Self-Employment Tax Calculator (USA)

Self-employment tax is 15.3% of 92.35% of your net profit (income minus business expenses): 12.4% for Social Security, capped at the annual wage base, plus 2.9% for Medicare with no cap. Half of the resulting SE tax is then deductible on your federal income tax return.

Net profit, not gross revenue. Self-employment tax applies to your Schedule C net earnings — total 1099/business income minus deductible business expenses. Reducing net profit through legitimate deductions lowers both SE tax and income tax.

Yes. Any self-employment income — freelancing, gig-app driving/delivery, consulting, or online selling — is subject to SE tax on net earnings after expenses, and this calculator applies to all of it the same way.

Yes, on your net self-employment earnings, though Social Security tax may be reduced if your W-2 wages already exceed the annual Social Security wage base. Medicare tax still applies with no cap regardless of W-2 income.

A common rule of thumb is 25-30% of net self-employment income, covering both SE tax and estimated federal/state income tax. Quarterly payments are due mid-April, mid-June, mid-September, and mid-January to avoid IRS underpayment penalties.

No. The federal income tax figure shown does not apply the QBI deduction (up to 20% of qualified business income under IRC §199A), which has income thresholds, limitations for certain service businesses, and wage/property caps for higher earners that this calculator does not model. If you qualify, your actual federal income tax — though not your self-employment tax, which QBI never affects — will likely be lower than shown here.