About TechLedger
Straight federal tax math for 1099 field technicians
TechLedger is a free, browser-based federal tax estimator from Composed Chaos, built for independent field-service techs who take work through Field Nation, WorkMarket, and direct clients. This blog is the education library that sits alongside the app — plain-English explainers on self-employment tax, mileage, QBI, and quarterly estimates, each stamped to a versioned facts source.
Who it's for
TechLedger is aimed squarely at 1099 field-service technicians — HVAC, IT, electrical, low-voltage, and appliance techs — who juggle marketplace jobs, platform fees, drive time, and irregular pay across the year. If you get a 1099-K from Field Nation (gross pay including its 10% service fee) or a 1099-NEC from WorkMarket, and you are trying to figure out what to set aside, this is built for you.
The app takes job pay, platform fees, business mileage, and hours and turns them into after-tax profit and a quarterly estimated-tax plan. The blog fills in the "why": start with 1099 field tech taxes, then dig into the mileage deduction and quarterly estimated taxes.
Our accuracy commitment
Tax figures go stale the moment the IRS publishes a new number, so every rate and threshold on this site lives in one audited, versioned facts module rather than being retyped page to page. Each figure carries its IRS authority. When a number changes, we update it once, bump the module's version date, and every published post whose review date is now older is forced back through review before it can ship again.
Single source of truth
One versioned facts module feeds the whole site. No page hand-types a rate, so a stale figure can't hide in a corner of the blog.
Authority cited
Figures name their source — like the mid-year 2026 mileage change from IRS Announcement 2026-11, or the OBBBA 1099-NEC threshold — so you can verify them.
Re-review on change
When the IRS moves a number, the version bump forces every affected post back through review before it is allowed to publish again.
A concrete example: for 2026 the business mileage rate changes partway through the year — 72.5 cents per mile from January 1 through June 30, then 76 cents per mile from July 1 onward (IRS Announcement 2026-11). That mid-year split is exactly the kind of detail a versioned facts module keeps consistent across the app, the mileage guide, and every other page. Self-employment tax figures follow the same discipline: 12.4% Social Security up to the wage base ($184,500 in 2026) plus 2.9% Medicare, applied to 92.35% of net Schedule C profit, with the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax above higher thresholds.
Scope — what TechLedger is, and is not
Being clear about the boundaries matters more than a long feature list. Here is exactly what TechLedger does and does not do:
Read this before you rely on a number
- Estimates for planning, not tax advice. TechLedger produces federal planning estimates and educational content. It is not tax advice and does not replace a qualified tax professional.
- Federal only. It estimates federal Schedule C, self-employment, and income tax. It does not calculate state or local taxes — those must be checked separately, and a multistate tech may owe nonresident tax where work is performed.
- Not a filing tool. TechLedger does not file your taxes or submit any return. You still file separately with the IRS or your preparer.
- Not a substitute for a professional. For anything beyond a planning estimate, confirm your situation with a CPA or enrolled agent.
- Private by design. There is no account and no login. Your entries stay in your browser's local storage and are never sent to a server.
When the numbers matter — filing, an audit letter, a big equipment purchase, or a multistate year — talk to a tax professional. TechLedger is meant to make the everyday "what should I set aside?" question fast and consistent, so you are not guessing between jobs.
Company and product
TechLedger is the product brand; Composed Chaos is the organization behind the app, this blog, and the site metadata. Start with the app or browse the full blog, and read the privacy summary for how the browser-only storage model works.
Field tech tax questions
What the blog and the app are — and what they are not.
What is TechLedger?
TechLedger is a free, browser-based profit-and-tax estimator for 1099 field-service technicians. It turns job pay, platform fees, mileage, and hours into after-tax profit and a quarterly estimated-tax plan. This blog is the companion education library.
Is TechLedger tax advice?
No. TechLedger and this blog provide federal tax estimates and education for planning only. They are not tax advice, do not file your return, and do not replace a qualified tax professional. Confirm your own numbers with a CPA or enrolled agent.
How do you keep the tax figures accurate?
Every figure comes from a single versioned facts module with its IRS authority cited (Rev. Proc., Notice, or Announcement). When the IRS changes a rate or threshold, we bump the figure and its version date, which forces every affected post back through review before it can publish again.
Does TechLedger cost anything or store my data?
It is free with no account, login, or subscription. Your entries stay in your browser (local storage) and are never sent to a server, so nothing is stored in the cloud.
See your own federal numbers
Open TechLedger, enter a job or two, and get an after-tax profit and quarterly-estimate view in your browser — free, no account, nothing sent to a server. Then dig into the quarterly estimates guide to plan the year.