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.
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.