re: Starting job in July that is 1099 instead of W2. What should I be saving?

It sucks, it really does. Just finished our first year on our own and it really makes you mad when you see all the waste, fraud and abuse both state and federal governments produce.. But I digress.

So, I think I mis-read at first, and was responding to just that tittle of "how much to save", not how much just for taxes.

Do you have an idea of how much you will be earning? It would help to better answer the question.

Keep in mind, roughly 15% is gone off the top. Once you elect s Corp status, you can limit this to a certain degree, but you do have to pay yourself a reasonable salary still. So the s Corp status may not benifit you much until you earn a decent amount more than you have to justify paying yourself. There are also limitations to healthcare deductions with an s Corp too. Once you add in federal taxes, unemployment payments (taxes), health care costs, retirement benifits you may be losing, etc you can see where "half" gets pretty close.

All that said, owning your own business and the freedom that comes along with that is very rewarding. Good luck.