Add the payment
Type it in or import the CSV your payment platform already produces.
For people who earn outside payroll
Find out what to set aside. In about ten seconds.
Nobody withholds tax on freelance income—you do. Get a number now, then keep your payments, savings, and paperwork in one place for the rest of the year.
Built by a CPA Never connects to your bank Never moves your money
Set Money Aside does not file returns or give tax advice. Already registered? Sign in.
WorksheetEstimate · not advice
2 · Consider setting aside
$10,000.00That is 25% of what you earned — about $2,500.00 per estimated-tax period.
3 · Next IRS estimated-payment date—
A planning estimate, not tax advice. It uses a flat rate and does not account for your filing status, deductions, credits, or other income. Set Money Aside does not file returns, determine the tax you owe, or hold funds.
The file you hand your accountant
At year-end, one clean file. Your CPA opens it and gets to work.
Every payment you recorded, what you set aside against each one, the documents attached, and a one-page summary of the tax year. No bank export to decode, no shoebox.
Income spreadsheet, in the order your accountant wants it Set-aside log, so the number is never a guess Document list and a still-needed checklist
See a sample review fileFictional workspace · 2026Prepared for your accountant
Ready for reviewIncome recorded$48,200
Suggested$12,050
Set aside so far$9,600
| Paid | Payer | Amount | Set aside |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 12 | Lakefront Property Group | 4,800.00 | 1,200.00 |
| Jun 03 | Harbor Editorial | 2,150.00 | 537.50 |
| Jun 28 | North Shore Clinic | 6,400.00 | 1,600.00 |
| Jul 15 | Maya Ortiz Photography | 1,250.00 | — |
14 payments · 11 documents attached · 3 still neededPage 1 of 3
One clear workflow
From payment to review, without the scramble.
A calculator and a filing cabinet, not an accountant. You do the setting aside; the record stays clean.
See what to save
A flat-rate planning estimate for each payment, and the running total for the year.
Keep documents together
Invoices, contracts and 1099s attached to the payment they belong to, scanned and private.
Share clean records
Export the review file, or invite your CPA to look for themselves.
Said plainly
Three things it will never do.
Set Money Aside does not file returns or determine the tax you owe. Your CPA does the tax. You do the setting aside. Set Money Aside keeps the record.
Not a filer
It does not file your return.
You or your tax professional file, using the records it kept.
Not advice
It does not tell you what you owe.
A flat rate you can see, labelled an estimate. Confirm it with someone qualified.
Not a bank
It does not touch your money.
No bank connection. Whatever you set aside stays in an account you control.
Built and run by a CPA. Tax savings stay in an account you control.
Honest comparison
Sometimes a spreadsheet is enough. Sometimes your bank is.
A spreadsheet
Free, and it will hold anything. It also will not tell you what to set aside, will not notice a missing 1099, and will not remind you before a deadline.
A bank tax bucket
Moves a percentage of each deposit into their account. The percentage is theirs or a guess, and at year-end there is no record to hand your CPA.
Full accounting software
Connects to your bank, finds deductions, and files for you. It costs two to three times as much, and most of it is built for running a business rather than getting one tax year in order.
Set Money Aside
You record what you were paid, see what to hold back, keep the paperwork attached to it, and hand your accountant something clean. It does not connect to your bank and it does not file.
Pricing
Start free. Pay when it is doing real work.
One price, billed once a year, for one tax year in order. No monthly ladder, no promo rate that doubles in April.
Try it free
Your first 3 payments
$0
- Up to 3 payments per tax year
- Planning estimates and quarterly dates
- Everything you record stays readable
- No document storage
- No review file
Annual
Set Money Aside, all year
$59per year, kept for as long as you stay · $99/year after the first 100
- Unlimited payments
- Document storage, scanned and private
- The review file for your accountant
- Reminders before each deadline
- Invite your CPA or bookkeeper
Start with one payment
Billing is not switched on yet. Workspaces created today start on the free tier, and nothing is charged until you choose to subscribe.
Questions
What it does, and what it will not do.
Does Set Money Aside file my taxes?
No. Set Money Aside organizes your records and produces planning estimates. It does not file returns, calculate the tax you actually owe, or submit anything to the IRS. When it is time to file, you or your tax professional do that with the records Set Money Aside has kept.
Does it connect to my bank account?
No. There is no bank connection, and Set Money Aside never touches your money. You record payments yourself or import them from a CSV your payment platform already produces. Any money you set aside stays in an account you control.
How is the suggested amount calculated?
It applies a flat planning rate to the income you have recorded, adjusted if tax was already withheld. That is deliberately simple, and it is why every figure is labelled an estimate rather than advice: it does not know your filing status, deductions, credits, or other household income. Confirm any number with a qualified tax professional before you rely on it.
I already use accounting software. Should I switch?
Then you may not need this. Set Money Aside is narrower on purpose. It is for someone who wants one tax year organized and handed over cleanly, not someone running full books.
How private is my information?
Your workspace is private by default and only people you explicitly invite can see it. Records are isolated per workspace at the database level, uploaded documents are stored privately and scanned before they are accepted, and every change to a financial record is kept as history rather than overwritten.
What does it cost?
Recording your first few payments each tax year is free. Beyond that, and for document storage and the review file, Set Money Aside is $99 a year. The first 100 workspaces pay $59 a year and keep that rate.
A cleaner tax season starts now