Self Employment Tax Calculator
Enter your net self-employment income to get the Social Security portion, the Medicare portion, the total 15.3% self-employment tax, and the deductible half.
Net Self-Employment Income
Business income after expenses, before self-employment tax.
2026 cap shown by default. Edit for a different tax year.
Enter your net profit to see the self-employment tax breakdown.
Net earnings from self-employment (92.35% of net profit) are below $400.
The IRS does not require self-employment tax when net earnings fall under this threshold.
Total Self-Employment Tax
$0.00
0% of net profit
Social Security (12.4%)
$0.00
of net earnings
Medicare (2.9%)
$0.00
of net earnings, no cap
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Net profit | — |
| Net earnings from SE (× 92.35%) | — |
| Social Security tax (12.4%) | — |
| Medicare tax (2.9%) | — |
| Total self-employment tax | — |
| Deductible half (adjustment to income) | — |
This covers only Social Security and Medicare. You still owe regular income tax on your net profit separately.
Summary
Enter your net self-employment income to get the Social Security portion, the Medicare portion, the total 15.3% self-employment tax, and the deductible half.
How it works
- Enter your net self-employment income (net profit from your business, before this tax).
- The calculator multiplies it by 92.35% to get net earnings subject to self-employment tax, per IRS rules.
- It applies 12.4% Social Security tax to those earnings, capped at the annual Social Security wage base.
- It applies 2.9% Medicare tax to the full amount, with no cap.
- The two portions are added for your total self-employment tax, and half of that total is shown as your deductible amount.
Use cases
- Freelancers estimating what they owe on 1099 income before filing.
- Independent contractors setting aside money for quarterly estimated taxes.
- Small business owners checking how the Social Security wage base cap affects a high-income year.
- Gig workers comparing net take-home pay against W-2 employment.
- Sole proprietors estimating the self-employed health insurance or retirement contribution limits that depend on net SE earnings.
- Anyone verifying a tax preparer or software SE tax figure by hand.