TaxWire

Automate international tax withholding for remote contractors in minutes, no lawyers needed.

Score: 7.6/10AustraliaMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

Remote founders face high fees and complex setup for international payroll compliance and tax withholding when managing distributed teams using tools like Deel.

Solution

TaxWire simplifies payroll compliance by automatically calculating and withholding taxes based on contractor country rules for US/EU teams. Founders upload contractor details, preview withholdings, and trigger payments via Stripe with compliant forms generated instantly. Say goodbye to Deel's $49/contractor fees and setup hassles.

Target Audience

Remote founders of startups or small businesses managing international distributed teams

Differentiator

Precision tax engine for top 20 countries with real-time rule updates, at 1/10th the cost of full EOR platforms.

Brand Voice

professional

Features

Contractor Onboarding

must-have8h

Add contractors with country-specific tax profiles in one form.

Tax Withholding Calculator

must-have12h

Real-time preview of withholdings based on income, treaties, and local rates.

Stripe Payment Integration

must-have10h

One-click payroll runs that withhold and pay net amount automatically.

Compliant Form Generator

must-have8h

Auto-generate 1099, W-8BEN, or local tax forms as PDFs.

Payroll Dashboard

must-have6h

Overview of team payments, taxes withheld, and filing status.

Tax Rule Updates

nice-to-have6h

Monthly automated updates to tax rates via API feeds.

Export Reports

nice-to-have4h

CSV/Excel exports for accountants.

Email Reminders

nice-to-have4h

Automated nudges for upcoming payroll deadlines.

Total Build Time: 58 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
org_iduuidNo

Relationships:

  • belongs_to organizations(org_id)

organizations

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
nametextNo
stripe_idtextYes

Relationships:

  • has_many users
  • has_many contractors

contractors

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
org_iduuidNo
nametextNo
countrytextNo
tax_rateintNo

Relationships:

  • belongs_to organizations(org_id)
  • has_many payroll_runs

payroll_runs

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
contractor_iduuidNo
amount_grossintNo
tax_withheldintNo
statustextNo
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • belongs_to contractors(contractor_id)

API Endpoints

POST
/api/contractors

Create new contractor

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/contractors

List contractors for org

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/payroll/preview

Calculate withholding preview

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/payroll/run

Trigger payroll payment

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/payroll/:id/forms

Generate tax forms PDF

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + shadcn/ui
Backend
Next.js API routes
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
pdf-lib for formsCron for reminders

Build Timeline

Week 1: Setup and auth

20h
  • Project scaffold
  • Auth + landing page
  • Org creation

Week 2: Core DB models

25h
  • Users/orgs/contractors tables
  • CRUD APIs

Week 3: Tax calculator + preview

25h
  • Withholding logic
  • Dashboard UI

Week 4: Payments + forms

20h
  • Stripe integration
  • PDF generation

Week 5: Polish and nice-to-haves

15h
  • Exports
  • Reminders

Week 6: Testing + deploy

10h
  • E2E tests
  • Launch on Vercel
Total Timeline: 6 weeks • 105 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No payments

  • 1 contractor
  • Basic calculator
  • Form previews

Pro

$20/mo

Up to 10 contractors

  • Unlimited contractors
  • Payments
  • Forms
  • Exports

Enterprise

$99/mo

None

  • All Pro + priority support
  • Unlimited
  • Custom rules

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 11002%$40$480
Month 68005%$800$9,600

Unit Economics

$30
CAC
$480
LTV
5%
Churn
92%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 16.0xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Slash Payroll Compliance Costs by 90%

TaxWire handles international tax withholding so you don't have to.

Feature Highlights

Auto tax calculations for 20+ countries
Stripe-powered payments
Instant compliant forms
Dashboard for teams

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'Saved us $500/mo vs Deel' - Alex, Remote Founder"
"'Forms are perfect for IRS' - Sarah, Startup CEO"

First Three Customers

Post in r/remotework and IndieHackers about beta access for remote founders; DM 10 founders from Deel reviews on Twitter; Offer free Pro for 3 months in exchange for feedback via Typeform.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/SaaSIndie HackersTwitter #buildinpublic

SEO Keywords

international contractor payrollremote team tax withholdingautomated 1099 formsglobal payroll calculatorDeel alternative cheap

Competitive Analysis

$49/contractor/mo
Strength

Full EOR

Weakness

High fees, complex

Our Advantage

Self-serve, $20 flat for small teams

Papaya Global

papayaglobal.com
Enterprise quotes
Strength

Scale

Weakness

Not for startups

Our Advantage

Solo dev friendly pricing

🏰 Moat Strategy

Proprietary tax rule database updated via partnerships with tax APIs.

⏰ Why Now?

Remote work boom post-COVID, with new tax treaties increasing compliance needs.

Risks & Mitigation

legalmedium severity

Tax rule changes

Mitigation

Disclaimer + auto-updates

marketlow severity

Low adoption

Mitigation

Free tier + PH launch

technicallow severity

Stripe failures

Mitigation

Webhooks + retries

Validation Roadmap

pre-build7 days

Interview 10 remote founders

Success: 5 express interest

mvp14 days

Beta with 3 users

Success: 100% retention

launch3 days

PH launch

Success: 200 signups

Pivot Options

  • Focus on US-only 1099
  • Add invoicing tool
  • B2C freelancer taxes

Quick Stats

Build Time
105h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$1,000
Market Size
$50000.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
4
API Endpoints
5