--- title: "Self-Employment Tax Calculator 2026: Social Security and Medicare for 1099 Income | TaxWren" description: "Calculate your 2026 self-employment tax: 15.3% Social Security and Medicare on 92.35% of profit, the wage base, the Additional Medicare tax and the deduction for half." url: https://taxwren.com/self-employment-tax-calculator --- 2026 tax year · updated Oct 15, 2026 # Self-employment tax calculator Self-employment tax for 2026 is 15.3% of 92.35% of your net profit: 12.4% for Social Security up to the $184,500 wage base and 2.9% for Medicare with no cap. On $60,000 of freelance, gig or business profit that comes to $8,478. ## Self-employment tax for 2026 $9,184 14.1% of your profit - Net profit: $65,000 - Taxed amount (92.35% of profit): $60,028 - Social Security (12.4%): $7,443 - Medicare (2.9%): $1,741 - Additional Medicare (0.9%): $0 - Deduction for half of SE tax: $4,592 - Set aside each quarter (SE tax only): $2,296 Income tax comes on top. [Total tax and quarterly payments in the 1099 tax calculator](/1099-tax-calculator) ## Self-employment tax by profit, 2026 Single filer with no W-2 wages. The rate falls above $184,500 of net earnings because Social Security stops at the wage base. | Net profit | Social Security | Medicare | Total SE tax | % of profit | Per quarter | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $20,000 | $2,290 | $536 | $2,826 | 14.1% | $706 | | $40,000 | $4,581 | $1,071 | $5,652 | 14.1% | $1,413 | | $60,000 | $6,871 | $1,607 | $8,478 | 14.1% | $2,119 | | $80,000 | $9,161 | $2,143 | $11,304 | 14.1% | $2,826 | | $100,000 | $11,451 | $2,678 | $14,130 | 14.1% | $3,532 | | $150,000 | $17,177 | $4,017 | $21,194 | 14.1% | $5,299 | | $200,000 | $22,878 | $5,356 | $28,234 | 14.1% | $7,059 | | $250,000 | $22,878 | $6,973 | $29,851 | 11.8% | $7,463 | ## How self-employment tax works 1. Start from net profit: self-employment income minus business expenses (Schedule C). 2. Multiply by 92.35% to get net earnings from self-employment. 3. Social Security: 12.4% of net earnings up to $184,500, less any W-2 wages that already count toward that base. 4. Medicare: 2.9% of all net earnings, plus 0.9% Additional Medicare tax above $200,000 ($250,000 married filing jointly). 5. Deduct half of the self-employment tax from your income for income tax (not from the self-employment tax itself). Self-employment tax is only part of what a freelancer owes. The [1099 tax calculator](/1099-tax-calculator) adds federal and state income tax and the QBI deduction, and the [estimated tax calculator](/estimated-tax-calculator) works out the quarterly payments that avoid a penalty. Sources: [IRS Topic 554](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc554), [Social Security wage base](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html), [IRS Topic 560](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc560). See our [methodology](/methodology). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the self-employment tax rate for 2026? 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare, charged on 92.35% of your net profit. Social Security stops at the $184,500 wage base; Medicare has no cap. ### How much self-employment tax do I pay on $60,000? On $60,000 of net profit, $8,478 (14.1% of the profit). Half of it, $4,239, is deducted from your income for income tax. ### Why is it charged on 92.35% of profit? The 92.35% factor mirrors the employer half an employee never sees in their wages, so the self-employed pay on the same base as employees. ### Do I pay self-employment tax if I also have a W-2 job? Yes, but your W-2 wages count toward the $184,500 Social Security wage base first. If your wages already reach it, your self-employment earnings pay only the Medicare part. ### Is self-employment tax the same as income tax? No. It is payroll tax (Social Security and Medicare) and comes on top of federal and state income tax. Both are paid through quarterly estimated payments. ## Related calculators - [1099 tax calculatorSelf-employment tax and quarterly payments](/1099-tax-calculator) - [Estimated tax calculatorQuarterly payments that avoid a penalty](/estimated-tax-calculator) - [Tax bracket calculatorWhich bracket you are in, and how close the next is](/tax-bracket-calculator) ## Related guides - [Explainer · PaychecksFICA tax in 2026: Social Security and Medicare rates, and who pays whatFICA is 6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare from your pay, matched by your employer. Self-employed people pay 15.3%. 2026 rates, cap and examples.](/blog/fica-tax) - [Guide · Self-employedQuarterly estimated tax payments 2026: due dates and how much to payThe 2026 estimated tax due dates, who has to pay, how much to pay each quarter to avoid a penalty, and how to pay the IRS, with a worked freelancer example.](/blog/quarterly-estimated-tax-payments) - [Explainer · PaychecksSocial Security tax cap 2026: wage base and maximum taxIn 2026, Social Security tax stops at $184,500 of wages: up to $11,439 for employees and $22,878 if self-employed. Medicare has no cap.](/blog/social-security-tax-cap)