Self-Employment Tax Calculator
Estimate the Social Security and Medicare tax you owe on your 1099 or freelance income.
Your 1099 / business income after expenses.
Wages from a regular job, if any — affects the Social Security cap.
Enter your net income to see your estimate.
How self-employment tax works
When you have a regular job, you and your employer split the cost of Social Security and Medicare — you each pay half through payroll. When you work for yourself, there’s no employer to split with, so you cover both halves. That’s self-employment tax: a combined 15.3% on your net earnings, on top of your regular income tax.
It’s calculated on 92.35% of your net self-employment income (the tax code lets you knock off the employer-half equivalent first). The 12.4% Social Security portion only applies up to the annual wage base of $184,500; the 2.9% Medicare portion has no cap and applies to every dollar. If you also have a W-2 job, those wages count against the Social Security cap first.
The one bit of relief: you can deduct half of your self-employment tax as an adjustment to income, which lowers your income tax. Because this tax catches so many freelancers by surprise, it’s the main reason self-employed people need to make accurate quarterly estimated payments.
2026 self-employment tax rates
| Component | Rate | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security | 12.4% | Net earnings up to $184,500 |
| Medicare | 2.9% | All net earnings (no cap) |
| Combined | 15.3% | On 92.35% of net self-employment income |
2026 Social Security wage base per the SSA. High earners may also owe an extra 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax above $200,000 ($250,000 married), which the full calculator includes.
Frequently asked questions
This is just one piece
Get your complete quarterly estimate — every income type, federal and state, penalties, and the method that pays the least — combined in one place.