Freelance take-home pay calculator
Enter your net profit for the year. The calculator shows what remains after the 2026 self-employment tax and the extra federal income tax. It starts at $100,000 as an example.
Enter your net profit to see your estimate.
Estimate for 2026
- Net earnings (92.35 % of profit)
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- Deductible half of the self-employment tax
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- Exempt below $400 of net earnings
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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
What is freelance take-home pay?
It is what you keep from net profit after taxes. At $100,000 of net profit this calculator leaves $74,254.70 after the 2026 self-employment tax and the extra federal income tax.
Why is my real take-home pay different?
The estimate leaves out state and local income tax, the 20 % qualified business income deduction, and credits. Those change the result, so use this figure as a starting point.
From profit to take-home
Take-home pay starts with net profit and subtracts the taxes you owe on it. For self-employed people the largest piece is the 15.3 % self-employment tax on 92.35 % of profit, followed by federal income tax on what remains.
The math at $100,000 of net profit
The base is $92,350. Self-employment tax is $14,129.55, half of it is deductible, and the extra federal income tax comes to $11,615.75. Together the federal taxes total $25,745.30, which leaves $74,254.70.
Set aside more than you think
Freelancers often keep the whole profit in one account. Moving a share of each payment into a tax account as you go keeps the year-end bill from becoming a surprise. At $100,000 of profit, the quarterly estimate is $6,436.33.
Updated on October 8, 2026