A real hourly rate calculation — not just the headline income number.
What's your side income really worth per hour?
Annual profit under different conditions
Revenue numbers without an hourly rate calculation can be misleading — $1,200/month sounds solid until you realize it took 48 hours to earn, working out to $25/hour before taxes and expenses, potentially less than your day job's hourly equivalent.
Self-employment tax is the most commonly forgotten cost in side hustle math. Beyond regular income tax, self-employment income often carries an additional ~15% in self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare) that W-2 employees don't see directly since employers cover half.
A side hustle's value isn't purely financial — skill-building, portfolio development, and testing a potential full business idea all have worth beyond the hourly rate. But it's still worth knowing your real numbers to make an informed decision about where your time goes.