Self-employment tax calculator
Enter your net profit from self-employment and your W-2 wages for the same year to see your Social Security and Medicare tax, the deductible half, and the extra income tax, with a quarterly estimate.
Enter your net profit to see your estimate.
Estimate for 2026
- Net earnings (92.35 % of profit)
- —
- Deductible half of the self-employment tax
- —
- Exempt below $400 of net earnings
- —
An estimate, not tax advice
This doesn’t include the 20 % qualified business income (QBI) deduction, state or local income tax, other credits or deductions, or any tax you already paid through withholding or estimated payments. The quarterly figure is the yearly total divided by four. Your due dates depend on your situation, so check the IRS page below.How it’s calculated
- Base
- Net profit × 92.35 %
- Social Security
- 12.4 % of the base, up to $184,500 minus your W-2 wages
- Medicare
- 2.9 % of the base, no limit
- Additional Medicare
- 0.9 % of the base above $200,000 (single or head of household), $250,000 (married filing jointly), or $125,000 (married filing separately), counting your W-2 wages first
- Income tax effect
- Federal income tax with the profit minus federal income tax without it, using the standard deduction and 2026 brackets
Official figures
The 2026 Social Security wage base is $184,500, and the self-employment rates are 12.4 % and 2.9 %. Verified on October 8, 2026. Source: IRS, Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates.
The additional Medicare thresholds come from IRS, Topic no. 560, Additional Medicare Tax. Estimated tax payments: IRS, Estimated taxes (small businesses and self-employed), verified on October 8, 2026.
How to use it
- Enter your net profit from self-employment for the year (Schedule C, line 31).
- If you also have W-2 wages for the same year, enter them. They use up part of the Social Security base.
- Choose your filing status, since it sets the Additional Medicare threshold and the standard deduction.
- Read the self-employment tax, the deductible half, the income tax effect, and the quarterly estimate.
- Copy the result or a link that opens the calculator with your numbers.
Frequently asked questions
How much is self-employment tax?
It is 15.3 % of 92.35 % of your net profit: 12.4 % for Social Security and 2.9 % for Medicare. On $50,000 of net profit, the base is $46,175 and the tax is about $7,064.78.
Why is the base 92.35 % and not 100 %?
Employees pay half of Social Security and Medicare and their employer pays the other half. Self-employed people pay both halves, so the law takes 7.65 % off the profit before applying the 15.3 % rate, which is the employer share the business would have paid.
Can I deduct any of it?
Half of the self-employment tax is deductible from income. The calculator subtracts it before working out the income tax effect. The Additional Medicare tax is not deductible.
Do W-2 wages change the result?
Yes. Social Security applies only up to $184,500 in 2026, minus the W-2 wages you already had, so a job with high wages leaves less of the base for self-employment income. Additional Medicare also starts sooner when wages count toward it.
Does this include the 20 % QBI deduction?
No. The qualified business income deduction can lower your income tax, and this calculator does not model it. The income tax effect shown is an upper estimate for that reason.
Where do I pay the quarterly amount?
The IRS page on estimated taxes explains who must pay and how. This calculator gives a quarterly figure by dividing the yearly estimate by four, not the official due dates.
The formula
- Base: net profit × 92.35 %.
- Social Security: 12.4 % of the base, up to $184,500 in 2026 minus your W-2 wages.
- Medicare: 2.9 % of the base, with no limit.
- Additional Medicare: 0.9 % of the base above $200,000 (single or head of household), $250,000 (married filing jointly), or $125,000 (married filing separately), counting W-2 wages first.
- Deductible half: half of Social Security plus Medicare.
A worked example
Say you clear $50,000 from freelance work and have no W-2 wages. Your base is 50,000 × 92.35 % = $46,175. Social Security is $5,725.70 and Medicare is $1,339.08, so the self-employment tax is about $7,064.78, and half of it, about $3,532.39, comes off your income. The rest of the estimate is the extra federal income tax on the profit, using the standard deduction.
Quarterly amounts
A quarterly figure helps you set money aside. This calculator divides the yearly estimate by four. It is a planning number, not the amount the IRS will ask for on each due date, which depends on your withholding and your prior-year tax.
What the estimate leaves out
It does not include the 20 % qualified business income deduction, state or local income tax, other credits or deductions, or tax already paid through withholding or estimated payments. Use it to plan, then check the figures with a tax professional or your return software.
Related calculators
To see the income tax on the same profit by bracket, use the income tax calculator. To check whether the tax you have already paid in covers it, use the tax refund calculator. To turn a freelance rate into a yearly figure, use the hourly to salary calculator. To see how long hours change pay, use the overtime calculator. If you also have a job, the paycheck calculator shows what is withheld from each check.
Updated on October 8, 2026