Free tool
2026 self-employment tax calculator
Enter your expected net profit and get the 2026 self-employment tax math: 15.3% applied the way Schedule SE actually applies it, with the $184,500 Social Security cap, the 92.35% adjustment, and your deductible half.
Estimate your 2026 SE tax
Estimates only, using 2026 federal figures; not tax advice. State taxes and income tax are separate.
Net self-employment earnings (92.35%)$69,263
Social Security (12.4%, capped at $184,500)$8,589
Medicare (2.9%)$2,009
Self-employment tax$10,597
About 14.1% of net profit
Deductible half of SE tax$5,299
What the numbers mean
Self-employment tax is Social Security and Medicare for people without an employer to split it with. In 2026 it is 15.3%: 12.4% Social Security on net self-employment earnings up to $184,500, plus 2.9% Medicare with no cap. The tax applies to 92.35% of your net profit, not all of it, and half of the result comes back as an income-tax deduction.
The number this calculator cannot give you is your net profit itself. That comes from books: income minus the expenses you actually captured. Freelancers who track expenses all year, the job an AI assistant on a real ledger does in minutes a month, walk into this math with a smaller, correct profit figure instead of a guess.
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Common questions
How is self-employment tax calculated in 2026?
Multiply net profit by 92.35% to get net self-employment earnings, then apply 15.3%: 12.4% Social Security on earnings up to the $184,500 wage base plus 2.9% Medicare on all of it. Half of the result is deductible from income. A further 0.9% Medicare applies above $200,000 single or $250,000 married filing jointly.
What is the self-employment tax rate for 2026?
The rate is 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. The Social Security portion stops at the 2026 wage base of $184,500 (up from $176,100 in 2025); the Medicare portion has no cap. Because the tax applies to 92.35% of net profit, the effective rate on profit is about 14.1% below the cap.
Is self-employment tax on top of income tax?
Yes. SE tax covers Social Security and Medicare, the piece an employer would normally split with you. Federal and state income tax are calculated separately on top. That is why quarterly estimated payments for a profitable freelancer are usually well above 15.3% of profit.
How do I lower self-employment tax?
Legitimately, by lowering net profit with every deduction you actually earned: equipment, software, mileage, home office, health insurance, retirement contributions. That requires books that catch expenses all year instead of reconstructing them in April, which is exactly the job an AI-kept ledger does.
Do I pay SE tax if my clients never sent a 1099?
Yes. For payments made in 2026 clients only have to file a 1099-NEC at $2,000 or more, so more of your income arrives without a form. The obligation is unchanged: all self-employment income is taxable, and your own books are the record that counts.
Get the profit number right first
Free books your AI keeps current, so the quarterly math starts from reality. No card, connected in about a minute.