Is your hustle
actually profitable?

It's the 15.3% tax on your net side-hustle profit — 12.4% for Social Security plus 2.9% for Medicare. A regular employer pays half of it for you; when you work for yourself (DoorDash, freelance, selling products), you pay both halves. It comes on top of regular income tax, which is why a surprise April bill hits hustlers so hard.

A solid rule of thumb is 25–30% of every payout, moved into a separate savings account the day the money lands. That covers the 15.3% self-employment tax plus your income tax bracket. Most hustlers owe quarterly estimated payments (due roughly April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15) — paying as you go avoids underpayment penalties.

Expenses that are ordinary and necessary for your hustle: mileage driven for gig work (tracked per trip, at the IRS standard mileage rate), supplies and materials, platform and payment-processing fees, software and apps, the business percentage of your phone bill, and a qualifying home office. Every deductible dollar lowers the profit you're taxed on — but only if you can prove it, which is why tracking matters.

No — this quiz is a quick health check, not tax advice. It flags the most common leaks (under-reserving, untracked mileage, high expense ratios). If your side income is growing past a few thousand dollars a year, a one-time consult with a tax pro usually pays for itself in deductions you'd otherwise miss.