Struggled between quarterly estimated payments vs just saving a bigger lump sum | No Boss Tax Club - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Struggled between quarterly estimated payments vs just saving a bigger lump sum
So last year I had to choose between paying the IRS every 3 months or just stashing cash in a high-yield savings account and dealing with it once. I went with the quarterly route because my income fluctuates a lot - one month I'd make $3k, the next $8k from a big project... It actually saved me from a penalty when I had a surprise $12k month in September. But man, calculating those estimates is annoying. How do you guys handle the quarterly payments without losing your mind?
Are we supposed to actually enjoy calculating those estimates? I just slap a random number in and hope the IRS doesn't come knocking with a baseball bat.
Wait, you're saying you just throw any number in there and hope for the best? That sounds like a good way to end up in a mess if they ever decide to audit you. I always try to do a rough calculation, even if it's just a ballpark figure, so I at least have something to back up my estimate.