Self-Employment Tax Calculator
Figure self-employment tax on your 2026 net profit: the 12.4% Social Security portion up to the $184,500 wage base, the 2.9% Medicare portion with no cap, the half you deduct against income tax, and a rough quarterly figure.
New to the 15.3%? Read the full self-employment tax guideYour numbers
Your Schedule C net profit: gross receipts minus allowable business expenses, before any retirement contributions or the SE-tax deduction.
Social Security wages from employment. They consume the $184,500 wage base first, which can shrink or wipe out the 12.4% portion on your self-employment income.
What happens to my data?
Self-employment tax owed (2026)
$8,478
Deductible half (income tax)
$4,239
Effective rate on profit
14.1%
Rough quarterly (SE tax only)
$2,119
On $60,000 of net profit, 92.35% is taxable: $55,410 of net earnings. The deductible half is an income tax deduction when figuring adjusted gross income, not a reduction of the self-employment tax itself. The quarterly figure is a rough quarter of the SE tax alone, not your full estimated tax, which also has to cover income tax. The quarterly estimated taxes guide covers the due dates and safe harbors.
Where the tax goes
12.4% Social Security on net earnings up to the remaining wage base, 2.9% Medicare on all of them.
What this calculator leaves out
These are the published IRS and Social Security Administration figures for the 2026 tax year, including the $184,500 wage base. Federal and state income tax are NOT included: self-employment tax covers Social Security and Medicare only, and income tax lands on the same profit separately. It is general information, not tax advice. The full guide walks through the rules, and SEP IRA vs solo 401(k) covers the retirement plans that this same profit figure feeds.
How the self-employment tax maths works
An employer quietly pays half of an employee's Social Security and Medicare taxes. Work for yourself and both halves land on Schedule SE: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare, 15.3% in total. Two softeners apply. Only 92.35% of net profit is taxed, standing in for the employer half employees never see in their wages, and half of the resulting tax is deductible when figuring adjusted gross income.
The 12.4% stops at the Social Security wage base, $184,500 for 2026, and W-2 wages consume that base first. If your day job already pays you $184,500 or more, the side hustle owes no Social Security portion at all, just the 2.9% Medicare charge, which has no ceiling at any income.
Below $400 of net earnings the tax simply does not apply. Above roughly $200,000 of combined earnings the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax can appear on top, but its threshold depends on filing status, so this tool flags it rather than guessing at it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I figure self-employment tax?
How much is self-employment tax on $60,000?
Do I pay self-employment tax if I also have a W-2 job?
Is the deductible half a discount on the self-employment tax?
Does this calculator include income tax or the Additional Medicare Tax?
Do I owe self-employment tax if I made less than $400?
Related reading
Self-employment tax in 2026
The full guide behind this calculator: the 15.3%, the wage base, and the worked example on $60,000.
SEP IRA vs solo 401(k)
The retirement plan decision your net profit figure feeds straight into.
Solo 401(k) contribution limits
Contributions are based on net profit minus half of your SE tax, the figure this tool just gave you.
Social Security Break-Even Calculator
What that 12.4% eventually buys: when claiming later beats claiming early.