# Self-employment tax calculator for 2026

Source: https://taxbracketsdesk.com/payroll-tax/self-employment-tax-calculator
Publisher: Tax Brackets Desk (taxbracketsdesk.com), independent editorial site
Topic: Payroll and Self-Employment Tax
Last updated: 2026-10-20

> This self-employment tax calculator estimates 2026 Schedule SE tax by taking 92.35% of your net profit and applying 12.4% up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base (less any W-2 wages) plus 2.9% on everything. At $60,000 of profit the result is $8,477.73, with a $4,238.87 deduction for half. Income tax is a separate amount.

## Key facts

- SE tax on $60,000 profit, 2026: $8,477.73
- Deduction for half at $60,000: $4,238.87
- Profit where the Social Security part caps: About $199,783 (no W-2 wages)
- Income tax included?: No; shown separately in the example below

## Calculator

On this page, in your browser. It asks for:

- Net profit from self-employment (Schedule C line 31, Schedule F, or partnership K-1)
- W-2 Social Security wages from any job (Form W-2 box 3 plus box 7), 0 if none
- W-2 Medicare wages (Form W-2 box 5), 0 if none
- Filing status (single, head of household, married filing jointly, married filing separately)

and returns:

- Net earnings from self-employment (92.35% of profit)
- Social Security part (12.4%)
- Medicare part (2.9%)
- Total self-employment tax
- Deduction for one-half of self-employment tax
- Additional Medicare Tax, if any
- Self-employment tax as a percentage of net profit

Estimates Schedule SE tax only, not federal income tax or state tax. Married couples run the calculator once for each spouse, with that spouse's own profit and wages; on a joint return the Additional Medicare Tax threshold applies to your combined amounts.

## How the self-employment tax calculator works

The self-employment tax calculator applies the Schedule SE (Form 1040) method with 2026 figures: 92.35% of net profit is taxed at 12.4% for Social Security, up to the $184,500 wage base, and 2.9% for Medicare with no cap (IRS Topics 554 and 751). It returns the tax, the deduction for half, and any 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax.

It does not estimate federal income tax, state tax or penalties. Those depend on your deductions and filing status, so the section on adding income tax below shows how to build the rest of the estimate. For the rules behind each step, read our explainer on the [self-employment tax rate](https://taxbracketsdesk.com/payroll-tax/self-employment-tax-rate).

## What you need to enter

- **Net profit:** gross receipts minus business expenses, not the total on your Forms 1099-NEC or 1099-K. Use a year-to-date figure and scale it up if the year is not over.
- **W-2 Social Security wages:** from boxes 3 and 7 of each Form W-2. These use up part of the $184,500 cap before self-employment income does.
- **W-2 Medicare wages:** from box 5, used only to test for the Additional Medicare Tax.
- **Filing status:** sets the Additional Medicare Tax threshold of $200,000, $250,000 or $125,000.

If you have a salaried job that also pays bonuses, count the bonus in your W-2 wages. How that bonus is withheld is covered on our [bonus tax rate](https://taxbracketsdesk.com/payroll-tax/bonus-tax-rate) page.

## The formula with 2026 figures

1. Net earnings = net profit x 92.35%. Below $400, the tax is zero.
2. Social Security part = 12.4% x the smaller of net earnings or ($184,500 minus W-2 Social Security wages).
3. Medicare part = 2.9% x net earnings.
4. Self-employment tax = Social Security part + Medicare part.
5. Deduction = half of the self-employment tax, taken on Schedule 1 (Form 1040).
6. Additional Medicare Tax = 0.9% of net earnings above your threshold after subtracting W-2 Medicare wages, figured on Form 8959.

## Example: self-employment tax on $60,000 of profit

A single rideshare and delivery driver has $60,000 of net profit for 2026 after mileage and phone costs, and no other job.

| Line | Math | Result |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Net earnings | $60,000 x 92.35% | $55,410.00 |
| Social Security part | $55,410 x 12.4% | $6,870.84 |
| Medicare part | $55,410 x 2.9% | $1,606.89 |
| Self-employment tax | Total | $8,477.73 |
| Deduction for half | $8,477.73 / 2 | $4,238.87 |
| Additional Medicare Tax | Below $200,000 | $0 |

Calculator output for $60,000 of 2026 net profit

The self-employment tax equals 14.13% of profit. That ratio holds at every profit level below the Social Security cap and falls above it.

## Self-employment tax at other profit levels

| Net profit | Net earnings (92.35%) | SE tax | Deduction for half |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $20,000 | $18,470 | $2,826 | $1,413 |
| $40,000 | $36,940 | $5,652 | $2,826 |
| $60,000 | $55,410 | $8,478 | $4,239 |
| $100,000 | $92,350 | $14,130 | $7,065 |
| $150,000 | $138,525 | $21,194 | $10,597 |
| $250,000 | $230,875 | $29,573 + $278 Additional Medicare | $14,787 |

2026 self-employment tax for a single filer with no W-2 wages (rounded to whole dollars)

At $250,000 the Social Security part stops at $22,878 and only the Medicare part keeps growing. The $278 of Additional Medicare Tax applies to the $30,875 of net earnings above $200,000; more on that surtax is on the [Additional Medicare Tax](https://taxbracketsdesk.com/payroll-tax/additional-medicare-tax) page.

## How much should a 1099 worker set aside, including income tax?

Add federal income tax to the self-employment tax to see the full bill. For the $60,000 driver, a simplified 2026 estimate, assuming single status, the standard deduction and the qualified business income (QBI) deduction, looks like this.

| Step | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Net profit | $60,000.00 |
| Minus deduction for half of SE tax | $55,761.13 adjusted gross income |
| Minus $16,100 standard deduction | $39,661.13 |
| Minus QBI deduction (20% of $39,661.13, the lower limit) | $31,728.90 taxable income |
| Income tax: $1,240 + 12% of $19,328.90 | $3,559.47 |
| Plus self-employment tax | $8,477.73 |
| Total federal tax | $12,037.20 (about 20% of profit) |

Full federal estimate for $60,000 of profit, single, 2026

Setting aside about 20% of profit would cover this driver's federal bill; state income tax is extra. Someone in the 22% or 24% bracket needs a higher share. Our [FICA tax](https://taxbracketsdesk.com/payroll-tax) hub compares this with what an employee on the same pay would lose to payroll tax.

## What to do with your result

If the total of self-employment tax and income tax will be $1,000 or more after withholding and credits, plan quarterly payments. The remaining 2026 payment is due January 15, 2027. Use our guide to [estimated taxes for the self-employed](https://taxbracketsdesk.com/estimated-taxes/estimated-taxes-self-employed) to split the amount, and check the [estimated tax due dates](https://taxbracketsdesk.com/estimated-taxes/estimated-tax-due-dates) before paying.

> **Forms 1099 are not the full story:** For payments made after December 31, 2025, the Form 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC reporting threshold rose to $2,000. Clients who pay you less may send no form, but that income still counts toward net profit and self-employment tax.

## Common questions

### How much self-employment tax will I owe on $50,000?

For 2026, $50,000 of net profit gives $46,175 of net earnings and $7,064.78 of self-employment tax, with a $3,532.39 deduction for half. Income tax is additional.

### Does a 1099 tax calculator include income tax?

Many do not. This calculator gives self-employment tax only; the table above shows how to add federal income tax using the 2026 standard deduction and brackets.

### Should I enter gross 1099 income or net profit?

Enter net profit, which is income minus deductible business expenses. Entering gross receipts overstates the tax.

### Why does my SE tax drop when I also have a W-2 job?

W-2 Social Security wages fill part of the $184,500 cap first, so less self-employment income is taxed at 12.4%. The 2.9% Medicare part is unchanged.

### Is the self-employment tax calculator 2026 figure final?

The rates and the $184,500 wage base are final for 2026. For 2027 SSA has raised the wage base to $192,300 (announced October 14, 2026). It applies to 2027 earnings reported in 2028, so this calculator stays on the 2026 figures.

## Sources

- [Topic 554, Self-employment tax](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc554)
- [Topic 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc751)
- [Instructions for Schedule SE (Form 1040)](https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1040sse)
- [Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments)](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf)
- [Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p505.pdf)