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Self-Employment Tax Calculator

Enter your net profit from freelancing or your business, and any W-2 wages from a job. The calculator shows the self-employment tax, the part you can deduct, and a quarterly amount to set aside.

Your numbers

Result

Estimate for information only, not professional advice. Last reviewed .

Tax year 2026. Tax figures last updated October 29, 2026. Sources.

How we calculate it

Self-employment tax is charged on 92.35% of your net profit, which stands in for the employer half that employees do not pay. Social Security is 12.4% of those earnings up to the yearly wage base of $184,500 (less any W-2 wages), and Medicare is 2.9000000000000004% of all of them.

Half of the self-employment tax is deductible when you work out your income tax. Earnings above the Medicare threshold also owe the 0.8999999999999999% additional Medicare tax. Net earnings under $400 owe no self-employment tax.

Assumptions and limits

  • Tax year 2026. This is only the self-employment tax, not the income tax on your profit.
  • Use your profit after business expenses. Losses owe no self-employment tax.
  • Quarterly amounts are one fourth of this tax only. Estimated payments should also cover income tax.
  • Special cases (church employee income, farm optional methods, certain partnerships) are not included.

Frequently asked questions

Why is self-employment tax 15.3%?

Employees and employers each pay 7.65% (6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare). When you work for yourself you pay both halves, which makes 15.3% of the taxed amount.

Why is only 92.35% of my profit taxed?

The formula takes away the equivalent of the employer half of the tax, so that the tax is computed on the same footing as an employee’s wages. This is built into Schedule SE.

Can I deduct self-employment tax?

You can deduct half of it from your income when you figure your income tax. That lowers your income tax but not the self-employment tax itself.

How do quarterly estimated payments work?

Self-employed people usually pay estimated tax four times a year instead of having tax withheld. The amount here covers the self-employment tax; add your estimated income tax to get the full payment.

Related calculators

Worked example (a fixed example using the starting numbers, it does not change as you type)

Inputs: Net self-employment profit for the year ($) = 80000; W-2 wages from a job, if any ($) = 0; Filing status = Single.

  • Self-employment tax $11,303.64
  • Social Security part $9,161.12
  • Medicare part $2,142.52
  • Additional Medicare tax (0.9%) $0.00
  • Deductible half of the tax $5,651.82
  • Net earnings subject to the tax $73,880.00
  • Set aside per quarter $2,825.91
  • Share of your profit 14.13%

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Last reviewed: . Formulas and assumptions are described on our methodology page. For information only; not professional advice.