Sample piece, written for this site
Tallybird Books (fictional bookkeeping for freelancers)
How to track quarterly estimated taxes (without becoming an accountant)
Title tag: Quarterly Estimated Taxes for Freelancers: A Plain Guide
Meta description: How quarterly estimated taxes work for freelancers: who has to pay, the four due dates, and a simple way to work out each payment.
Your first real client check arrives, and it's the whole amount. Nobody withheld anything. No payroll department sent a slice to the IRS on your behalf. That feels great until April, when it turns into a bill.
Quarterly estimated taxes are the fix. Four times a year you send the IRS a payment based on what you've earned so far, so the tax bill doesn't land all at once. This guide covers who has to pay, when, and how to keep track of the number without a spreadsheet you dread opening.