Tax & self-employed
Schedule C, mileage and the reasonable-salary question, settled before the deadline rather than during it. For self-employed people and S-corp owners who would rather see the number in good time than discover it in April.
The Mileage Tracker prices each trip at the IRS rate in force on its date, including the mid-2026 change. The free mileage deduction calculator does the same for a log you already have.
The templates side by side
Every one works in Excel and Google Sheets. "You type into" counts the tabs where your numbers go; "calculated for you" counts the tabs that need no typing at all, and "set up once" the tabs you fill in at the start.
| Template | Tabs | You type into | Calculated for you | Set up once | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Bookkeeping (Income/Expense) | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | $4.79 |
| 1099 / Schedule C Self-Employed Tax Spreadsheet | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | $3.80 |
| S-Corp Reasonable Salary & Distribution Optimizer (US) | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | $8.69 |
| Mileage Tracker | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | $2.81 |
| Business Budget Spreadsheet | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | $3.29 |
| Profit & Loss Statement Generator | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | $3.80 |
| Pricing Calculator | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | $4.49 |
| Inventory Tracker | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | $2.69 |
| Employee Timesheet | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | $3.29 |
| Invoice Tracker & Generator | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | $2.99 |
| Cash Flow Spreadsheet | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | $3.29 |
| Employee Attendance and PTO Tracker | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | $3.29 |
| Client Tracker & CRM | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | $5.69 |
| Business Expense Tracker | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | $1.79 |
| Product Profit Tracker | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | $2.69 |
Which template do I need?
Most of what self-employed filers lose is lost before April. Categories sorted the way Schedule C wants them is the file that makes the return short, and a log kept as you drive is the deduction most often reconstructed badly or not at all.
A receipt and expense log covers the rest of it. The reasonable salary trade-off matters only if you have elected S-Corp status, but it is worth the hour if you have.
The three together is how most people buy them, because the mileage, the deductions and the salary question all land in the same two weeks.
If you only want the arithmetic on this year's miles, the free mileage deduction calculator does that in the browser, with nothing to sign up for and nothing stored.
The dates and rates that matter
If you expect to owe $1,000 or more when you file, the IRS expects you to pay during the year in four estimated payments, due around April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15. You generally avoid the underpayment penalty by paying at least 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's, whichever is smaller. (IRS: estimated taxes)
Self-employment tax is 15.3% on top of income tax: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. It applies once your net earnings from self-employment reach $400. The free quarterly tax calculator works out what to set aside from each payment you receive.