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Self-employed tax calculator: what should I set aside?
Most advice says to put away 25% to 30%. That's a guess. Some freelancers tie up money they could have used all year, and others get a bill in April they can't cover. This self-employed tax calculator uses your actual numbers and tells you what to put aside for federal taxes in 2026.
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Set aside each quarter
$0
Total for the year
$0
Where that comes from
| Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare) | $0 |
| Income tax | $0 |
| Already taken out of paychecks | $0 |
| Total still to pay | $0 |
Your set-aside number changes every time you get paid or drive somewhere for work, so a figure from August is out of date by October. ExpenseDuck's quarterly tax estimate recalculates it as the year goes.
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What this self-employed tax calculator includes, and what it leaves out
Working for yourself means two federal taxes. First there's self-employment tax, which is Social Security and Medicare. At a job your employer pays half of that and you never see it. On your own, you pay all of it. Then regular income tax comes on top. The calculator works out both and adds them together.
Self-employment tax is 15.3%, and you pay it on about 92% of your profit rather than every dollar. The Social Security part stops once you've made $184,500 in a year. You also get to take half of what you pay in self-employment tax off your income before the income tax is worked out, which brings that second number down.
Start with an honest profit number. That's money in minus your business expenses, and if you drive for work, your mileage deduction counts as one of those expenses. Our guide to the IRS mileage rate 2026 shows how to work it out. Coming from QuickBooks Self-Employed? Our QuickBooks Self-Employed export guide shows how to get this year's transactions out so you can add them up.
There's also a break called the qualified business income deduction that a lot of freelancers can take. We left it out of this calculator, so your real bill may come in lower than what you see. We'd rather you save a bit too much than a bit too little.
We assume you take the standard deduction, so if you itemize, your numbers will be different. The tax brackets and standard deductions for all five filing statuses come from the IRS's Revenue Procedure 2025-32, which sets the 2026 figures.
Common questions about quarterly taxes
How much should I set aside for taxes if I'm self-employed?
It depends on your profit, your filing status, and any paychecks in your household, including the tax already taken out of them. You'll see 25% to 30% suggested all over the internet. That's a guess from someone who doesn't know your numbers. The calculator above uses yours, and it shows both the total for the year and what that comes to each quarter.
What happens if I pay too little?
The IRS can charge you a penalty. There are two ways to stay clear of it. Pay at least 90% of what you'll owe this year, or pay 100% of what you owed last year, whichever of those is smaller. If you made over $150,000 last year, that second option goes up to 110%. And if you end up owing less than $1,000 once your paycheck withholding is counted, there's no penalty at all.
Do I have to pay every quarter?
If you expect to owe $1,000 or more, yes. Some freelancers with a spouse on a regular paycheck skip the quarterly payments and have extra tax taken out of that paycheck to cover it.
Does this calculator include state taxes?
No, it's federal only. If your state has an income tax, check whether it wants quarterly payments too, and put aside more than the number here. A tax professional can tell you what your state expects.
ExpenseDuck produces estimates. It does not give tax advice or file your taxes. Consult a licensed tax professional for your specific situation.