2026 Self-Employment Tax Calculator
Estimate 2026 Social Security and Medicare tax on freelance or business profit, coordinating the Social Security wage base with any employee wages.
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Estimated 2026 self-employment tax
$14,130
Social Security, Medicare, and applicable Additional Medicare tax
- Social Security portion
- $11,451
- Medicare portion
- $2,678
- Additional Medicare tax
- $0
- Effective rate on net profit
- 14.1%
Schedule SE worksheet
$92,350
92.35% of entered net profit
- Entered net profit
- $100,000
- Deductible half of regular SE tax
- $7,065
- 2026 Social Security wage base
- $184,500
This estimates federal self-employment tax, not total income tax or quarterly payments. Special rules for church income, farm income, optional methods, multiple businesses, and tax treaties are not modeled.
What self-employment tax covers
Self-employment tax is separate from regular federal income tax. It generally represents both sides of Social Security and Medicare tax for a person with net earnings from a trade or business. The regular rate combines 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Additional Medicare tax may apply above a filing-status threshold.
The calculator starts with net business profit after ordinary business expenses. It multiplies that profit by 92.35% to estimate net earnings subject to Schedule SE rules. Social Security tax is applied only up to the unused portion of the 2026 $184,500 wage base; Medicare tax has no comparable wage cap.
Why employee wages matter
The Social Security wage base applies across employee wages and self-employment earnings. If someone has $150,000 of covered wages and also earns business profit, only the remaining $34,500 of the 2026 base is available for the Social Security portion of self-employment tax. Medicare continues beyond that point.
Additional Medicare tax uses combined Medicare wages and self-employment earnings. The statutory thresholds are $250,000 for married filing jointly, $125,000 for married filing separately, and $200,000 for other filing statuses. There is no employer match for the additional 0.9% tax.
Worked example: $100,000 net profit
With $100,000 of net profit and no employee wages, estimated Schedule SE net earnings are $92,350. Because that amount is below the 2026 Social Security wage base, the full amount is subject to the regular Social Security and Medicare components. Estimated combined tax is approximately $14,130.
One-half of the regular Social Security and Medicare self-employment tax—excluding Additional Medicare tax—is shown as a potential income adjustment. The deduction affects income-tax calculations; it does not reduce the self-employment tax that produced it.
What is outside this estimate
The tool does not calculate regular federal income tax, the qualified business income deduction, quarterly-payment penalties, optional Schedule SE methods, farm income, clergy rules, tax treaties, or state obligations. Multiple businesses may require netting rules beyond a single profit input. Use the federal income tax calculator for a separate regular-tax estimate and Publication 505 when planning estimated payments.
Frequently asked questions
- Is self-employment tax the same as federal income tax?
- No. Self-employment tax generally funds Social Security and Medicare. Regular federal income tax is calculated separately, although part of self-employment tax can create an income adjustment.
- Why is profit multiplied by 92.35%?
- Schedule SE generally applies the Social Security and Medicare rates to 92.35% of net self-employment profit, reflecting the employer-equivalent adjustment in the statutory calculation.
- Why does the calculator ask for employee wages?
- Employee Social Security wages use part of the annual wage base first. Entering wages prevents the Social Security portion of self-employment tax from applying above the combined 2026 base.
- Does this calculate quarterly estimated payments?
- No. It calculates self-employment tax only. Quarterly payments may need to cover both income tax and self-employment tax after considering withholding and safe-harbor rules.
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