Free 1099 and self-employment tax calculator for 2026: Social Security, Medicare, the deductible half, quarterly estimated payments and safe-harbour.
Only your own W-2 wages — they use up your Social Security wage base. A spouse's wages do not.
2026 rates on net earnings after business expenses. SE tax is the same for every filing status across this range.
| Net earnings | SE tax | Deductible half | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $1,412.96 | $706.48 | 14.13% |
| $20,000 | $2,825.91 | $1,412.96 | 14.13% |
| $30,000 | $4,238.87 | $2,119.43 | 14.13% |
| $50,000 | $7,064.78 | $3,532.39 | 14.13% |
| $75,000 | $10,597.16 | $5,298.58 | 14.13% |
| $100,000 | $14,129.55 | $7,064.78 | 14.13% |
| $150,000 | $21,194.32 | $10,597.16 | 14.13% |
| $200,000 | $28,234.30 | $14,117.15 | 14.12% |
Estimates 2026 self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare) per IRS Schedule SE, plus an optional federal income-tax estimate and the section 6654 safe harbour. It excludes state and local taxes, and the QBI deduction is simplified. Not tax advice — verify with the IRS or a tax professional.
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Work out what you owe on 1099, freelance, contractor, or gig income for 2026. This self-employed tax calculator applies Social Security (12.4%) and Medicare (2.9%) to 92.35% of your net earnings, shows the deductible half of SE tax, turns the bill into quarterly estimated payments, tells you what share of every invoice to hold back, and — if you enter last year's tax — the safe-harbour amount that keeps the IRS underpayment penalty away.
Self-employment tax is how self-employed people pay Social Security and Medicare, covering both the employee and employer halves — a combined 15.3% (12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare). It applies to 92.35% of your net earnings, which is gross income minus business expenses. That 92.35% figure is Schedule SE line 4c, and it also decides whether you owe anything at all: below 400 dollars of line 4c, no SE tax is due. Social Security stops at the 2026 wage base of 184,500 dollars; Medicare has no cap, and an extra 0.9% applies once combined earnings pass 200,000 (250,000 married filing jointly). You may deduct half of the Social Security and Medicare portions against your income tax — but not the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax, which is reported on Form 8959 rather than Schedule SE.
SE Tax Formula
Designers, writers, and developers paid on 1099s who need to plan for SE tax.
Independent contractors estimating what to set aside from each payment.
Rideshare, delivery, and platform workers budgeting for quarterly taxes.
People with a W-2 job plus self-employment income, avoiding double Social Security.
Small business owners filing Schedule C who need the total federal burden, not just SE tax.
Shows the full 15.3% you owe as employer and employee, split into Social Security and Medicare.
Halves only the Social Security and Medicare portions, as section 164(f) requires — the 0.9% surtax is excluded.
Compares 90% of this year against 100% or 110% of last year, so you pay the smaller penalty-proof amount.
Tells you what share of every invoice to hold back, not just an annual total you have to divide yourself.
Optionally layers federal income tax and the QBI deduction on top for your all-in effective rate.
Uses the 2026 Social Security wage base, brackets, and the new 400-dollar minimum QBI deduction.
The self-employment tax rate is 15.3% — 12.4% for Social Security plus 2.9% for Medicare — applied to 92.35% of your net earnings. That works out to an effective 14.13% of net earnings. For example, 50,000 dollars of net earnings gives 46,175 in taxable SE earnings and 7,064.78 in SE tax. Social Security stops at the 2026 wage base of 184,500; Medicare has no cap.
On 30,000 dollars of net self-employment earnings you owe 4,238.87 in self-employment tax for 2026 — 92.35% of 30,000 is 27,705, and 15.3% of that is 4,238.87. Half of it, 2,119.43, is deductible against your income tax. Federal income tax comes on top: after the 16,100-dollar standard deduction a single filer with no other income owes roughly 1,200 more, so budget around 5,400 in total.
A common rule of thumb is 25% to 30% of every payment, and this calculator gives you the exact figure for your own numbers. Self-employment tax alone is 14.13% of net earnings. Add federal income tax and most freelancers land between 20% and 35% of gross receipts; higher earners and anyone in a state with income tax should hold back more.
Yes. There is no 10,000-dollar exemption. The only floor is 400 dollars: if Schedule SE line 4c — that is 92.35% of your net earnings — comes to less than 400, you owe no self-employment tax. In practice that means net earnings under about 433 dollars. Above that, all of it is subject to the 15.3%, so 10,000 dollars of net earnings owes 1,412.96.
Anyone whose Schedule SE line 4c reaches 400 dollars in a year — freelancers, independent contractors, gig workers, and sole proprietors. It is separate from, and in addition to, federal income tax. Church employees have a lower 108.28-dollar threshold.
Effectively, yes. Income reported on a 1099-NEC or 1099-K is self-employment income, so the tax on it is self-employment tax plus federal income tax. A 1099 calculator that only shows 15.3% is telling you half the story — turn on the income-tax estimate here to see the full burden on your 1099 income.
You pay SE tax on 92.35% of net earnings, not 100%. The 7.65% reduction mirrors the employer-side FICA that a W-2 employee would not pay tax on, keeping self-employed and employed workers roughly even.
Yes, as an above-the-line adjustment — but only half of the Social Security and Medicare portions. Section 164(f) explicitly excludes the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax, which is figured on Form 8959 and never reaches Schedule SE. The deduction does not reduce the SE tax itself; it lowers your taxable income.
The self-employed generally pay four times a year using Form 1040-ES. For 2026 the due dates are April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15, 2027. You do not have to pay estimated tax at all if you expect to owe less than 1,000 dollars after withholding.
Pay the smaller of two amounts: 90% of this year's total tax, or 100% of the tax shown on last year's return. If your prior-year AGI was over 150,000 dollars (75,000 if married filing separately) the second test rises to 110%. Enter last year's tax and AGI above and the calculator picks the smaller safe-harbour figure and splits it into four equal installments.
It can. Social Security tax stops at the annual wage base, so your own W-2 wages already taxed for Social Security reduce how much of your SE earnings face the 12.4% portion. The 2.9% Medicare portion still applies to all of it.