acalculator

What is my self employment tax?

If you freelance, drive, or run a business, you pay both halves of Social Security and Medicare as self-employment tax. Type your net profit to see it for 2026.

Your numbers

Income from 1099s minus business expenses.
They use up the Social Security wage base first.
More options
Self-employment tax
$7,064.78

On $50,000.00 of net profit, your self-employment tax is $7,064.78, and you deduct $3,532.39.

Social Security part
$5,725.70
Medicare part
$1,339.08
Net earnings from self-employment
$46,175.00
Deduction for half of the tax
$3,532.39
Additional Medicare Tax
$0.00
Total with Additional Medicare
$7,064.78
Share of profit
14.13%
Rates of tax year
2,026

Self-employment tax: $7,064.78. On $50,000.00 of net profit, your self-employment tax is $7,064.78, and you deduct $3,532.39.

What makes up your self-employment tax?

Total with Additional Medicare by net self-employment profit

The results are estimates for information only. They are not financial, tax, or legal advice. Check the numbers with your lender or a qualified professional before you decide. Terms of use

How to calculate

Works out 2026 self-employment tax on Schedule SE: 15.3% Social Security and Medicare on 92.35% of net profit, the wage base with W-2 wages, the Additional Medicare Tax, and the half you deduct.

Example with the default inputs (Net self-employment profit $50,000.00, W-2 wages $0.00, Filing status Single, Tax year 2,026): On $50,000.00 of net profit, your self-employment tax is $7,064.78, and you deduct $3,532.39.

Method: Net earnings e = 92.35% × profit (none below $400). SE tax = 12.4% × min(e, $184,500 − W-2 wages) + 2.9% × e. Deduction = SE tax ÷ 2. Additional Medicare = 0.9% × max(0, e − max(0, threshold − W-2 wages)).

  • An estimate for tax year 2026 (Schedule SE, SSA wage base $184,500), not tax advice.
  • Not modelled: the farm and nonfarm optional methods, church employee income, the Conservation Reserve Program exclusion, and income tax on the profit (see the income tax calculator).
  • The W-2 wages are your own, and they are both Social Security and Medicare wages. On a joint return each spouse files a separate Schedule SE; enter one person at a time.
  • The Additional Medicare Tax threshold is $200,000 ($250,000 jointly, $125,000 separately) and counts only the wages typed here.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Net self-employment profit $50,000.00, Filing status Single gives Net earnings from self-employment $46,175.00, Social Security part $5,725.70, Medicare part $1,339.08, Self-employment tax $7,064.78, Deduction for half of the tax $3,532.39.Source: Schedule SE (Form 1040) lines 4a to 13 with the 2026 wage base $184,500 (SSA); 0.9% over the Form 8959 threshold
  2. Net self-employment profit $200,000.00, W-2 wages $150,000.00, Filing status Single gives Social Security part $4,278.00, Medicare part $5,356.30, Self-employment tax $9,634.30, Additional Medicare Tax $1,212.30, Total with Additional Medicare $10,846.60.Source: Schedule SE lines 8a to 10 (wages use up the wage base) and Form 8959 lines 8 to 13; 0.9% over the Form 8959 threshold
  3. Net self-employment profit $433.00, Filing status Single gives Self-employment tax $0.00, Net earnings from self-employment $399.88.Source: 0.9% over the Form 8959 threshold
  4. Net self-employment profit $150,000.00, Filing status Married filing separately gives Self-employment tax $21,194.33, Additional Medicare Tax $121.73.Source: Form 8959: $125,000 threshold when married filing separately; 0.9% over the Form 8959 threshold

How it works

This follows Schedule SE Part I for one person, with 2026 amounts.

  1. Net earnings e = 92.35% × net profit (shown as it is, even under $400). If e is under $400, the tax is 0 (and so is every line below).
  2. Social Security part = 12.4% × the lesser of e and ($184,500 − your W-2 Social Security wages, not below 0).
  3. Medicare part = 2.9% × e.
  4. Self-employment tax = Social Security part + Medicare part. The deduction for half of it = tax ÷ 2.
  5. Additional Medicare Tax on self-employment (Form 8959 Part II) = 0.9% × the part of e above (threshold − your W-2 Medicare wages, not below 0). The threshold is $200,000, or $250,000 married filing jointly, or $125,000 married filing separately (single, head of household, and qualifying surviving spouse use $200,000). The page counts the wages you type as both Social Security and Medicare wages.
  6. Total = self-employment tax + Additional Medicare Tax. Share of profit = self-employment tax ÷ profit.

Nothing is rounded until it is shown. The tax year field keeps the 2026 wage base until the SSA publishes the next year's, and says so.

Worked examples by hand

$50,000 of profit, no wages. e = 0.9235 × 50,000 = $46,175. Social Security 12.4% × 46,175 = $5,725.70; Medicare 2.9% × 46,175 = $1,339.08. Tax $7,064.78; deduction $3,532.39.

$200,000 of profit and $150,000 of W-2 wages, single. e = $184,700. Room under the wage base = 184,500 − 150,000 = $34,500, so Social Security = 12.4% × 34,500 = $4,278. Medicare = 2.9% × 184,700 = $5,356.30. Tax $9,634.30. Additional Medicare: 0.9% × (184,700 − (200,000 − 150,000)) = 0.9% × 134,700 = $1,212.30. Total $10,846.60.

$433 of profit. e = $399.88, under $400: no tax.

$150,000 of profit, married filing separately. e = $138,525: 12.4% × 138,525 + 2.9% × 138,525 = 17,177.10 + 4,017.23 = $21,194.33. Additional Medicare: 0.9% × (138,525 − 125,000) = $121.73.

Other questions people ask

What is the self-employment tax rate?

15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare, the employee and employer halves together. It applies to 92.35% of your net profit, so the tax is about 14.13% of profit until the Social Security wage base ($184,500 in 2026).

Why is only 92.35% of my profit taxed?

An employee does not pay Social Security and Medicare on the employer half of those taxes. To match that, Schedule SE takes 7.65% (the employer half) off your profit first: 100% − 7.65% = 92.35%.

Do I pay self-employment tax if I also have a W-2 job?

Yes, on your self-employment earnings. But your W-2 wages use up the Social Security wage base first. If your wages are $150,000, only $34,500 of self-employment earnings is left for the 12.4% part in 2026; Medicare's 2.9% has no cap.

Is there a minimum?

Yes. If your net earnings (92.35% of profit) are under $400, you owe no self-employment tax. A profit of about $433 or more crosses the line.

Can I deduct self-employment tax?

You deduct half of it as an adjustment to income (Schedule 1 line 15), which lowers your income tax, not the self-employment tax itself. The calculator shows that deduction.

What is the Additional Medicare Tax?

An extra 0.9% on wages and self-employment earnings above $200,000 ($250,000 married filing jointly, $125,000 separately), figured on Form 8959. Your wages count toward the threshold first.

What does this calculator leave out?

Income tax on the profit (use the income tax calculator), the optional methods for low earnings, church employee income, and state taxes. It is an estimate, not tax advice.