{"id":"cost-index","summary":"The Freelance Cost Index: a published monthly reading (0-10) of what running a US freelance business costs, with every component scored, weighted and sourced.","method":"POST","inputSchema":{"type":"object","properties":{"issue":{"type":"string","description":"Issue id such as 2026-08. Omit for the current issue."},"list":{"type":"boolean","description":"Return every published issue instead of one"}}},"exampleInput":{},"exampleOutput":{"id":"2026-09","published":"2026-09-01","score":5.3,"band":"mixed","components":[{"id":"taxDrag","value":0.2526,"source":"IRS Rev. Proc. 2024-40 (2025 brackets), SSA wage base; our quarterly tax engine at $90,000 profit","checked":"2026-09-01","weight":0.25,"unit":"ratio","sub":4.87,"contribution":1.2175},{"id":"irsInterest","value":7,"source":"irs.gov/payments/quarterly-interest-rates (non-corporate underpayment rate, Q3 2026; Q4 2026 not yet published)","checked":"2026-09-01","weight":0.1,"unit":"percent","sub":4.285714285714286,"contribution":0.4285714285714286},{"id":"platformTake","value":0.1,"source":"Published commission tiers: Upwork's flat 10% tier retired 2025-05-01 for a variable 0-15% per-contract fee (typical rate ~10%), Fiverr 20%, Freelancer.com 10% (median)","checked":"2026-09-01","weight":0.2,"unit":"ratio","sub":7.499999999999999,"contribution":1.5},{"id":"processing","value":0.03315,"source":"Published card pricing on a $2,000 invoice: Stripe, PayPal, Square (median); Square raised its no-subscription online rate from 2.9%+$0.30 to 3.3%+$0.30 effective 2026-01-13","checked":"2026-09-01","weight":0.15,"unit":"ratio","sub":4.74,"contribution":0.711},{"id":"crossBorder","value":0.0424,"source":"Published cross-border pricing on a $2,000 payment: Wise, PayPal, Payoneer (median of providers that publish their FX markup)","checked":"2026-09-01","weight":0.15,"unit":"ratio","sub":1.688888888888889,"contribution":0.25333333333333335},{"id":"shelterRoom","value":0.447,"source":"IRS Notice 2024-80 limits; solo 401(k) ceiling at $90,000 profit, age 40","checked":"2026-09-01","weight":0.15,"unit":"ratio","sub":8.233333333333334,"contribution":1.235}],"scale":[{"id":"taxDrag","weight":0.25,"direction":"lower","best":0.15,"worst":0.35,"unit":"ratio"},{"id":"irsInterest","weight":0.1,"direction":"lower","best":3,"worst":10,"unit":"percent"},{"id":"platformTake","weight":0.2,"direction":"lower","best":0.05,"worst":0.25,"unit":"ratio"},{"id":"processing","weight":0.15,"direction":"lower","best":0.02,"worst":0.045,"unit":"ratio"},{"id":"crossBorder","weight":0.15,"direction":"lower","best":0.005,"worst":0.05,"unit":"ratio"},{"id":"shelterRoom","weight":0.15,"direction":"higher","best":0.5,"worst":0.2,"unit":"ratio"}],"note":"Issues are snapshots: an archived issue keeps the values it was published with."}}