Self-Employment Tax Calculator
1099 tax estimate for 2026 or 2025: 15.3% SE tax on 92.35% of profit, the Social Security wage base, Additional Medicare, income tax and quarterly payments.
Self-Employment Tax Calculator: with the default inputs, self-employment tax is $10,597.16.
1099 / business income minus business expenses (Schedule C line 31).
Wages already taxed for Social Security use up part of the wage base. Your own wages only.
Social Security + Medicare from Schedule SE.
- Social Security part (12.4%)
- $8,588.55
- Medicare part (2.9%)
- $2,008.61
- Additional Medicare tax (0.9%)
Form 8959, on wages and SE earnings over the threshold.
- $0.00
- Deductible half of SE tax
- $5,298.58
- Estimated federal income tax
- $4,897.74
- Total federal tax
- $15,494.90
- Quarterly estimated payment
Total federal tax less withholding, split over four due dates.
- $3,873.72
- Share of profit to set aside
Federal tax attributable to everything you entered, as a share of net profit.
- 20.7%
Assumptions
- Schedule SE regular method: net earnings = 92.35% of net profit, no SE tax under $400; Social Security wage base $176,100 (2025) / $184,500 (2026) shared with the W-2 wages you enter.
- Additional Medicare (Form 8959): 0.9% over $200,000 single/head of household, $250,000 joint, $125,000 separate, with the threshold reduced by your W-2 wages.
- Income tax uses the year's IRS brackets and standard deduction (shared with the income tax calculator), minus half of SE tax, and an unrestricted 20% QBI deduction when ticked; no credits, itemizing or capital-gains rates.
- Quarterly payment = this year's projected federal tax less withholding, ÷ 4. Safe-harbor and annualized-income methods are not modelled.
- One self-employed person; a spouse's own SE income needs its own Schedule SE. No state or local tax.
- Social Security$8,58911%
- Medicare$2,0093%
- Federal income tax$4,8987%
- You keep (before state tax)$59,50579%
| Line item | Amount | % of net profit |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security (12.4%) | $8,588.55 | 11.45% |
| Medicare (2.9%) | $2,008.61 | 2.68% |
| Federal income tax | $4,897.74 | 6.53% |
| Total federal tax | $15,494.90 | 20.66% |
State income tax is not included. Income tax covers all the income you entered, so its share can exceed what the profit alone would cost.
| Net profit | SE tax | % of profit |
|---|---|---|
| $20,000 | $2,826 | 14.13% |
| $40,000 | $5,652 | 14.13% |
| $60,000 | $8,478 | 14.13% |
| $80,000 | $11,304 | 14.13% |
| $100,000 | $14,130 | 14.13% |
| $150,000 | $21,194 | 14.13% |
| $200,000 | $28,234 | 14.12% |
| $300,000 | $30,912 | 10.3% |
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How this is worked out
The formula
Net earnings (NESE) = net profit × 92.35% (no SE tax if NESE < $400) Social Security = 12.4% × min(NESE, wage base − W-2 Social Security wages) Medicare = 2.9% × NESE SE tax = Social Security + Medicare; deductible half = SE tax ÷ 2 Additional Medicare = 0.9% × (NESE − max(0, threshold − W-2 wages)), plus 0.9% on wages over the threshold Wage base: $176,100 (2025), $184,500 (2026). Threshold: $200,000 single/HoH, $250,000 MFJ, $125,000 MFS Taxable income = profit + wages + other − half SE tax − standard deduction − QBI (20%) Quarterly payment = (SE tax + Additional Medicare + income tax − withholding) ÷ 4
Open How it’s calculated above to see this worked through with your own numbers.
What you enter
- Tax year
- Choose one of 2 options.2026 (return filed in 2027) · 2025 (return filed in 2026)
- Filing status
- Choose one of 4 options.Single · Married filing jointly · Married filing separately · Head of household
- Net self-employment profit
- 1099 / business income minus business expenses (Schedule C line 31).in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 75000
- W-2 wages (also yours)
- Wages already taxed for Social Security use up part of the wage base. Your own wages only.in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 0
- Other taxable income(under More options)
- Interest, a spouse's wages on a joint return, etc. Used for income tax only.in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 0
- Take the 20% qualified business income deduction(under More options)
- Most sole proprietors qualify; at high incomes it can be limited.defaults to on
- Federal tax already withheld this year(under More options)
- From W-2 paychecks. Reduces what you need to pay in estimates.in dollars · 0 or more · defaults to 0
What you get back
- Self-employment taxmain answer
- Social Security + Medicare from Schedule SE.
- Social Security part (12.4%)
- Medicare part (2.9%)
- Additional Medicare tax (0.9%)
- Form 8959, on wages and SE earnings over the threshold.
- Deductible half of SE tax
- Estimated federal income tax
- Total federal tax
- Quarterly estimated payment
- Total federal tax less withholding, split over four due dates.
- Share of profit to set aside
- Federal tax attributable to everything you entered, as a share of net profit.
What this assumes
- Schedule SE regular method: net earnings = 92.35% of net profit, no SE tax under $400; Social Security wage base $176,100 (2025) / $184,500 (2026) shared with the W-2 wages you enter.
- Additional Medicare (Form 8959): 0.9% over $200,000 single/head of household, $250,000 joint, $125,000 separate, with the threshold reduced by your W-2 wages.
- Income tax uses the year's IRS brackets and standard deduction (shared with the income tax calculator), minus half of SE tax, and an unrestricted 20% QBI deduction when ticked; no credits, itemizing or capital-gains rates.
- Quarterly payment = this year's projected federal tax less withholding, ÷ 4. Safe-harbor and annualized-income methods are not modelled.
- One self-employed person; a spouse's own SE income needs its own Schedule SE. No state or local tax.
About this calculator
When you work for yourself — freelancing, gig work, consulting, anything paid on a 1099 — nobody withholds Social Security and Medicare for you, and nobody pays the employer half. You pay both halves as self-employment tax: 15.3% on 92.35% of your net profit. On $75,000 of profit that's about $10,600, before a dollar of income tax. This calculator works out the Schedule SE figure, the Additional Medicare tax, an estimate of federal income tax on top, and what that means as a quarterly estimated payment.
How to use it
Enter your net profit — 1099 income minus deductible business expenses, the bottom line of Schedule C — and your filing status. If you also have a W-2 job, enter those wages: Social Security stops at the annual wage base on your combined earnings, so wages already taxed leave less room for SE tax. Under More options you can add other income (a spouse's wages on a joint return), turn the 20% qualified business income deduction off, and enter tax already withheld from paychecks so the quarterly figure only covers the gap. Solve for can answer "how much profit before SE tax reaches $10,000?"
How to read the results
- Self-employment tax is 12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare on 92.35% of profit. The 92.35% stands in for the employer-half deduction an employee's pay never sees.
- Deductible half: half of SE tax comes off your income before income tax, which is why the income-tax figure is a little lower than you might expect.
- Additional Medicare (0.9%) only appears once wages plus SE earnings pass $200,000 single or $250,000 joint.
- Quarterly estimated payment is the year's federal bill, less withholding, split four ways — due mid-April, mid-June, mid-September and mid-January.
- Share to set aside is the rule-of-thumb number most freelancers actually want: what percentage of each invoice to park for federal tax. Add your state's rate on top.
Caveats
The income-tax side is an estimate: standard deduction, no credits, and the simple 20% QBI deduction (limited at higher incomes for specified service businesses). Expenses you haven't deducted — home office, mileage, health insurance premiums, SEP or solo 401(k) contributions — lower profit and therefore both taxes. Penalty-free estimates can also be based on last year's tax (100%, or 110% if last year's AGI was over $150,000) instead of this year's projection. State income tax isn't included.
Frequently asked questions
▸What is the self-employment tax rate for 2026?
15.3%: 12.4% Social Security on net earnings up to the $184,500 wage base and 2.9% Medicare on all of it, applied to 92.35% of net profit. Above $200,000 single ($250,000 joint) a further 0.9% Additional Medicare tax applies.
▸How much should I set aside for taxes on 1099 income?
For a typical single freelancer earning $50,000–$100,000, roughly 20–23% of profit covers federal SE and income tax (with the standard and QBI deductions); add your state rate. The calculator shows your own percentage under Share of profit to set aside.
▸Do I pay self-employment tax if I also have a W-2 job?
Yes, on your self-employment earnings — but Social Security stops once wages plus SE earnings reach the wage base, so a high W-2 salary reduces or eliminates the 12.4% part. Medicare's 2.9% always applies.
▸When are quarterly estimated taxes due?
Around April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15 of the following year (moved to the next business day when they fall on a weekend or holiday). You generally need to pay if you expect to owe $1,000 or more when you file.
▸Is self-employment tax deductible?
Half of it is — the employer-equivalent portion — as an adjustment to income on Schedule 1. It lowers income tax, not the SE tax itself.
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