Self-Employment Tax Calculator
United States Uses United States federal and state tax and payroll rules.
Self-employment tax calculator for 2026: SE tax with your W-2 wages, the QBI deduction, income tax, the share to set aside and quarterly payments with the safe harbor.
Educational estimate only. Not a lending decision. Your numbers stay in this browser.
Results
How to read this: the verdict describes how much room your numbers leave, not a decision or an offer. Change any input to see how much the result moves.
Assumptions and formula
Self-employment tax (Schedule SE) is 15.3% of net earnings, which are 92.35% of net profit: 12.4% Social Security on earnings up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500 less any W-2 wages, and 2.9% Medicare on all of them. There is none under $400. Additional Medicare tax of 0.9% applies above $200,000 ($250,000 joint, $125,000 separate), with the threshold reduced by wages.
Half the self-employment tax is deducted in figuring AGI. Income tax uses the 2026 brackets and standard deduction. The qualified business income deduction is 20% of profit less half the SE tax, capped at 20% of taxable income, at least $400 when that income is $1,000 or more, and phased down above $201,750 of taxable income ($403,500 joint) over $75,000 ($150,000), assuming the business pays no wages. The set-aside share is the tax with the profit less the tax without it, over the profit. Estimated payments are the smaller of 90% of this year’s tax and 100% of last year’s (110% above $150,000 of AGI), less withholding, in four equal payments.
Worked example
A single filer with $80,000 of profit and nothing else: net earnings $73,880, self-employment tax $11,303.64 ($9,161.12 Social Security, $2,142.52 Medicare). AGI is $74,348.18, the QBI deduction $11,649.64 (capped at 20% of taxable income) and income tax $5,343.83, $16,647.47 in all: set aside about 21%. Four quarterly payments of $3,745.68 cover 90% of it; if last year’s tax was $12,000, four payments of $3,000 are enough.
Self-employment tax by net profit
Self-employment tax is the self-employed person's Social Security and Medicare tax: 12.4% for Social Security up to the $184,500 wage base and 2.9% for Medicare with no cap. It is charged on 92.35% of net profit, an adjustment that mirrors the employer half an employee never sees.
| Net profit | Net earnings taxed | SE tax | Deductible half | Share of profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20,000 | $18,470 | $2,826 | $1,413 | 14.1% |
| $50,000 | $46,175 | $7,065 | $3,532 | 14.1% |
| $75,000 | $69,263 | $10,597 | $5,299 | 14.1% |
| $100,000 | $92,350 | $14,130 | $7,065 | 14.1% |
| $150,000 | $138,525 | $21,194 | $10,597 | 14.1% |
| $200,000 | $184,700 | $28,234 | $14,117 | 14.1% |
Half of the tax is deductible when working out income tax. Above $200,000 single, or $250,000 married filing jointly, an extra 0.9% Medicare tax applies, which the calculator includes but this table leaves out.
The tax is owed on top of income tax and is usually paid through quarterly estimated payments. Once earnings pass the wage base the 12.4% part stops, so the share of profit taken falls for high earners.
Frequently asked questions
How much tax do I pay on $80,000 of self-employment income?
About $16,647 in 2026 for a single filer with no other income: $11,304 of self-employment tax and $5,344 of income tax after the QBI deduction, 21% of the profit.
How much is self-employment tax?
15.3% of 92.35% of your net profit: about 14.1% of profit. On $80,000 that is $11,303.64, of which $9,161.12 is Social Security and $2,142.52 Medicare. Half of it, $5,651.82, is deducted from your income for income tax.
How much should I set aside for taxes if I am self-employed?
Self-employment tax plus income tax. A single filer with $80,000 of profit and no other income owes about $16,647 in 2026, 21% of the profit. Higher earners and anyone with a W-2 job on top should set aside more; the calculator shows your percentage.
Do W-2 wages reduce self-employment tax?
They reduce the Social Security part. Wages and self-employment earnings share one $184,500 wage base in 2026, and wages use it first. With $160,000 of wages, only $24,500 of self-employment earnings pays the 12.4%. Medicare at 2.9% applies to all of it.
How do quarterly estimated tax payments work?
Pay a quarter of the year’s tax on 15 April, 15 June, 15 September and 15 January. You avoid the penalty if the payments plus withholding reach 90% of this year’s tax or 100% of last year’s, 110% if last year’s AGI was over $150,000. With $80,000 of profit, four payments of about $3,746 cover 90% of 2026’s tax.
What is the QBI deduction?
A deduction of up to 20% of qualified business income: your profit less half the self-employment tax and other business-related deductions. It cannot exceed 20% of taxable income. Above $201,750 of taxable income ($403,500 joint) it phases down, fastest for a specified service business such as consulting, law or health. It lowers income tax only, not self-employment tax.
Is this a 1099 tax calculator?
Yes. As a self-employment tax calculator, self employed tax calculator or 1099 tax calculator, it takes your net profit from 1099 work and shows the self-employment tax, the income tax and the quarterly payments. It is a self employment tax calculator, self employment tax calculator 2026, SE tax calculator and quarterly estimated tax calculator.
What is the self-employment tax rate?
15.3% on 92.35% of your net earnings: 12.4% Social Security up to the $184,500 wage base for 2026 and 2.9% Medicare on everything, plus 0.9% above $200,000. To determine self-employment tax owed, enter your 1099 income and expenses.
Sources
Sources reviewed 3 October 2026: checked against their current editions on that date.
- IRS Publication 505 (2026), Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax: the 2026 Social Security wage base ($184,500), the 92.35% factor, the $400 floor, the safe harbor and the 2026 QBI changes.
- IRS, Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes): 15.3%, the additional 0.9% Medicare tax thresholds and the deduction for half the tax.
- IRS, Estimated tax due dates: 15 April, 15 June, 15 September and 15 January.
- Revenue Procedure 2025-32: 2026 tax brackets and standard deductions.
This page is an educational estimate, not personal financial or tax advice. Eligibility and individual circumstances can change the result.