenarios at your income.
FICA vs. filing-cost tradeoffRetirement Vehicles
SEP vs. Solo 401(k) vs. Cash Balance — with the contribution limits modeled.
including stacked plansW-2 + Side Business
The interactions between a day job and a side gig, resolved together.
shared 401(k) limits, SE tax＋ Start new project
The full builder — build any scenario, no template. For when you already know what you want to model.
the advanced way inLumsyl is built on a financial engine that models the interactions most tools miss. Self-employment is where we start, not where it ends — the same engine extends into retirement, real estate, equity and beyond. You’ll never be handed a blank canvas; every situation opens on a worked example.
Model your situation.
A planning tool, not a calculator. Most tools calculate one thing at a time. Lumsyl models your situation as a whole — income, retirement contributions and deductions all pull on each other, so the tool solves them together from your own numbers. See which thresholds drive what you owe, where your income sits against them, and how a different salary, contribution or deduction would change your tax bill.
Track your position through the year. With lumsyl you can see where you stand and the scenarios open to you — so when a strong quarter or a late invoice moves you toward a threshold, you find out while the year is still open, rather than at filing.
Compare your options side by side. Salary at $80k or $120k. Fund a SEP or a solo 401(k). Take the distribution this year or next. Build each as its own scenario and compare the results.