Self-Employment Tax Calculator 2026

How much of your freelance income goes to self-employment tax?

Self-employment tax is 15.3% of 92.35% of your net profit (12.4% Social Security up to $184,500, plus 2.9% Medicare). Enter your profit and see the tax, the half you can deduct, and the percent of every payment to set aside.

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Your income

Net profit from self-employment, Schedule C line 31 ($)

W-2 wages from a job, if any ($)

Filing status

Your federal income tax bracket (%), optional

Enter your net profit, then click Calculate.

What this does not cover

Tax year 2026 rates only. The wage base changes every year.
Simplified income-tax estimate. The set-aside multiplies your profit, less half of SE tax, by the one bracket you enter. It ignores the standard deduction, the QBI deduction, other income, credits and state tax. Treat it as a planning rule of thumb.
Church employees, clergy, farm income and partnership earnings follow different rules and are not modelled.
Not a filed return. Figures here do not replace Schedule SE or Form 8959.

Common questions

How much is self-employment tax in 2026?

Self-employment tax is 15.3% of 92.35% of your net profit: 12.4% Social Security on earnings up to the $184,500 wage base and 2.9% Medicare on everything. On $100,000 of profit that is about $14,130, an effective rate near 14.1%. Above the wage base only the 2.9% Medicare rate applies to the excess.

Why is it 92.35% and not the full profit?

The IRS lets you treat your net profit like a wage earned with an employer share removed: you multiply by 92.35% (100% less 7.65%) before applying the 15.3% rate. That is why the effective SE tax rate is about 14.1% of profit, not 15.3%.

Can I deduct part of self-employment tax?

Yes. You deduct one-half of your SE tax when figuring adjusted gross income on Form 1040. It lowers your income tax, but not the SE tax itself or the QBI deduction base in the way people often expect, so check Schedule SE and Form 8995.

Do W-2 wages change my self-employment tax?

They can. Social Security tax stops at the wage base across wages and self-employment combined, so W-2 wages use up the base first and less of your self-employment income pays the 12.4%. The 2.9% Medicare part always applies.

What is the Additional Medicare Tax?

A 0.9% tax on wages plus self-employment earnings above $200,000 single, $250,000 married filing jointly or $125,000 married filing separately, reported on Form 8959. For self-employment income the threshold is reduced by your W-2 Medicare wages.

Is this tax advice?

No. This tool applies published IRS and SSA rules to the numbers you enter. It does not replace Schedule SE instructions or a qualified tax professional.