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Brackish Tax Estimator 💼

A mobile-first entrepreneur tax estimation tool designed to help freelancers, small business owners, coders, software engineers, and independent entrepreneurs estimate how much money to set aside for taxes throughout the year.

Brackish provides estimated federal and state tax calculations based on user income input and breaks the estimated payments down into:

  • Weekly estimates
  • Monthly estimates
  • Quarterly estimates
  • Annual totals

Built during Phase I of Thinking with AI at Next Chapter Apprenticeship, the project demonstrates practical JavaScript logic, dynamic calculations, responsive UI design, and user-centered financial tooling.

🚀 Try the Live App


👤 Author

Jacqueline Check out my GitHub Profile


🎓 Built During Next Chapter — Phase I

Brackish was created during Phase I of Thinking with AI at Next Chapter Apprenticeship.

The project focused on applying:

  • Computational Thinking — breaking tax estimation into reusable calculation steps and transforming annual tax estimates into weekly, monthly, and quarterly outputs.
  • JavaScript Logic — working with numeric calculations, conditionals, user input handling, dynamic DOM updates, and reusable functions.
  • HTML Forms & Accessibility — semantic form structure, labels, responsive layouts, and intuitive user interaction.
  • CSS & Responsive Design — mobile-first layouts, responsive cards, spacing systems, gradients, and polished UI styling.
  • Debugging & Problem Solving — validating numeric input, handling calculation edge cases, tracing incorrect values, and improving user feedback.

The project was designed as a practical real-world financial utility that helps entrepreneurs estimate tax obligations before filing season.


🌐 Browser & Device Compatibility

Browser / Device Status Performance Notes
Google Chrome ✅ Tested Full support for calculations and responsive layout.
Microsoft Edge ✅ Tested Chromium rendering fully supported.
Firefox ✅ Tested All calculator functionality works correctly.
Safari (macOS) ✅ Tested Responsive layout and forms supported.
iPhone (iOS Safari) ✅ Tested Mobile-friendly card layout and touch input support.
Android Devices ✅ Tested Responsive UI optimized for smaller screens.
iPad & Tablets ✅ Tested Adaptive layout scales cleanly across tablets.

🌟 Key Features

  • 📊 Federal + State Tax Estimates Includes federal estimates along with all 50 U.S. states.

  • 💰 Entrepreneur Tax Planning Tool Designed for:

    • freelancers
    • coders
    • software engineers
    • app developers
    • independent contractors
    • small business owners
    • entrepreneurs
  • 📅 Multiple Payment Breakdown Views Automatically calculates estimated:

    • weekly payments
    • monthly payments
    • quarterly payments
    • annual totals
  • 🧠 Dynamic JavaScript Calculations Real-time updates based on user input without requiring page reloads.

  • 📱 Mobile-First Responsive Design Optimized for desktop, tablet, and mobile experiences.

  • 🗂 State Selection System Users can select any U.S. state to estimate local tax obligations.

  • 🎨 Clean Financial Dashboard UI Uses modern card layouts, spacing systems, and visual hierarchy for readability.

  • ⚡ Fast Static Deployment Hosted entirely through GitHub Pages with no backend required.


🧾 How It Works

1. Enter Income 💵

Users enter estimated income or earnings.

2. Select State 🗺️

Choose from all 50 U.S. states.

3. Estimate Taxes 📈

Brackish calculates estimated federal and state obligations.

4. Review Breakdown 📊

The app automatically displays estimated:

  • weekly payments
  • monthly payments
  • quarterly payments
  • yearly totals

5. Plan Ahead 🧠

Entrepreneurs can use the estimates to prepare for tax season and avoid unexpected payment balances.


🎨 Design Goals

Brackish was designed to:

  • simplify tax planning for entrepreneurs,
  • reduce stress around estimated tax payments,
  • provide a clean and understandable interface,
  • create a practical real-world financial utility,
  • and demonstrate JavaScript problem-solving skills during Phase I.

🛠 Tech Stack

Frontend

  • HTML5
  • CSS3
  • Vanilla JavaScript (ES6+)

JavaScript Concepts Used

  • DOM manipulation
  • Event listeners
  • Form handling
  • Numeric calculations
  • Conditional logic
  • Dynamic rendering
  • Reusable functions

Styling

  • CSS Flexbox
  • Responsive layouts
  • Mobile-first design
  • Card-based UI structure
  • Gradient backgrounds
  • Spacing and typography systems

Deployment

  • GitHub Pages

🔒 Privacy & Data

Brackish is a frontend-only application.

  • No login required
  • No database
  • No cookies
  • No server-side storage
  • No financial information is stored or transmitted

All calculations happen directly in the browser.


🚀 Future Improvements

Planned future enhancements include:

  • Self-employment tax estimation
  • LLC vs Sole Proprietor comparison tools
  • Savings goal visualizations
  • Downloadable tax summaries
  • CSV export support
  • Additional entrepreneur financial calculators
  • Animated charts and financial projections
  • IRS payment deadline reminders

🧰 Run It Locally

# Clone the repo
git clone <your-repo-url>

# Open the project folder
cd Brackish

# Open index.html directly
# OR run with VS Code Live Server

🎓 Phase I Reflection

Brackish represents one of the early practical applications built during Phase I of Thinking with AI.

The project demonstrates:

  • translating real-world problems into code,
  • building interactive financial tools with JavaScript,
  • responsive frontend development,
  • debugging logic-heavy calculations,
  • and designing useful entrepreneur-focused software.

It reflects the transition from learning programming fundamentals to building deployable real-world applications.


📄 License

This project is for educational, portfolio, and demonstration purposes.

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