Self-employment tax calculator 2026
Enter your net profit and see your 2026 self-employment tax: Social Security, Medicare, the deductible half and what to set aside each quarter.
Self-employment tax for 2026
US$8,477.73
About US$2,119.43 per quarterly estimated payment (Form 1040-ES), before income tax.
Excludes the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on earnings above $200,000 ($250,000 married filing jointly) and federal and state income tax, which depend on your filing status and other income.
How self-employment tax is calculated
Self-employment tax is the Social Security and Medicare tax for people who work for themselves: you pay both the employee and the employer share. It's 15.3% (12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare) on 92.35% of your net profit from Schedule C.
The Social Security part stops at the wage base, which is $184,500 in 2026. Medicare has no cap, and above $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly) an extra 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax applies.
- Net profit
- $60,000
- × 92.35%
- $55,410
- Social Security (12.4%)
- $6,870.84
- Medicare (2.9%)
- $1,606.89
- Self-employment tax
- $8,477.73
The deductible half and quarterly payments
You can deduct half of your self-employment tax when working out your income tax (not your SE tax). And you don't pay it once a year: it goes into your quarterly estimated payments (Form 1040-ES), due April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays self-employment tax?
Anyone with net earnings from self-employment of $400 or more in the year.
Is self-employment tax the same as income tax?
No. It's on top of federal and state income tax, which depend on your filing status and other income.
What's the 2026 Social Security wage base?
$184,500. Earnings above it aren't subject to the 12.4% Social Security part.
Put it on your website
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Nyrut tracks your profit as you invoice and estimates your self-employment tax for each 1040-ES period.