Self-Employment Tax Calculator 2026
If you freelance, resell or run a side business, you pay Social Security and Medicare tax on your profit yourself: self-employment tax. Enter your 2026 profit to see what you'll owe, how wages from a job change it, and how much of it you can deduct.
2026 IRS and SSA figures verified October 2026Your self-employment tax
A planning estimate, not tax advice. It uses the regular method on Schedule SE for one person's net profit. It leaves out church employee income, farm and nonfarm optional methods, tips and a spouse's wages. Check the result with your tax software or a tax professional.
How self-employment tax works
- The rate is 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. An employee pays half of that and the employer pays the other half; when you work for yourself, you pay both.
- It's charged on 92.35% of your profit, not all of it. Your net earnings from self-employment are your net profit (Schedule C line 31) times 92.35%, so the tax works out to about 14.13% of profit.
- Under $400 of net earnings, there's none. If 92.35% of your profit is less than $400, you owe no self-employment tax and don't file Schedule SE.
- The Social Security part stops at $184,500 in 2026. That cap covers your wages and net earnings together, and wages from a job count first. If your W-2 wages are already at $184,500, you pay only the 2.9% Medicare part.
- Medicare has no cap, and high earners pay 0.9% more. The Additional Medicare Tax applies to net earnings above $200,000 (single or head of household), $250,000 (married filing jointly) or $125,000 (married filing separately), less any wages.
- You deduct half of it. The employer-equivalent half of your self-employment tax comes off your income on Schedule 1, which lowers your income tax. It doesn't lower the self-employment tax itself.
- It comes on top of income tax. Self-employment tax is figured on Schedule SE and added to your Form 1040. Nobody withholds it, so most people pay it during the year with quarterly estimated taxes.
Worked example
Example. A freelancer has $60,000 of profit in 2026 and no other job. Net earnings are 92.35% of that, $55,410.00. Social Security is 12.4% of $55,410.00, $6,870.84, and Medicare is 2.9%, $1,606.89, for $8,477.73 of self-employment tax. Half of it, $4,238.87, comes off their income for income tax.
With a day job paying $150,000, only $34,500 of the $184,500 Social Security base is left, so the Social Security part drops to $4,278.00 and the total to $5,884.89.
Self-employment tax by profit, 2026
Self-employment tax for a single filer with no wages, in 2026. Up to $184,500 of net earnings it's 14.13% of profit; above that only Medicare grows.
| Profit | Net earnings | SE tax | Additional Medicare | Deductible half | Of profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $9,235.00 | $1,412.96 | – | $706.48 | 14.1% |
| $25,000 | $23,087.50 | $3,532.39 | – | $1,766.20 | 14.1% |
| $40,000 | $36,940.00 | $5,651.82 | – | $2,825.91 | 14.1% |
| $50,000 | $46,175.00 | $7,064.78 | – | $3,532.39 | 14.1% |
| $75,000 | $69,262.50 | $10,597.16 | – | $5,298.58 | 14.1% |
| $100,000 | $92,350.00 | $14,129.55 | – | $7,064.78 | 14.1% |
| $150,000 | $138,525.00 | $21,194.33 | – | $10,597.17 | 14.1% |
| $200,000 | $184,700.00 | $28,234.30 | – | $14,117.15 | 14.1% |
| $250,000 | $230,875.00 | $29,573.38 | $277.88 | $14,786.69 | 11.9% |
Frequently asked questions
How much is self-employment tax on $50,000?
$7,064.78 in 2026, if you have no wages from a job: 92.35% of $50,000 is $46,175.00, and 15.3% of that is $7,064.78. You can deduct half of it, $3,532.39, from your income for income tax.
What is the self-employment tax rate for 2026?
15.3% of net earnings: 12.4% for Social Security on the first $184,500 (wages included) and 2.9% for Medicare on all of it, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax above $200,000 for single filers.
Why is it only 92.35% of my profit?
Employees don't pay Social Security and Medicare on the employer's half of those taxes. Taking 92.35% of your profit gives the self-employed the same break.
Do I pay self-employment tax if I also have a W-2 job?
Yes, on your business profit. Your wages count toward the $184,500 Social Security cap first, so a high salary can reduce or remove the 12.4% part, but the 2.9% Medicare part always applies.
Is self-employment tax deductible?
Half of it is: the employer-equivalent portion is an adjustment to income on Schedule 1. It lowers your income tax, not the self-employment tax.
What if my business had a loss?
Then you owe no self-employment tax for it. You also owe none when 92.35% of your profit is under $400.
Is self-employment tax the same as income tax?
No. It's Social Security and Medicare tax, and you pay it in addition to income tax. To estimate both, and what to pay each quarter, use the 2026 quarterly estimated tax calculator.
We're married filing jointly. Do we add our profits together?
No. Each spouse with a business works out their own self-employment tax on their own profit. Your filing status only changes the Additional Medicare Tax threshold, which is shared for a joint return.
More calculators
Sources
IRS pages behind the 2026 figures, checked October 2026. The Social Security wage base ($184,500) is the Social Security Administration's 2026 contribution and benefit base.