--- title: "1099 Tax Calculator 2026: Self-Employment Tax & Take-Home | TaxWren" description: "Estimate 2026 self-employment tax, federal income tax after the QBI deduction, how much to set aside, and your quarterly 1040-ES payments. Free, no sign-up." url: https://taxwren.com/1099-tax-calculator --- 2026 tax year · updated Oct 10, 2026 # 1099 tax calculator for freelancers Self-employment tax, federal income tax after the QBI deduction, how much to set aside, and your quarterly payments. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere. Estimated take-home 20.9% effective For $85,000 of 1099 income · Single · Texas $67,200 $5,600 per month Set aside 21% of every payment That covers federal, self-employment and state tax on this income. - Self-employment tax: $12,010 - Federal income tax: $5,790 - State income tax: $0 - Total estimated tax: $17,800 ## 2026 quarterly payments (Form 1040-ES) - Q1 · due Apr 15, 2026 $4,450 Covers Jan 1 – Mar 31 - Q2 · due Jun 15, 2026 $4,450 Covers Apr 1 – May 31 - Q3 · due Sep 15, 2026 $4,450 Covers Jun 1 – Aug 31 - Q4 · due Jan 15, 2027 $4,450 Covers Sep 1 – Dec 31 What this estimate assumes - Standard deduction (no itemizing) - No employees or business property (QBI wage limits treated as zero) - No child tax credit - No local income tax - Excludes 2025 law deductions for tips, overtime, seniors and car loan interest Estimate for information only, not tax advice. 2026 figures from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32. ## How the 2026 1099 tax is calculated As an independent contractor you pay two federal taxes on your profit: self-employment tax, which funds Social Security and Medicare, and regular income tax. Your state may add a third. 1. **Net profit.** Gross 1099 income minus business expenses (Schedule C). 2. **Self-employment tax.** 15.3% on 92.35% of net profit, with the Social Security part capped at $184,500. 3. **Adjusted gross income.** Profit plus any W-2 wages, minus half of self-employment tax, retirement contributions and self-employed health insurance. 4. **Taxable income.** AGI minus the $16,100 standard deduction ($32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household) and the QBI deduction. 5. **Income tax.** 2026 brackets from 10% to 37%, minus the child tax credit of up to $2,200 per child. ### Worked example: $85,000 profit, single, Texas Self-employment tax is $12,010. Half of it ($6,005) is deducted, leaving AGI of $78,995. After the standard deduction and a QBI deduction of $12,579, taxable income is $50,316 and federal income tax is $5,790. Total tax: $17,800, or 20.9% of profit. Texas has no state income tax. Sources: [IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf), [SSA contribution and benefit base](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html), [IRS Topic 554](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc554). See our [methodology](/methodology). ## Frequently asked questions ### How much is self-employment tax in 2026? Self-employment tax is 15.3% of 92.35% of your net profit: 12.4% for Social Security on the first $184,500 of combined wages and self-employment earnings, plus 2.9% for Medicare with no cap. An extra 0.9% Medicare tax applies above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly). ### How much should I set aside for taxes as a 1099 contractor? It depends on your profit, filing status and state. A single filer in a state with no income tax who earns $85,000 of net profit in 2026 owes about $17,800 in federal and self-employment tax, so setting aside 21% of every payment covers it. Use the calculator above for your own numbers. ### Does the calculator include the QBI deduction? Yes. The Section 199A qualified business income deduction is up to 20% of your business income, limited to 20% of taxable income. For 2026 it starts phasing out for most freelancers above $201,750 of taxable income ($403,500 married filing jointly), and a minimum deduction of $400 applies if you have at least $1,000 of qualified business income. ### When are 2026 quarterly estimated taxes due? Payments for the 2026 tax year are due April 15, 2026, June 15, 2026, September 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027. ### Is half of self-employment tax deductible? Yes. You deduct half of your self-employment tax when calculating adjusted gross income. The calculator applies this automatically before working out federal income tax.