Federal estimated tax · 2026
Self-employment tax calculator for 2026
Enter the net profit from Schedule C (and your spouse's, if you file jointly) and any W-2 wages. The planner works out self-employment tax per person, the deduction for half of it, and how it feeds into the quarterly payments.
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Filing▾
Income for the year▾
Adjustments and deductions▾
Business (QBI deduction)▾
Dependents and credits▾
Withholding and last year▾
Estimated payments
None needed
Withholding covers the tax to within $1,000.
| Due | Paid | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 April 15, 2026 | — | |
| Q2 June 15, 2026 | — | |
| Q3 September 15, 2026 | — | |
| Q4 January 15, 2027 | — |
- Total income
- $0
- Adjusted gross income
- $0
- Standard deduction
- −$16,100
- Taxable income
- $0
- Income tax
- $0
- Total federal tax
- $0
- Effective rate · top bracket
- 0% · 10%
- Without last year's tax, the safe harbor is 90% of this year's tax. Enter last year's total tax to see whether paying 100% (or 110%) of it is lower.
- The tax left after withholding is under $1,000, so no estimated payments are required for this year.
How self-employment tax is worked out
Net earnings from self-employment are 92.35% of the net profit. If they are under $400, there is no self-employment tax. Social Security tax is 12.4% of net earnings up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, reduced by Social Security wages from a job. Medicare tax is 2.9% of all net earnings. Each spouse is calculated separately, even on a joint return.
Half of it is deductible
Half of the self-employment tax is an adjustment to income, so it lowers AGI and income tax, though not the self-employment tax itself. It also lowers qualified business income for the QBI deduction, which the planner takes into account.
Additional Medicare Tax
A further 0.9% applies to wages and self-employment earnings together above $200,000 ($250,000 married filing jointly, $125,000 married filing separately). It is part of the total tax that estimated payments have to cover.
Pricing
- ✓2026 federal figures from the IRS
- ✓Self-employment tax and QBI deduction
- ✓90% / 100% / 110% safe harbor
- ✓Payment letters and CSV schedule (paid plans)
- ✓Calendar file with all four due dates
- ✓Client figures stay in your browser
Prices in USD are approximate. Checkout charges the exact amount in USD at Stripe’s exchange rate (a 2–4% conversion fee is included), or in euros if you prefer. No VAT or sales tax is added. Monthly, cancel any month. The calculator is free on every plan; plans differ in how many clients you can save and in letters and the CSV schedule.
Questions
- Why is self-employment tax so high compared with a job?
- An employee pays 7.65% and the employer pays the other 7.65%. A self-employed person pays both halves, and gets to deduct half of it.
- Does an S corporation change this?
- Yes. Shareholder salary goes through payroll and distributions are not subject to self-employment tax. Enter the salary as W-2 wages and leave the self-employment profit at zero for that business.