Self-employment · Tax year 2026

1099 Tax Calculator: Self-Employment Tax and Income Tax, Estimated

If you work for yourself, two federal taxes apply to the same income. Self-employment tax is 15.3 percent, figured on 92.35 percent of your net self-employment income. Federal income tax is figured separately, on your income after the standard deduction and after the deduction for one half of the self-employment tax. Enter your figures below and this calculator estimates both taxes, and the combined rate, for tax year 2026.

Last reviewed: November 4, 2026.

The 2026 self-employment numbers

Self-employment tax figures for 2026, from IRS sources
Self-employment tax rate	15.3 percent: 12.4 percent for Social Security and 2.9 percent for Medicare (IRS Topic No. 554)
Amount the tax is figured on	92.35 percent of net earnings from self-employment. Net means after business expenses, not gross receipts (IRS Topic No. 554)
Social Security wage base, 2026	$184,500. The 12.4 percent part applies up to this amount of combined wages and self-employment income, and W-2 wages use the base first (Social Security Administration; IRS Topic No. 751)
Medicare part	No wage limit. The 2.9 percent applies to all net earnings (IRS Topic No. 554)
Additional Medicare Tax	0.9 percent on combined wages and self-employment income over $200,000, or over $250,000 on a joint return (IRS Topic No. 554; Form 8959)
Deduction for half the tax	One half of the self-employment tax is deducted in figuring adjusted gross income (IRS Topic No. 554; Schedule SE)
When the tax starts	Net earnings from self-employment of $400 or more, after the 92.35 percent step (IRS Topic No. 554)
Standard deduction, 2026	$16,100 single; $32,200 married filing jointly (Revenue Procedure 2025-32)

Checked against IRS sources · Reviewed November 4, 2026

The 1099 tax calculator

Filing status Net self-employment income for the year (dollars)

Your business profit after ordinary and necessary business expenses, the figure Schedule C arrives at. Not gross receipts. If the business lost money, enter 0 here and treat the loss as part of your wider return, which this estimate does not model.

W-2 wages for the year (dollars, optional)

If you also have a job, enter the wages that were subject to Social Security tax, which is Box 3 of the W-2. These wages use the Social Security wage base first, and they are counted as income in the estimate.

Other income for the year (dollars, optional)

Interest, dividends, a spouse's wages on a joint return, and other income with no self-employment tax on it. It is included in the income tax estimate only.

Estimate only. This tool gives a general estimate based on the figures you entered and the published IRS rules cited on this page. It is not tax advice, it is not a tax return, and it cannot be relied on to avoid any tax penalty. Tax law and IRS guidance change. Confirm your figures against the current IRS instructions for the form you file, or ask a qualified tax professional.

Nothing you enter is sent anywhere. The calculation runs in your browser.

How this estimate is calculated

The 92.35 percent step. Net self-employment income is multiplied by 92.35 percent. That reduced amount is what the self-employment tax is figured on, and if it comes to less than $400, no self-employment tax applies.
The Social Security part. 12.4 percent of that amount, but only up to the room left under the 2026 wage base of $184,500 after your W-2 wages. The Medicare part, 2.9 percent, applies to the whole amount with no cap.
Additional Medicare Tax. If your W-2 wages plus the reduced self-employment amount pass $200,000, or $250,000 on a joint return, 0.9 percent is added on the part over the threshold.
The half deduction. One half of the total self-employment tax is deducted from income before the income tax is figured. It is the adjustment that puts the self-employed roughly level with employees, whose employers pay half of the payroll tax.
The income tax. Your W-2 wages, other income, and full net self-employment income are added, the half deduction and the standard deduction for your filing status come off, and the 2026 rate thresholds in Revenue Procedure 2025-32 are applied to what remains.

Paying this tax during the year, rather than in one sum at filing time, is what estimated payments are for. The quarterly estimated tax calculator runs this same estimate and splits what withholding does not cover into the four IRS payment dates.

explained here, never figured

The qualified business income deduction is not in this estimate

Section 199A of the Internal Revenue Code allows many self-employed people a deduction of up to 20 percent of qualified business income, on top of everything above. Whether it applies, and for how much, depends on facts this calculator does not ask about: the kind of business, total taxable income, whether the business is a specified service trade or business, and for higher incomes the wages the business pays and the property it owns. Rather than guess at those facts, this estimator leaves the deduction out entirely and says so. Where it applies, an actual return will generally show less income tax than this estimate; the self-employment tax is not changed by it either way.

the gaps are listed, not hidden

What this estimate leaves out

Credits of every kind: child tax credit, education credits, energy credits, and the rest. Credits reduce the income tax after it is figured, so this estimate runs high for anyone who claims them.
Itemized deductions. The estimate uses the standard deduction for your filing status. If you itemize more than that, your income tax will be lower.
The four new Schedule 1-A deductions. Those attach to amounts an employer reports on a W-2, in Box 12 with code TP for tips and code TT for the overtime premium; the IRS states in Fact Sheet FS-2026-13 that for 2026 the deductions are generally limited to those employer-reported amounts. Self-employment income produces no W-2 and no codes. If part of your pay is W-2 wages with tips or overtime, see the Schedule 1-A hub and the tips deduction calculator, and count that income here as W-2 wages.
Retirement contributions. A SEP IRA or solo 401(k) contribution can reduce the income tax. It does not reduce the self-employment tax, which is figured before the contribution.
State and local taxes. Most states tax self-employment income under their own rules, and some cities do too. Nothing for them is estimated here.
Partnership and S corporation detail. Income from a partnership is generally subject to self-employment tax on the partner's share, and S corporation wages are W-2 wages with payroll tax withheld by the corporation. This estimator treats the figures you enter at face value; entity questions are beyond what it models.

Questions and answers

Is the tax on 1099 income a flat 15.3 percent?

No. The 15.3 percent is only the self-employment tax, and it is figured on 92.35 percent of your net self-employment income, not the whole amount. Federal income tax applies on top of it, at the graduated rates, after the standard deduction and the deduction for one half of the self-employment tax. The calculator above estimates both taxes together.

Why does the calculator ask about W-2 wages?

Because W-2 wages use the Social Security wage base first. For 2026 the 12.4 percent Social Security part applies only up to $184,500 of combined wages and self-employment income. If your job wages already reach the cap, the Social Security part of the self-employment tax on your side income is zero, while the Medicare part still applies in full.

Is self-employment tax figured on my gross receipts?

No. It is figured on net earnings: your business income after ordinary and necessary business expenses, and then only on 92.35 percent of that net amount. If you enter gross receipts instead of profit, this estimate will run high.

Does this estimate include the qualified business income deduction?

No. The section 199A deduction can be worth up to 20 percent of qualified business income, but it depends on the kind of business, your total income, and in some cases wages paid and property owned, none of which this calculator asks about. The estimate therefore leaves it out entirely rather than guessing at it, and says so wherever the results appear.

Sources

IRS, Topic No. 554, Self-Employment Tax. The 12.4 and 2.9 percent rate parts, the 92.35 percent step, the $400 floor, the Additional Medicare Tax thresholds, and the deduction for one half of the tax. Checked November 4, 2026.
IRS, Topic No. 751, Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates; Social Security Administration, Contribution and Benefit Base. The Social Security wage base of $184,500 for 2026. Checked November 4, 2026.
IRS, Revenue Procedure 2025-32, announced in release IR-2025-103, October 9, 2025. Tax year 2026 rate thresholds and standard deduction amounts used for the income tax estimate.
IRS, Instructions for Schedule SE (Form 1040), Self-Employment Tax, and Publication 334, Tax Guide for Small Business. How net earnings are defined and where the half deduction is claimed.

Last reviewed: November 4, 2026.