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Calculator · Tax & Refunds

Self-Employment Tax Calculator

Social Security, Medicare and quarterly estimates for freelance income.

Read the how-to
The formula

How this number is built

SE tax = net × 92.35% × (12.4% Social Security up to the cap + 2.9% Medicare)
Step by step

Doing it by hand

Step 1

Total business revenue and subtract every legitimate deductible expense.

Step 2

Apply the 92.35% factor, which excludes the employer-equivalent portion.

Step 3

Cap the Social Security portion at the annual wage base, counting W-2 wages first.

Step 4

Deduct half of the self-employment tax when computing income tax.

Step 5

Divide the total by four and set that aside each quarter.

Questions

What people ask next

Why 92.35%?

It approximates the employer half of payroll tax, which an employee would never have paid on their own wages.

Does an S-corp election help?

It can reduce the SE tax base by splitting salary and distributions, but it adds payroll filings and a reasonable-salary requirement.

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