1099 Freelancer Income, Expense & Quarterly Estimated-Tax Tracker

A record-keeping workbook for freelancers and 1099 contractors who want one place for payments, expenses, and a quarterly tax set-aside — without treating the file as a tax return.

What's inside

• Setup: tax year, your set-aside rate (a percentage you choose), optional prior-year tax for a 100% / 110% reference, and editable Schedule C–style categories with a deductible % (meals default to 50%)

• Clients tab (up to 30) with year-to-date receipts and a $600 reminder to compare against 1099-NEC forms when they arrive. The reminder is not a legal threshold determination.

• Income tab: 500 rows, cash-basis receipts, with the form you expect (1099-NEC, 1099-K, 1099-MISC, W-2, no form, or other)

• Expenses tab: 800 rows. Deductible amount = amount paid × the category % on Setup.

• Quarterly Tax tab: a set-aside worksheet, not a Form 1040-ES. It multiplies year-to-date net by your rate, shows optional safe-harbor reference amounts if you entered last year's tax, and tracks payments against the four federal estimated-tax periods. Period dates and typical 2026 due dates are prefilled and editable. Periods are the official federal ones (including the two-month April–May period), not calendar quarters.

• Schedule C Summary: totals by line reference so you can hand figures to a preparer

• Dashboard: income, deductible expenses, net, set-aside, and totals by month and client

• Works in Excel 2010+ / Microsoft 365, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice. Formulas stay compatible with all three (no Excel Tables, no dynamic arrays).

You get two working copies: a blank file to start from, and a sample file already filled with fictional clients so you can see how the formulas behave. Sample rows are labeled SAMPLE. Start Here has step-by-step instructions, including how to clear the sample data.

This is a record-keeping spreadsheet. It is not tax, legal, or accounting advice. Quarterly figures are a set-aside worksheet using the rate you enter — they are not a calculation of what you owe, a filing, or a safe-harbor determination. Confirm every figure with the current IRS instructions (including Form 1040-ES and Schedule C) or a qualified tax professional before you pay or file.