Real Contractor Pay
SaaS Financial Platform & 1099 W-2 Compensation Tool
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August 22, 2026
Why I built a free 1099 vs W-2 compensation calculator for freelancers
Hey Indie Hackers! 👋
Like many freelancers and independent contractors, I was struggling to compare job offers accurately. A $100k 1099 contract sounds great until you account for self-employment taxes, health insurance, and zero PTO compared to a W-2 salary offer.
Most existing calculators were either hidden behind lead-generation paywalls or too simplified.
So I built Real Contractor Pay (https://realcontractorpay.com) — a lightweight, free web utility to model real net take-home pay, S-Corp tax efficiency, and hourly benchmarks.
I'd love to get your feedback on the UX and calculation logic. What features or tax edge cases should I add next?
Cheers! 🚀
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