Estimate your freelance taxes for 2026, including federal
income tax, Social Security and Medicare self-employment
tax, potential Additional Medicare Tax, deductions,
withholding, credits, and a quarterly planning amount.
Enter Your Freelance Tax Details
Add your freelance income, expenses, other income,
deductions, credits, wages, and withholding.
Freelance Business
$
Freelance or independent-contractor revenue before expenses.
$
Expenses used here to estimate net freelance profit.
Other Income & Wages
$
Include taxable wages and other ordinary income you want included in the federal income-tax estimate.
$
W-2 wages already subject to Social Security tax.
$
Used to estimate Additional Medicare Tax.
Deductions & Adjustments
$
Used only when Custom / Itemized is selected.
$
Optional eligible adjustments not otherwise calculated here.
$
Optional manual estimate. QBI eligibility is not automatically determined.
Credits & Payments
$
$
Net SE Factor
92.35%
Social Security
12.4%
Medicare
2.9%
2026 SS Wage Base
$184,500
What Is a Freelance Tax Calculator?
A Freelance Tax Calculator estimates taxes that may
apply to income earned as an independent contractor,
freelancer, sole proprietor, or other self-employed
worker.
Freelancers can potentially owe both federal income
tax and self-employment tax, so simply applying one
percentage to gross freelance revenue may produce a
misleading estimate.
This calculator first estimates net business profit,
then calculates self-employment taxes and estimates
federal income tax using the selected 2026 filing status.
How the Freelance Tax Calculator Works
1
Calculate Freelance Profit
Business expenses are subtracted from gross
freelance revenue.
2
Estimate SE Tax
The calculator estimates Social Security and
Medicare self-employment taxes.
3
Estimate Income Tax
Deductions are applied before the progressive
2026 federal tax brackets are calculated.
Net Freelance Profit
Net Freelance Profit =
Gross Freelance Income − Business Expenses
Net Self-Employment Earnings
Net SE Earnings =
Positive Freelance Profit × 92.35%
Regular Self-Employment Tax
Regular SE Tax =
Social Security Portion + Medicare Portion
Freelance Tax Example
Suppose a freelancer earns
$90,000 during the year and has
$15,000 of business expenses.
Gross Freelance Revenue:
$90,000
Business Expenses:
$15,000
Net Freelance Profit:
$75,000
Net SE Earnings Estimate:
$75,000 × 92.35%
Filing Status:
Single
The calculator then estimates regular self-employment
tax, subtracts the estimated half-SE-tax deduction
when calculating AGI, applies applicable deductions,
and uses the 2026 ordinary income tax schedule.
Freelance Self-Employment Tax
The standard self-employment tax calculation includes
a Social Security component and a Medicare component.
Social Security Portion =
Applicable SE Earnings × 12.4%
Medicare Portion =
Applicable SE Earnings × 2.9%
The calculator also considers W-2 Social Security
wages when determining how much of the 2026 Social
Security wage base remains available for freelance
earnings.
Freelance Federal Income Tax
Federal income tax is calculated separately from
self-employment tax.
The calculator estimates adjusted gross income by
combining net freelance profit and other taxable income,
then subtracting the estimated one-half SE tax deduction
and any additional adjustments entered.
Estimated AGI =
Net Freelance Profit + Other Taxable Income
− Half SE Tax Deduction
− Other Adjustments
The selected standard or custom deduction and manually
entered QBI deduction are then subtracted before the
progressive tax brackets are applied.
Standard Deduction and QBI
This calculator automatically selects the 2026 basic
standard deduction based on filing status when the
Standard Deduction option is selected.
A separate QBI field is provided because determining
the Qualified Business Income deduction can involve
additional limitations that are beyond a simple
freelance-income calculation.
Enter a QBI deduction only when you have a reasonable
estimate of the amount that applies to your situation.
Quarterly Freelance Tax Planning
The calculator subtracts federal withholding from the
estimated federal tax and divides a positive remaining
balance by four.
Quarterly Planning Amount =
Estimated Remaining Federal Tax ÷ 4
This is a budgeting figure rather than a determination
of the exact quarterly estimated tax payment required
to avoid an underpayment penalty.
Important:
This calculator is a simplified 2026 U.S. federal tax
estimator. It does not automatically calculate state
or local taxes, AMT, NIIT, every refundable credit,
capital-gain rates, qualified-dividend rates, senior
deductions, child-related credits, health-insurance
deductions, retirement contribution limits, detailed
QBI limitations, prior-year safe-harbor rules, or every
special Schedule SE situation.
Freelance Tax Calculator FAQs
This calculator estimates 2026 U.S. federal income tax, regular self-employment tax, potential Additional Medicare Tax, tax after credits, estimated balance after withholding, and a quarterly planning amount.
The calculator subtracts entered business expenses from freelance income, applies the standard 92.35% self-employment earnings factor, and then calculates the Social Security and Medicare portions of self-employment tax.
Yes. It uses the 2026 federal ordinary income tax schedules for Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, Head of Household, and Qualifying Surviving Spouse.
The calculator includes an optional field where you can enter an estimated qualified business income deduction. It does not automatically determine eligibility because QBI rules can depend on taxable income, business type, wages, property, and other factors.
W-2 wages can affect the remaining Social Security wage base, Additional Medicare Tax, federal income tax, and tax already withheld. This can make the estimate more useful for people who freelance while also working as employees.
No. The quarterly figure shown is a simple planning amount based on the estimated balance remaining after withholding. Actual estimated-tax requirements can depend on prior-year tax, safe-harbor rules, payment timing, withholding, and other circumstances.