Estimate your self-employment tax, federal income tax and quarterly payments — then get the one number most rate calculators just ask you to guess: your real effective tax rate.
For US freelancers, contractors and sole proprietors filing a Schedule C.
| Quarter | Income period | Due | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Jan 1 – Mar 31 | April 15, 2026 | $0 |
| Q2 | Apr 1 – May 31 | June 15, 2026 | $0 |
| Q3 | Jun 1 – Aug 31 | September 15, 2026 | $0 |
| Q4 | Sep 1 – Dec 31 | January 15, 2027 | $0 |
Estimates only, for tax year 2026 — not tax, legal or financial advice. This calculator does not account for tax credits, dependents, retirement-plan contributions, health-insurance deductions, capital gains, or state-specific rules. Verify with a qualified tax professional or the current IRS Form 1040-ES before making payments.
The reason freelance taxes feel so much heavier than a salary isn't a higher income-tax rate — it's an entirely extra tax that employees never see on their payslip. Understanding the two layers is the whole game.
When you're an employee, Social Security and Medicare are funded twice: you pay 7.65% out of your paycheck, and your employer quietly pays another 7.65% you never notice. When you're self-employed, you are both — so you owe the full 15.3%, made up of 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare.
Three details soften it:
High earners add a further 0.9% Medicare surtax above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly). Those thresholds are written into law and have never been adjusted for inflation, so more people cross them every year.
On top of SE tax, your profit is ordinary income. It gets added to any other income, reduced by your deduction, and run through the normal progressive brackets. This is why "what's my tax rate?" has no single answer — your marginal rate is the bracket your last dollar lands in, but your effective rate (total tax ÷ total income) is always lower, and it's the effective rate that matters for pricing your work.
The most common freelancer mistake: setting a rate using only income-tax brackets, forgetting the 15.3% SE tax entirely, and finding out in April. Adding a whole extra tax layer after you've already agreed a rate with a client is not a fixable problem.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Self-employment tax rate | 15.3% (12.4% Social Security + 2.9% Medicare) |
| Portion of profit subject to SE tax | 92.35% |
| Social Security wage base | $184,500 |
| Additional Medicare tax | 0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 MFJ |
| Standard deduction — single | $16,100 |
| Standard deduction — married filing jointly | $32,200 |
| QBI deduction | Up to 20% of qualified business income |
US income tax is pay-as-you-go. An employer withholds a little from every paycheck on your behalf; with no employer, that job falls to you, in four estimated payments. Skip them and you can owe an underpayment penalty even if you pay your full balance in April.
The usual safe-harbour rules: you generally avoid a penalty if you pay at least 90% of this year's tax, or 100% of last year's tax (110% if your prior-year income was high). Paying based on last year's return is the simplest approach for anyone with lumpy freelance income.
Note that the "quarters" are not equal calendar quarters — Q2 covers only two months, and Q4 stretches into January. The schedule in the calculator above reflects the real periods.
Sam nets $80,000 after business expenses, has no other income, takes the standard deduction, and doesn't apply the QBI deduction:
Run that taxable income through the 2026 brackets, add it to the SE tax, and Sam's total federal bill lands near a 22–24% effective rate on the full $80,000 — comfortably inside the "20% to 35%" range the rate calculator suggests, but now it's a calculated figure rather than a guess. Enter the calculator's exact percentage there instead.
Figures last checked against these sources on July 30, 2026. Tax figures change annually — if that date looks stale, verify against the IRS before relying on the result.
This calculator and guide are for general information only and do not constitute tax, legal or accounting advice. Tax rules change, and your situation may involve credits, deductions or state rules this tool does not model. Consult a qualified tax professional before relying on any figure here.
The common rule of thumb is 25–30% of profit, but that's a guess that's wrong in both directions depending on your income and filing status. Use the calculator above to get your actual effective rate, then set aside that percentage of every payment you receive.
Self-employment tax funds Social Security and Medicare at a flat 15.3% on 92.35% of your profit. Income tax is separate and progressive, charged on your taxable income after deductions. You owe both, which is why freelance tax bills surprise people coming from a salaried job.
Generally yes, if you expect to owe $1,000 or more for the year. The IRS treats income tax as pay-as-you-go, and paying nothing until April can trigger an underpayment penalty even if you settle the full balance then. Confirm your own obligation against the current Form 1040-ES.
The Qualified Business Income deduction lets many self-employed people deduct up to 20% of their business income, which meaningfully reduces the bill. Most sole proprietors below the income phase-out thresholds qualify.
It's off by default here so the estimate errs on the high side, and the calculator applies a flat 20% without modelling the phase-outs or the extra restrictions on specified service trades. If you're near or above the thresholds, treat the result as a rough indication and get it confirmed.
Only if you enter a rate. State and local income tax ranges from nothing at all to over 13%, with completely different brackets, deductions and rules in each state — so the calculator takes a single blended percentage from you rather than pretending to model 50 systems. Leave it at 0 for a federal-only estimate.
Head of household uses its own bracket thresholds, and we'd rather leave the option out than publish figures we haven't confirmed against the primary IRS source. If you file as head of household, treat the "single" result as a rough upper bound — your actual tax will be somewhat lower — and confirm the real numbers with a tax professional.
No. Every calculation runs in your browser. Your income figures are never uploaded, stored or logged, and there's no sign-up.
Now that you know your real tax rate, put it to work.
Enter the effective rate from above to find the minimum hourly rate that actually covers your taxes, expenses and time off.
Set my rate →Lower the net income figure above by totalling your home office, mileage and everyday write-offs.
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