Direct use works for standalone tax planning, while shared toolkit amounts can still auto-fill the income side when fresh data exists.
📊 Your Income
per year
$
⚠ Numbers only — e.g. 85000
⚠ Income over $2M entered — please double-check this is correct.
⟳ Monthly value × 12 — all tax estimates are annual totals.
🧾 Business Expenses
$
Numbers only — e.g. 12000
👤 Filing Status
⚙️ Advanced Options
▼
✨ Include QBI (20%) estimate
?20% deduction on business income only. Phases out for high earners (SSTB): Single: $0 above ~$247k taxable MFJ: $0 above ~$495k taxable Eligibility & limits vary.
QBI Tip
Business W-2 Wages
$
Qualified Property?
Qualified Property Amount
$
🏛️ Add State Estimate
State & Rate
%
Suggested estimate — still editable.
🏦 Pre-tax retirement contributions
Annual Contribution
$
Retirement Tip
⚠
🧾 Use itemized deductions
State / Local Taxes Paid
$
Mortgage Interest
$
Charitable Gifts
$
Medical Expenses
$
Tool compares standard vs itemized and uses the larger deduction. The 2025/2026 SALT limit and MAGI phase-down are applied; medical deductions only count above 7.5% of AGI proxy.
🏢 Use S-Corp estimate
?Estimate mode only. Owner salary is taxed like payroll wages. Remaining profit is treated as pass-through distributions. Reasonable compensation rules still apply.
Owner Salary (Annual)
$
Annual admin / payroll / filing cost
$
Salary is taxed via payroll. Profit left after salary + employer payroll + admin cost is treated as distribution income.
S-Corp Tip
⚠
💼 I also have W-2 wages
Your W-2 Wages (Annual)
$
Spouse W-2 Wages (Annual)
$
📈 Net investment income
For NIIT only when relevant
Investment Income (Annual)
$
Dividends, capital gains, passive rental/royalty, or passive investment income. Do not include wages or most active business income.
Leave blank for a simple current-year estimate. Prior-year AGI determines whether the prior-year safe harbor is 100% or 110% (over $150,000, or $75,000 if married filing separately).
👶 Kids / Dependents
Child Tax Credit estimate
Dependent Tip
Est. credit: $0.00 · Simplified; ACTC refundability is estimated, but full worksheet detail is not.
?Up to $2,200 per qualifying child (2025/2026); up to $1,700 may be refundable. The $500 Other Dependent Credit is nonrefundable. Income phaseout and ACTC earned-income limits are estimated.
🧮
Enter your income above
Your live tax estimate will appear here. No sign-up · Settings saved on your device.
You Keep · Annual
$—
Monthly:$—
Est. monthly tax: $—
Top federal bracket: —%?Your marginal rate — the rate on your last dollar earned. Effective rate (your avg) is usually much lower.
Total Tax
$—
Effective Rate
?Your avg tax rate across all income. Always lower than your top bracket.
—%
Quick Estimate
💡 Tax Breakdown
Total Taxes Owed$—
Federal Income Tax
$—
Self-Employment Tax?15.3% on 92.35% of net profit. Includes SS (capped) + Medicare (no cap). High earners: +0.9% Additional Medicare on SE income above $200k (single) / $250k (MFJ).
$—
Incl. 0.9% Add'l Medicare
?Additional 0.9% Medicare Tax (IRC Sec. 3101). Applied to SE earned income above $200k (Single/HoH) or $250k (MFJ). Already included in SE Tax total above.
—
NIIT (3.8%) estimate
?Net Investment Income Tax is 3.8% of the lesser of net investment income or MAGI above the IRS threshold. Thresholds are generally $200k Single/HoH and $250k MFJ.
S-Corp Distribution (est.)
· not subject to SE tax
—
Deductions & Credits
QBI Deduction (est.)
· reduces taxable income?20% of business income (Sec. 199A). Phases out for SSTB earners: Single: $0 above ~$247k taxable MFJ: $0 above ~$495k taxable
—
Federal (before child credit)
$—
Child Tax Credit (est.)
· reduces federal tax?Applied against federal tax first. Income phaseout is estimated. Refundable ACTC is estimated separately when relevant.
—
Additional Child Tax Credit (est.)
· refundable estimate?Estimated from earned income above $2,500 and capped at $1,700 per qualifying child. Full Schedule 8812 detail is still simplified.
—
Standard Deduction· larger deduction used?Itemized first pass compares SALT, mortgage interest, charity, and medical expenses against the standard deduction. Some Schedule A rules are still simplified.
—
Federal (after child credit)
$—
Retirement Contribution
—
½ SE Deduction
$—
Taxable Income
Taxable Income (before QBI) (annual)
$—
Taxable Income (annual)
$—
$—
Set Aside / Wk
$—
Set Aside / Mo
$—
Pay / Quarter
📅 Estimated Tax Due Dates
Monthly set-aside is shown above. Quarterly payments are due on the dates below.
Q1Apr 15, —
$—
Q2Jun 15, —
$—
Q3Sep 15, —
$—
Q4Jan 15, —
$—
⚠️ Dates may shift if they fall on a weekend or federal holiday. Verify at IRS.gov.
→ Send to Next Tool
Enter your income above to continue.
⚡ Actions & Export
Planning estimate only. Some rules remain simplified, including full phaseouts, multi-state details, detailed S-Corp handling, and credits. Consult a CPA before filing.
Built for USA freelance planning using IRS guidance for tax years 2025–2026. USA Freelance Calculator Toolkit
2026 US freelancer tax planning
How the Freelance Tax Calculator Works
Start with annual or monthly freelance income, subtract business expenses, choose filing status, and then adjust only the options that apply to you. The estimator models federal income tax and self-employment tax separately, can add an optional state estimate, and shows take-home plus a quarterly planning amount.
Enter gross freelance income and business expenses.
Select 2026 or 2025, filing status, and any relevant advanced assumptions.
Review self-employment tax, federal tax, deductions or credits, and estimated take-home.
Use the quarterly section as a planning estimate, then verify filing decisions against your own records and current IRS guidance.
Self-Employment Tax
Self-employment tax is separate from federal income tax. IRS guidance describes it as Social Security and Medicare tax for people who work for themselves. This calculator uses the selected tax year's Social Security wage base, Medicare component, and Additional Medicare rules where applicable, while keeping the deductible half-SE calculation separate from Additional Medicare Tax.
Quarterly Estimated Taxes
Federal income tax is pay-as-you-go. Self-employed people may need estimated payments when withholding does not cover enough tax. The estimator can show a quarterly planning amount and supports prior-year tax, prior-year AGI, and withholding inputs for its safe-harbor comparison. Actual required payments depend on your full tax situation.
Freelance Tax Worked Example
Scenario: 2026, Single, $100,000 gross freelance income, $20,000 business expenses, federal only, no W-2 income, no dependents, with the QBI estimate left on. The calculator begins with $80,000 of business profit, then applies its current self-employment-tax, half-SE-deduction, deduction, QBI, federal-bracket, and quarterly-planning logic before showing estimated take-home.
Changing filing status, state settings, retirement contributions, dependents, W-2 wages, itemized deductions, withholding, or prior-year safe-harbor inputs can materially change the result, so the example is a walkthrough rather than a universal tax outcome.
Methodology & IRS Sources
Last reviewed: September 26, 2026. This calculator is an estimate for planning and is not tax advice. It uses the selected year's tax data and the assumptions shown in the interface; some state, entity, credit, deduction, and multi-state situations remain simplified.
Yes. It estimates self-employment tax separately from federal income tax and reflects the selected year's Social Security wage base and Medicare-related rules used by the tool.
Is the quarterly amount the exact payment I must send?
No. It is a planning estimate based on the information you enter. Withholding, prior-year tax, prior-year AGI, income changes, credits, and other tax facts can change what you actually need to pay.
Can I use the result as tax advice?
No. Use it for planning and scenario comparison. Verify important filing, entity, state, and payment decisions with current IRS guidance or a qualified tax professional.
What should I do after estimating take-home?
You can continue to the Freelance Income Goal Calculator to translate take-home needs into a revenue target, then use the Budget Planner for cash planning.
Share This Tool
Share this tax-planning tool with another freelancer.
Use the share or copy-link options to send the live estimator quickly on mobile or desktop.
Use this when you want someone else to open the live estimator instead of a screenshot.