Starts With the Target You're Working Toward
A monthly amount to save, or a lump sum by a date, like a down payment or a new truck. Everything after it is measured against that goal.
How Much Do You Need to Make? Start From Your Household
Set financial goals rooted in your household finances to then frame every business decision and forecast.
Entire App Free, No Account Needed
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How Our Personal Audit Determines Your "Freedom Number"
Counts Your Bills, Even Those That Don't Come Monthly
Monthly bills plus the ones that come a few times a year, like insurance premiums, holidays and car repairs, spread into one monthly figure.
Accounts for Any Other Income Sources
A partner's paycheck, rentals or investments, followed from gross to net: what's left after withholding and work-related expenses.
Calculates Your Federal, State and Local Taxes
Worked out for your filing status, state, city, dependents and deductions, broken down visually.
Lays Out Exactly How Much More You Need to Achieve Your Goals
Shown as a table, line by line from your income to the number, and visualized so you can see where the gap comes from.
Knowing Your "Freedom Number" Is the Foundation for Business Planning
Only Make the Moves Worth the Squeeze
Test a hire, a price change or a new product against your number before you commit.
Stay on Track to Financial Freedom
Design the next two years of your business around your number and see the month you reach it.
“Love the design and ease of everything. It makes it super easy to understand and takes a ton of stress off to have it all in front of you like that, rather than having it all in spreadsheets.”
Our Personal Audit vs. Budgeting Apps and Business Software
| What you get | Occam's Model | Budgeting Apps | Business Finance Software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free, with no account needed | Yes | Mostly paid | Mostly paid |
| Built for owners: the household and the business together | Yes | No | No |
| Sets the income your business has to pay you | Yes | No | No |
| Starts from a goal: monthly savings or a lump sum by a date | Yes | Savings goals | No |
| Federal, state and local tax for your filing status | Yes | No | The company's only |
| The target your decisions and forecasts are tested against | Yes | No | No |
| Week-to-week budgeting and spending tracking | No | Yes | No |
Common Questions
How much do I need to make to live comfortably?
Comfortable is your household's number, not a national average. Add what you spend each month, the bills that come a few times a year and what you want to save, then subtract what your other income leaves after tax. The rest is what your business has to provide.
How much do I need to make self-employed to replace my salary?
Start from what your household needs, not your old paycheck, then add tax: self-employed, you pay both halves of Social Security and Medicare and nobody withholds for you. The calculator gives the first figure; adding your business works out the tax on it.
How much money do I need to quit my job?
Two figures: the monthly income your business has to provide, and the cash that carries you until it does. Set the second as a lump-sum goal with a date, and the calculator shows how much more you need each month to get there.
What is a "Freedom Number"?
The extra monthly income your business needs to provide to reach your goal: the goal, minus what your other income leaves after expenses, a safety buffer and the tax on that income. Tax on the business income itself isn't in it; that's worked out once you add your business.
Do I need an account or a credit card?
No to both. The whole calculator runs without an account; create a free one only if you want to keep your number.
Does this work before I've started the business?
Yes. Run it while you still have a job, and the figure becomes the income your business plan has to reach.