Where can I find a free tax spreadsheet to project our 2025 tax liability?

The IRS actually has a free Tax Withholding Estimator that might work for what you're trying to do. It lets you input your income, filing status, and withholdings to project your tax situation. You can find it on the IRS.gov website under the "Tax Tools" section. For something more detailed, you might want to look at Excel templates specifically designed for tax planning. I've used the "Tax Planner" template that comes with Microsoft Excel before - it's pretty comprehensive and lets you input all the info you mentioned (income, withholdings, deductions, etc.). Another option is to check out the free calculators on TaxAct or TaxSlayer's websites. They offer planning tools that don't require purchasing their full software and can give you a decent projection based on your current situation.

After struggling with similar tax planning issues last year, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a game-changer for me. I was trying to figure out how our new rental property would affect our taxes, and the regular calculators weren't giving me a complete picture. What I like about it is you can upload your pay stubs and last year's return, and it uses that data to give you a really accurate projection. It even lets you play with different scenarios - like what if you contribute more to your 401k or what if your spouse takes on a side gig. The projection feature helped us realize we needed to increase our withholding to avoid a surprise tax bill.

I finally tried taxr.ai after seeing it recommended here, and I'm honestly shocked at how helpful it's been. I was skeptical because my tax situation is pretty complex (multiple W-2s, rental property, and some consulting income), but it handled everything beautifully. What won me over was how it flagged deductions I was missing. Found nearly $4,800 in business expenses I hadn't been tracking properly, which is going to make a huge difference in my quarterly estimates. The projection feature is way more detailed than the free spreadsheets I was using before. Now I can actually see where I stand instead of just guessing until tax time.

If your main issue is just reaching the IRS to get tax questions answered, I'd recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was banging my head against the wall trying to get through to a human at the IRS to ask about a tax planning issue for my small business, and kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold for ages. A colleague suggested Claimyr and it actually worked. Their system calls the IRS for you and then connects you once they reach a human agent. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I finally got my question answered about how to handle estimated taxes for my fluctuating income, which no online calculator could properly address.

Ok I need to publicly eat my words here. After expressing skepticism about Claimyr in my earlier comment, I decided to try it myself because I was desperate to resolve an issue with my quarterly estimated payments. I'm completely shocked - it actually worked. After trying for TWO WEEKS to reach the IRS myself with no luck, Claimyr got me connected to an agent within 75 minutes. And I didn't have to sit there listening to hold music - they called me when they got through. The agent helped me figure out exactly how to adjust my estimated payments for the rest of the year based on my fluctuating freelance income. Problem solved. Still can't believe it worked, but I'm glad I tried it instead of just assuming it was too good to be true.

For a completely free option, have you tried the SmartAsset tax calculator? It's not super detailed but it gives you a decent estimation based on your income, filing status, location, and some basic deductions. I use it for quick planning before diving into something more comprehensive.

Has anybody tried using FreeTaxUSA's estimator? Their actual tax filing software is what I use every year, but I never tried their planning tool. Wondering if it's any good for mid-year projections.

I've been using a combination of approaches for tax planning and wanted to share what's worked for me. For basic projections, I start with the IRS Withholding Estimator since it's official and free - great for getting a baseline estimate. But for more detailed planning, especially when you have multiple income sources like you mentioned, I've found that downloading a tax planning spreadsheet from the AICPA (American Institute of CPAs) website works really well. The AICPA has several free Excel templates that are more comprehensive than basic calculators. They're designed by actual CPAs and get updated annually for current tax law changes. You can input your YTD figures, project the rest of the year, and it calculates everything including estimated tax payments you might need to make. Another tip - if your income situation changed significantly this year, you might want to consider the "safe harbor" rule for estimated taxes. As long as you pay 100% of last year's tax liability (110% if your AGI was over $150k), you won't owe penalties even if you end up owing more at filing time. This can take some pressure off getting the projections perfect while you figure out your new normal.

I've been in a similar situation and found that combining a few approaches works best. For immediate planning, I'd recommend starting with the IRS Withholding Estimator - it's free, official, and gives you a solid baseline. But since you mentioned your income situation changed and you have multiple sources, you'll probably want something more detailed. I've had good luck with TurboTax's TaxCaster (free online calculator) for mid-year projections. It handles various income types well and lets you input year-to-date figures from your paystubs plus estimated future income. The interface is pretty intuitive even if you're not a tax expert. Another option is to check if your local library has access to tax planning software - many libraries provide free access to programs like H&R Block or TaxAct that have robust planning tools. You could use these to run projections without paying for the full software. Given that your income changed this year, you might also want to look into making estimated quarterly payments if you haven't already. The IRS has a pretty straightforward form (1040ES) that helps you calculate what you should be paying quarterly to avoid underpayment penalties. Better to be proactive now than get hit with a big bill plus penalties next April!

I've been dealing with similar tax planning challenges, and I wanted to share a few additional resources that might help. One thing I discovered is that many state tax agencies also have free calculators that can complement the federal tools others have mentioned. Since state taxes can significantly impact your overall liability, it's worth checking your state's revenue department website. For spreadsheet-based planning, I'd also recommend looking at the National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP) website - they sometimes offer free member resources that include planning templates. Even if you're not a member, some basic tools might be available. One approach that's worked well for me is to run projections using 2-3 different tools and see if they're in the same ballpark. If there are big discrepancies, it usually points to something I missed or entered incorrectly. The IRS estimator, a basic Excel template, and one of the commercial calculators like TaxCaster usually give me enough confidence in my projections. Since you mentioned being worried about underpaying, don't forget that you can also adjust your withholdings on your W-4s if needed. Sometimes increasing withholding is easier than making quarterly payments, especially if most of your income is from regular paychecks rather than irregular sources.