Set aside tax on every payment
A reserve that builds itself
Getting paid is the easy part. Remembering to hold back a share for tax is the part that bites freelancers at filing time. Drift Catch does it for you: every time you mark an invoice or change order paid, we suggest a tax set-aside and add it to a running reserve on your tax dashboard.
These are estimates only. They ignore deductions, credits, and local rules. Consult a qualified tax professional for filing. Drift Catch is not a tax advisor.
How the suggested set-aside works
The math is simple and predictable — no guesswork, no black box. When a payment lands, we take the paid amount and apply your tax-rate estimate:
Set-aside = paid amount × your tax-rate estimate.
Your tax-rate estimate is a single percentage you set in Settings (it starts at 25%). You can change it any time. The set-aside on each payment uses whatever your rate is at the moment the payment is marked paid, so the figure always reflects your current setting.
You'll see the suggested amount the instant you mark an invoice paid — a small confirmation like "Suggested tax set-aside: $250 (25% of $1,000)."
Where your reserve shows up
Open your tax dashboard to see the Tax set aside card. It shows two running totals:
- This quarter — what you've set aside since the current quarter began.
- This tax year — your set-aside total for the whole tax year so far.
Both are shown per currency. If you invoice in both USD and CAD, you'll see a separate figure for each — we never blend two currencies into one number, because that would be misleading. There's no currency conversion: a USD reserve stays in USD, a CAD reserve stays in CAD.
The reserve is a tally, not a transfer. Drift Catch doesn't move any money — it keeps the running number so you know how much to park in your own savings.
The quarterly reminder
Quarterly tax deadlines sneak up. When one is within seven days, we send you a reminder: a note in your notification bell, an email, or both — your choice. The reminder points you to your tax dashboard so you can see how much you've set aside heading into the deadline.
This reminder is just for you. We never contact your clients about your taxes. And like every other notification, it carries the same reminder: these figures are estimates, not advice.
Turning the reminder on or off
Open Settings → Notifications and find the Quarterly tax deadline coming up row. Choose where it lands — your bell only, email only, both, or off. Changes take effect on the next reminder.
What you need
The set-aside reserve and the quarterly reminder are included on Pro and Business. They start working from the day the feature is on, on every payment you mark paid going forward.
Have a question?
Email support@driftcatch.app — a real person reads every message. For anything about what you actually owe, please talk to a qualified tax professional.