Self-Employment Tax Calculator
Estimate Schedule SE tax on self-employment profit: 15.3% on 92.35% of earnings, coordinated with any W-2 wages.
IRS Schedule SE rules and SSA wage base last updated · reference source
Loading calculator…
Currency: Amounts are calculated in the currency you select; this site does not convert between currencies and does not use live exchange rates.
Dated static reference; no live data is fetched. Verify current source values and assumptions before relying on results.
What this tool does
Estimates the tax filed on Schedule SE. Self-employed people pay both the employee and employer halves of FICA — 12.4% Social Security (up to the $184,500 wage base, shared with any W-2 wages) and 2.9% Medicare — but only on 92.35% of net profit, which mimics excluding the employer half. Half of the SE tax (excluding the Additional Medicare Tax) is then deductible from income.
How to use the Self-Employment Tax Calculator
- Enter your figures in the fields above.
- Check the filing status, state and pay-frequency selections — they change the tables used.
- Read the headline result first, then the breakdown: it shows exactly which tax or amount produced each line.
- Change any input to compare scenarios; the result updates with the same dated tables shown on this page.
Formula
net earnings = profit × 92.35%; SS = 12.4% × min(net earnings, $184,500 − W-2 wages); Medicare = 2.9% × net earnings; deduction = (SS + Medicare) ÷ 2
- profit
- Schedule C net profit (or partner's self-employment earnings)
- W-2 wages
- Wages already taxed for Social Security — they use up the wage base first
Worked example
$90,000 of profit becomes $83,115 of net earnings; SE tax is $12,716.60 and the deductible half is $6,358.30.
Inputs
- Net self-employment profit90000
- W-2 wages subject to Social Security (if any)0
- Filing statusSingle
Result
- Self-employment tax$12,716.60
- Social Security part (12.4%)$10,306.26
- Medicare part (2.9%)$2,410.34
- Additional Medicare Tax (0.9%)$0.00
- Net earnings (92.35% of profit)$83,115.00
- Above-the-line deduction (half of SE tax)$6,358.30
Schedule SE constants
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Net-earnings factor | 92.35% |
| Social Security rate | 12.4% |
| Medicare rate | 2.9% |
| Combined headline rate | 15.3% |
| Wage base (2026) | $184,500 |
| Minimum earnings for SE tax | $400 |
Results explained
- Self-employment tax
- 12.4% + 2.9% on 92.35% of profit, plus any Additional Medicare Tax.
- Above-the-line deduction (half of SE tax)
- Half of the SS + Medicare parts, deducted when computing AGI.
Frequently asked questions
It is the employee (7.65%) and employer (7.65%) shares of FICA combined: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare.
Employees do not pay FICA on their employer's share. Multiplying by 92.35% (100% − 7.65%) puts the self-employed on a comparable footing.
One $184,500 wage base per person covers both. W-2 wages use it first; the 12.4% part of SE tax applies only to the room left. Medicare's 2.9% has no cap either way.
It reduces your AGI — and therefore your income tax — by half the SE tax. On $90,000 of profit that is a $6,358.30 deduction, worth roughly $1,400 at a 22% marginal rate.
SE tax starts once net self-employment earnings reach $400 for the year. Below that, the profit is still income-taxable, just not SE-taxable.