Self-employment tax calculator (2026)
Self-employment tax is 15.3% of 92.35% of your net profit: 12.4% for social security, up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, and 2.9% for Medicare on all of it. You can deduct half of it.
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Informational estimate, not tax advice. SuperBooks does not prepare or file tax forms.
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The formula
Net earnings = net profit × 92.35% (no tax under $400). Social security = 12.4% × the smaller of net earnings and ($184,500 − W-2 social security wages). Medicare = 2.9% × net earnings. Additional Medicare Tax = 0.9% of net earnings over your threshold, less your wages. These are the Schedule SE lines; the IRS had not yet published the 2026 Schedule SE when this was checked, so the 2026 wage base comes from Publication 15 (2026).
Run it with curl
curl "https://app.superbooks.io/api/tools/self-employment-tax?netProfit=60000"Questions
- What is the self-employment tax rate for 2026?
- 15.3%: 12.4% for social security and 2.9% for Medicare, on 92.35% of your net profit. The social security part stops at the $184,500 wage base for 2026, reduced by any wages already taxed for social security. You owe no self-employment tax if your net earnings are under $400.
- Can I deduct self-employment tax?
- Yes, one-half of it, on Schedule 1 of Form 1040. The calculator shows that half.
- What is the Additional Medicare Tax?
- A further 0.9% on self-employment income over $200,000 (single, head of household or qualifying surviving spouse), $250,000 (married filing jointly) or $125,000 (married filing separately). If you also have wages, the threshold for your self-employment income is reduced by them. It is figured on Form 8959.