Tax basics for new creators: what to set aside, in plain English

The first time a creator makes $4,000 from a brand deal and spends all of it, then receives a quarterly tax estimate in the mail a few months later, they panic. We don't want you to panic. We want you to set aside roughly 25–30% of every creator dollar for tax the moment it lands, and then file a quarterly estimate four times a year.

How much to set aside

If you're in the US and you earn under ~$75k/yr from creator work, 25% is a safe default. If you earn more (or you live in a state with high income tax), bump to 30%. Move it into a separate savings account the day the invoice is paid, not the day before taxes are due.

A simple rule: Every time an invoice marks itself 'Paid' in Artisan Invoice, immediately move 25–30% of the gross into a tax-only savings account. Automated if you can; manual if you have to.

Why: self-employment tax

You're not just paying income tax — for any creator income that doesn't come via a W-2, you also owe self-employment tax (15.3% to cover Social Security and Medicare). That's the 25–30% number, not 15%. The IRS has a calculator for it; your accountant has a better one.

Quarterly estimates — the four magic dates

Most first-time creators miss these dates and then owe a small penalty at year-end. The four US due dates in 2026 are:

• Q1 — April 15

• Q2 — June 15

• Q3 — September 15

• Q4 — January 15 of the following year

Each one is roughly 25% of your expected annual tax liability. The IRS lets you pay via direct debit from their site. Set four calendar reminders each January and you're done.

The one spreadsheet you actually need

You don't need eleven tabs. You need five columns and a year of rows:

Five columns: Date · Client · Amount invoiced · Amount paid · Tax set aside (25–30%). That's it.

At year-end, hand the CSV export from Artisan Invoice plus this spreadsheet to your accountant. They'll do the rest. If your accountant doesn't already exist, that's a separate problem and we wrote a longer post about finding one that fits creator work.