Estimate your 2026 U.S. federal self-employment tax,
including Social Security, Medicare, and potential
Additional Medicare Tax. See net earnings, deductible
SE tax, quarterly equivalent, and effective tax rate.
Enter Your Self-Employment Income
This calculator uses the standard 2026 federal
SE tax method and lets you account for W-2 wages.
Calculator constants are configured for tax year 2026.
Business Income
$
Business income before deductible business expenses.
$
Ordinary business expenses used here to estimate net profit.
W-2 / Employment Income
$
Your wages already subject to Social Security tax for 2026.
$
Used only for the Additional Medicare Tax threshold.
Filing Status
Used to determine the Additional Medicare Tax threshold.
Social Security
12.4%
Medicare
2.9%
Net Earnings Factor
92.35%
What Is a Self-Employment Tax Calculator?
A Self-Employment Tax Calculator estimates the federal
Social Security and Medicare taxes that may apply to
earnings from working for yourself.
Instead of simply applying 15.3% to gross business
revenue, this calculator first subtracts entered
business expenses and then applies the standard
net-earnings adjustment used for self-employment tax.
It can also account for wages already subject to
Social Security tax and estimate Additional Medicare
Tax based on filing status and Medicare wages.
How the 2026 Self-Employment Tax Calculator Works
1
Calculate Business Profit
Gross self-employment income is reduced by
the business expenses entered.
2
Calculate Net SE Earnings
The calculator applies the standard 92.35%
factor to positive net business profit.
3
Estimate SE Taxes
Social Security, Medicare, and applicable
Additional Medicare Tax are calculated separately.
Net Business Profit
Net Business Profit =
Gross Self-Employment Income − Business Expenses
Net Earnings From Self-Employment
Net SE Earnings =
Net Business Profit × 92.35%
Social Security Portion
Social Security Tax =
Social Security-Taxable SE Earnings × 12.4%
Medicare Portion
Medicare Tax =
Net SE Earnings × 2.9%
Self-Employment Tax Example
Suppose a self-employed person has
$100,000 of gross business income
and $20,000 of business expenses.
Gross Business Income:
$100,000
Business Expenses:
$20,000
Net Business Profit:
$80,000
Standard SE Earnings Calculation:
$80,000 × 92.35%
Net Earnings Used for SE Tax:
$73,880
The calculator then applies the Social Security and
Medicare components to the applicable amounts and
checks whether Additional Medicare Tax may apply.
Social Security Tax and the 2026 Wage Base
The Social Security portion of self-employment tax
does not apply without limit. The calculator uses the
2026 taxable maximum and reduces the remaining
Social Security wage base by Social Security wages
you enter.
Remaining Social Security Wage Base =
$184,500 − Social Security Wages Already Earned
If your entered Social Security wages already reach
or exceed the annual taxable maximum, the calculator
applies no additional 12.4% Social Security component
to your self-employment earnings.
The regular Medicare portion does not use the same
annual Social Security wage cap.
Additional Medicare Tax
Higher levels of Medicare wages and self-employment
income can also trigger an additional 0.9% Medicare
tax.
This calculator uses the filing-status threshold you
select and reduces that threshold by Medicare wages
entered before determining how much self-employment
income is above the remaining threshold.
Additional Medicare Tax =
SE Income Above Remaining Threshold × 0.9%
The calculator keeps this amount separate from regular
Social Security and Medicare self-employment tax so
the breakdown is easier to understand.
Self-Employment Tax Deduction
The calculator also displays an estimate of one-half
of regular self-employment tax as an income-tax
deduction reference.
Estimated SE Tax Deduction =
Regular Self-Employment Tax × 50%
This deduction does not directly reduce the
self-employment tax shown by the calculator.
Quarterly Self-Employment Tax Estimate
The quarterly amount shown by this calculator simply
divides the estimated annual SE-related tax by four.
It should not be treated as a complete federal estimated
tax payment calculation because federal income tax,
credits, withholding, prior-year tax, safe-harbor
calculations, and other taxes are not included.
Important:
This calculator is designed for a simplified 2026 U.S.
federal self-employment tax estimate using the standard
method. Special Schedule SE rules can apply to farmers,
ministers, church employees, partnerships, optional
net-earnings methods, multiple businesses, certain
community-property situations, and other cases.
Federal and state income taxes are not included.
Self-Employment Tax Calculator FAQs
For the standard federal calculation, self-employment tax consists of a 12.4% Social Security portion and a 2.9% Medicare portion. The calculator also separately estimates the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax when applicable.
Under the standard Schedule SE method, generally 92.35% of net earnings from self-employment is used when calculating the amount subject to self-employment tax.
For 2026, the Social Security taxable maximum is $184,500. Wages already subject to Social Security tax can reduce the remaining amount of self-employment earnings subject to the 12.4% Social Security portion.
Yes. It can estimate the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax using filing-status thresholds and Medicare wages entered. The calculation is shown separately from regular self-employment tax.
The calculator displays an estimated deduction equal to one-half of the regular self-employment tax. This deduction affects income-tax calculations rather than reducing the self-employment tax itself.
No. This calculator estimates federal self-employment Social Security and Medicare taxes and the Additional Medicare Tax where applicable. Federal income tax, state tax, credits, deductions, and estimated-tax safe-harbor rules are not included.