Self-Employed Tax Calculator
Estimate your self-employment tax including Social Security, Medicare, and federal income tax. See your quarterly estimated payments and total tax liability.
Tax Breakdown
Quarterly Estimated Payments
Due dates: Q1 Apr 15, Q2 Jun 15, Q3 Sep 15, Q4 Jan 15 (next year)
How to Use This Tool
- Enter your annual gross self-employment income.
- Enter your business expenses to arrive at net self-employment income.
- Select your filing status.
- Enter any other income, such as W-2 wages or interest, if applicable.
- Review your self-employment tax breakdown: Social Security, Medicare, and Additional Medicare.
- Review your federal income tax after the SE tax deduction and standard deduction are applied.
- Check your total tax liability, effective tax rate, and suggested quarterly estimated payments.
Formula & How It Works
Net Self-Employment Income
Net SE Income = Gross Income − Business ExpensesThis is the profit from your business before self-employment or income tax.
Taxable SE Earnings
Taxable SE Earnings = Net SE Income × 92.35%IRS rules let you exclude 7.65% of net earnings, mirroring the employer-side FICA exemption an employee would get.
Self-Employment Tax
SE Tax = (min(Taxable SE Earnings, $168,600) × 12.4%) + (Taxable SE Earnings × 2.9%) + (max(0, Taxable SE Earnings − $200,000) × 0.9%)Social Security applies only up to the $168,600 wage base (2024), Medicare applies to all earnings, and an extra 0.9% Additional Medicare tax applies above $200,000.
Federal Income Tax
Taxable Income = (Net SE Income + Other Income) − (SE Tax ÷ 2) − Standard Deduction; then apply 2024 progressive bracketsHalf of your self-employment tax is deductible from income before applying the standard deduction ($14,600 single / $29,200 married / $21,900 head of household) and bracket rates.
Quarterly Estimated Payment
Quarterly Payment = (Total SE Tax + Federal Income Tax) ÷ 4Self-employed taxpayers generally must pay estimated tax in four installments throughout the year.
Practical Examples & Common Use Cases
Example: Freelancer earning $100,000, single filer
Gross income $100,000 minus $15,000 expenses = $85,000 net SE income. Taxable SE earnings: $85,000 × 92.35% = $78,498. SE tax: ($78,498 × 12.4%) + ($78,498 × 2.9%) ≈ $9,734 + $2,276 = $12,010. SE tax deduction: $6,005. Taxable income: $85,000 − $6,005 − $14,600 standard deduction = $64,395, giving federal income tax of about $9,220. Total tax liability ≈ $21,230 (effective rate ~25%), or about $5,308 per quarter.
Example: High-earning consultant, $250,000 gross, single filer
Gross income $250,000 minus $50,000 expenses = $200,000 net SE income. Taxable SE earnings: $200,000 × 92.35% = $184,700. Social Security caps at the $168,600 wage base: $168,600 × 12.4% ≈ $20,906. Medicare: $184,700 × 2.9% ≈ $5,356. SE tax ≈ $26,262. After the SE tax deduction and standard deduction, taxable income is about $172,269, producing federal income tax of roughly $34,387. Total tax liability ≈ $60,649 (effective rate ~30%).
Example: Small side business, $30,000 gross, married filing jointly
Gross income $30,000 minus $5,000 expenses = $25,000 net SE income. Taxable SE earnings: $25,000 × 92.35% = $23,088. SE tax ≈ $2,863 (Social Security) + $670 (Medicare) = $3,533. After the SE tax deduction (~$1,767) and the $29,200 married standard deduction, taxable income is $0, so federal income tax is $0. Total tax liability is just the $3,533 SE tax, or about $883 per quarter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Self-employment tax is the Social Security and Medicare tax that self-employed people pay. It is equivalent to the combined employer and employee portions of FICA, totaling 15.3% (12.4% Social Security + 2.9% Medicare).
Employees split FICA with their employer (each paying 7.65%). Self-employed individuals have no employer, so they pay both halves. However, you can deduct the employer-equivalent portion (50%) from your income tax.
Yes, if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in tax. Quarterly payments are due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15. Missing payments may result in underpayment penalties.
Common deductions include home office expenses, equipment, software, professional development, health insurance premiums, retirement contributions (SEP IRA, Solo 401k), mileage, and business-related travel.
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