Self-Employment Tax Calculator 2026: What You Owe on 1099 Income

Enter your net profit and see the number in seconds. Estimates only, not tax advice.

By the Easy Guides Editorial Team · Updated for 2026

Self-Employment Tax Calculator

Self-employment tax is the part 1099 workers always owe on top of income tax: 15.3% of 92.35% of your net profit (12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare). Enter your net profit, which is your 1099 income minus your business expenses, to see it.

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Your total 1099 and self-employment income minus your deductible business expenses for the year.

Full calculator pageHow self-employment tax worksPaying it quarterly

Educational federal estimate, not tax advice. Shows self-employment tax only, which is separate from federal and state income tax. The Social Security portion applies up to the annual wage base (2026: $184,500). An extra 0.9% Medicare tax applies to wages and self-employment income above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly).

How this calculator works

Start with your net profit. That is everything your business brought in this year minus your deductible expenses. The calculator multiplies it by 92.35%, because the IRS lets self-employed people skip tax on the slice an employer would have paid in FICA. Then it applies the two rates: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare.

The Social Security part has a ceiling. For 2026 it applies to your first $184,500 of earnings, then stops. Medicare never stops, and very high earners pay an extra 0.9% above $200,000 single or $250,000 married filing jointly. The calculator handles the cap for you.

It also shows the half you get back. Half of your self-employment tax is deductible on your 1040, which quietly lowers your income tax bill. The rates come from the IRS and the Social Security Administration's published 2026 figures. What it leaves out: federal and state income tax, which come on top. For those, run the full 1099 tax calculator.

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Frequently asked questions

The rate is 15.3% of 92.35% of your net profit. That is 12.4% for Social Security plus 2.9% for Medicare. The Social Security part stops at the 2026 wage base of $184,500. Medicare has no cap, and an extra 0.9% applies above $200,000 single or $250,000 married filing jointly.
Employees split FICA with their employer. When you work for yourself you are both sides, so you pay the full 15.3%. The IRS softens it two ways: the tax applies to 92.35% of profit, not all of it, and you deduct half of the tax from your income.
Net profit from self-employment: your 1099 income and cash earnings minus your deductible business expenses. If your net profit for the year is under $400 you owe no self-employment tax at all.
Yes. Self-employment tax replaces the FICA an employer would withhold. Federal income tax is separate and comes on top, and most states add income tax too. For the full picture use our 1099 tax calculator.
Yes. Half of your self-employment tax is an adjustment to income on your 1040. It does not reduce the self-employment tax itself, but it lowers the income your federal income tax is figured on.
Every dollar of legitimate expense reduces your net profit, and the tax is figured on net profit. Spending records are the cheapest tax planning there is. Start with our deductions checklist.
Yes, on your self-employment profit. One wrinkle helps you: your W-2 wages use up the Social Security wage base first. If wages plus profit pass $184,500 in 2026, the 12.4% part stops there. See our W-2 plus 1099 guide.
Through quarterly estimated payments, due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15. Waiting for the annual return usually triggers an underpayment penalty. Our sister site has a quarterly tax calculator.
A single-member LLC changes nothing, since profits still flow to Schedule C. An S corp election can reduce it by paying you a salary and taking the rest as distributions, but it adds payroll and filing costs. Worth a professional's advice past roughly $80,000 of steady profit.
It is a careful federal estimate using the official 2026 rate, the 92.35% base, and the $184,500 wage cap. It does not know your other income, credits, or state taxes. Treat it as a close guide, not a filing number, and confirm with a tax professional.

Keep more of your 1099 income

1. Track every expense. The tax is figured on net profit, so records are money. Our deductions checklist covers the ones freelancers miss.

2. Pay quarterly, on purpose. Four planned payments beat one painful surprise plus a penalty. The quarterly tax calculator gives you a penalty-safe number in one step.

3. Set aside a fixed percent. Most freelancers bank 25% to 35% of each payment for taxes. Automate it the day money lands.

4. Check your state. State income tax comes on top of everything here. See how states tax 1099 income.

5. Mixing W-2 and 1099 work? Your wages use up the Social Security cap first. Read the combined income guide so you do not overpay.

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