The Irish Tax Hub Self-Employed Income Calculator

If you’re self-employed in Ireland, one of the hardest questions to answer is deceptively simple:

“How much of this money is actually mine – and how much needs to be kept for tax?”

Between income tax, USC, PRSI, allowable expenses, preliminary tax and pensions, it can feel very confusing. Most sole traders, freelancers and contractors end up guessing, which makes it harder to:

• Set aside the right amount for Revenue
• Decide if a project is really profitable
• Plan for holidays, big life decisions or stepping back from work

That’s exactly why we built the Irish Tax Hub Self-Employed Income Calculator – a clear, easy-to-use tool that shows you:

• Your estimated after-tax income
• How much to set aside for tax
• A breakdown of income tax, USC and PRSI

All using the latest Irish tax rules and real-world assumptions about how self-employed tax works in practice.

It’s not just a calculator – it’s a planning tool for anyone who earns their own income.

Why This Is the Best Self-Employed Income Calculator in Ireland

There are plenty of generic “tax calculators” online, but most of them:

• Are designed for employees, not self-employed people
• Ignore preliminary tax entirely
• Don’t reflect Irish PRSI/USC rules properly
• Give you a single number with no explanation

Our calculator is built specifically for self-employed people in Ireland, and it stands out because it is:

• Tailored to Irish self-employed rules
  Designed around Form 11, Class S PRSI, USC and Irish tax credits – not UK or US assumptions.
• Up to date
  Uses the latest tax bands, credits and thresholds so you’re not planning based on last year’s rules.
• Transparent
  Instead of just telling you “your tax is €X”, it shows how that figure is built up – income tax, USC, PRSI and credits.
• Designed by tax experts
  The logic behind the calculator is built and reviewed by Damien, a qualified Irish Tax Consultant and Chartered Accountant, so it matches how Revenue actually works in practice.

What the Calculator Actually Shows You

When you use the Self-Employed Income Calculator, you don’t just get a single “after tax” number. You get a breakdown that helps you understand your position.

Typical inputs include things like:

• Your self-employed profit (after allowable business expenses)
• Whether you have any PAYE income as well
• Your age and tax status (e.g. single, married, civil partner)
• Pension contributions (including AVCs, if relevant)

From that, the calculator can estimate:

• Income tax due on your self-employed income
• USC on your total income
• PRSI
• Total tax to set aside
• Your estimated after-tax income

In other words, it turns a confusing set of rules into three simple questions:

1. How much do I really take home?
2. How much should I be putting aside for Revenue?
3. Am I using the tax system as efficiently as I could?

Use our Tax on Self Employed Income Calculator to estimate your tax liability as a Sole Trader in Ireland or check out our other tools here.

Why Self-Employed Tax Feels So Confusing (and How the Calculator Helps)

If you’re self-employed, you’re dealing with a few extra layers that employees rarely see:

• Preliminary tax – paying next year’s tax in advance
• Balancing payments – catching up for the previous year
• Mixed income – juggling self-employed income, employment income and sometimes rental or investment income
• Business expenses – what’s actually deductible and what isn’t

While this calculator won’t replace a full tax return, it bridges the gap between “no idea” and “fully filed Form 11”.

It helps you to:

• Stop guessing how much is “safe” to spend
• Get a realistic feel for your true hourly rate after tax
• Avoid the shock of a much bigger tax bill than expected

Planning Your Tax and Cash Flow as a Sole Trader

One of the biggest benefits of the Self-Employed Income Calculator is how it helps with planning ahead, not just filling in numbers.

You can:

• Test different income scenarios
  See what happens if your profit goes from €30,000 to €50,000, or if you reduce hours.
• See how pension contributions affect your tax
  Increasing a pension contribution can reduce your tax bill – the calculator lets you see the impact.
• Plan for preliminary tax
  Get a sense of the sort of tax you’ll need to have set aside so that October/November doesn’t come as a nasty surprise.
• Stress-test your business
  Check whether a rate you charge actually leaves you with a sustainable take-home income.

It’s especially useful if you’re:

• Thinking about going self-employed
• Adding a freelance side-hustle to a PAYE job
• Growing from part-time to full-time self-employment

How Self-Employed People Use the Calculator in Real Life

Here are some ways our clients use the calculator day to day:

• “Can I afford to go out on my own?”
  Before handing in notice, employees use the calculator to compare their current after-tax salary with a projected self-employed income.
• “How much should I put aside each month?”
  Sole traders use it to set a fixed percentage or amount to move into a “tax pot” so that Revenue bills are covered.
• “Is this contract really worth it?”
  Freelancers plug in expected income and see the after-tax amount, helping them decide whether to accept or renegotiate.
• “What happens if I earn more / less next year?”
  Contractors test different income levels so they can plan ahead for busier or quieter years – and avoid cash flow surprises.

Accuracy and Quality

We take accuracy seriously.

Behind the scenes, the calculator’s logic is:

• Built around Irish Revenue rules for self-employed income
• Reviewed by a qualified Irish tax professional
• Tested across a wide range of scenarios to catch edge cases (mixed incomes, different age profiles, etc.)

Of course, no online calculator can replace tailored tax advice – but you should feel confident that the numbers you see are based on proper rules, not guesswork.

Beyond the Calculator: Help From Irish Tax Hub

The calculator gives you the numbers. But sometimes you need someone to look at the bigger picture.

That’s where Irish Tax Hub comes in.

We can help you:

• Review your tax position as a sole trader or freelancer
• File your Form 11 and make sure you’re claiming all relevant credits and reliefs
• Plan ahead for preliminary tax and cash flow so you’re not blindsided by Revenue deadlines
• Optimise pension contributions and other reliefs to make your business more tax-efficient

Think of the Self-Employed Income Calculator as your first step – and our advisory services as the next level when you want to go deeper.

Try It Now

Ready to see what you really earn as a self-employed person in Ireland?

Open the Self-Employed Income Calculator, enter a few details, and in seconds you’ll see:

• Your estimated after-tax income
• What portion of your profit should be earmarked for tax
• A clear breakdown of income tax, USC and PRSI

Whether you’re just starting out, already working for yourself, or thinking about adding freelance income on the side, this tool gives you the clarity you need to make smarter decisions.

And if the results raise questions, you can always reach out to Irish Tax Hub for personalised, one-to-one advice.