First Year Self-Employed Taxes: What I Wish I'd Known Before Going Solo

First Year Self Employed Taxes 2026

I'm a solo dev running AniNext — an anime discovery app on iOS and Android. When I started taking the business seriously, taxes hit me like a brick.

I'll be honest: I made every mistake in the book during my first year. Didn't know quarterly estimates existed. Spent IRS money on EAS Build subscriptions. Got confused about which Stripe payouts counted as income (spoiler: all of them).

You don't have to repeat my journey.

This is the practical first-year tax guide I wish I'd had when I started. Written for developers, by a developer who's currently navigating this exact situation. Not generic personal finance advice — actual mechanics of being self-employed when your income flows from Stripe, AdMob, and direct payments.