Self-Employment Tax Calculator
Calculate SE tax, the deductible half, the QBI deduction, and quarterly estimated payments for 1099 income.
Your details
Other income
Counts toward the Social Security wage base
Deductions
This calculator runs entirely on your device. Nothing you enter is uploaded, stored, or sold. How this works
Total tax on self-employment income
$28,116
$7,029 per quarterly estimated payment
Includes your inputs, the full breakdown, and every row of the table.
Self-employment tax
$16,673
15.3% of 92.35% of net profit
Federal income tax
$11,443
22% marginal bracket
QBI deduction
$18,783
Section 199A, up to 20%
Set aside this much
23.8%
Of every dollar of net profit
- Revenue
- $140,000
- Business expenses
- - $22,000
- Net profit
- $118,000
- SE tax base (92.35%)
- $108,973
- Social Security portion (12.4%)
- $13,513
- Medicare portion (2.9%)
- $3,160
- Deduction for half of SE tax
- - $8,336
- Standard deduction
- - $15,750
- QBI deduction
- - $18,783
- Taxable income
- $75,131
- Federal income tax
- $11,443
- Total tax
- $28,116
| Quarter | Period covered | Due date | Payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Jan 1 – Mar 31 | April 15 | $7,029 |
| Q2 | Apr 1 – May 31 | June 15 | $7,029 |
| Q3 | Jun 1 – Aug 31 | September 15 | $7,029 |
| Q4 | Sep 1 – Dec 31 | January 15 | $7,029 |
What this means
- Self-employment tax is the both-halves version of FICA: 12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare. Employees split this with an employer; you do not, which is why the sticker shock is real.
- Plan on reserving roughly 24% of every dollar of net profit. Underpaying quarterly estimates triggers an IRS penalty even if you pay in full by April.
- The safe harbor: pay 100% of last year's total tax (110% if AGI exceeded $150,000) and you avoid underpayment penalties regardless of how the current year turns out.
How the self-employment tax calculation works
Self-employment tax exists because 1099 income has no employer paying half of FICA. You owe both halves — 15.3% — though the calculation applies it to 92.35% of net profit and lets you deduct half of it against income tax, which softens the effective rate a little.
The Qualified Business Income deduction under Section 199A can shelter up to 20% of business income from income tax. It phases out for specified service businesses at higher incomes and has wage and property limitations, so treat the figure here as an upper bound rather than a certainty.
Frequently asked questions
When are quarterly estimated taxes due?
April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 of the following year. The periods they cover are uneven, which is why the June payment covers only two months.
Can an S corporation election reduce SE tax?
Sometimes. An S corp lets you split income between reasonable W-2 salary and distributions, with SE tax applying only to the salary. It adds payroll, filing, and accounting costs, so it typically pays off above roughly $80,000-100,000 of net profit.
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Disclaimer. This calculator is provided for general information and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, medical, or engineering advice. Results are estimates based on the inputs you provide and the assumptions described above. Confirm any figure with a qualified professional before acting on it.