Self Employment Tax Calculator

Free self employment tax calculator (U.S.): 92.35% SE base, 12.4% Social Security up to editable wage base, 2.9% Medicare, deductible-half estimate, scenario rows, and a full guide—not tax advice.

Self Employment Tax Calculator | U.S. Schedule SE Estimator

Important: This is an illustrative U.S. self-employment (SE) tax estimator using common Schedule SE–style building blocks (the 92.35% net-earnings multiplier, Social Security on a wage base cap, Medicare on the full multiplied base). It is not tax advice, not a substitute for a CPA or enrolled agent, and does not model every add-on (for example Additional Medicare Tax thresholds, multi-state rules, or the optional deferral histories). Update the Social Security wage base field when IRS publishes the next year’s number.

Summary: Enter annual net self-employment income (profit after expenses, before SE tax). The tool applies the 92.35% factor, splits 12.4% Social Security (capped) and 2.9% Medicare (uncapped), shows an employer-equivalent deduction estimate (half of SE tax), and prints scenario rows—same spirit as the mortgage calculator’s stress checks.

What this widget includes / skips (tap)
  • Includes: 92.35% net base, SS 12.4% up to editable wage base, Medicare 2.9% on full base, half-of-SE-tax adjustment estimate.
  • Skips: Additional Medicare 0.9%, church employee rules, optional methods, farm limits, joint return combinations, and your actual Form 1040 bracket math.

Self employment tax calculator (Schedule SE–style)

Freelancers, gig workers, and LLC owners often want a single number: how much extra hits beyond income tax. This page keeps the arithmetic inspectable so you can hand the assumptions to a professional instead of treating the web like the IRS.

Formulas (short)
  • SE base = net self-employment income × 0.9235 (Schedule SE adjustment for the employer share concept).
  • Social Security SE tax = 12.4% × min(SE base, wage base).
  • Medicare SE tax = 2.9% × SE base (no wage cap in this simplified core).
  • Deductible half (planning) = 50% × (SS SE tax + Medicare SE tax) — often entered as an adjustment to income; confirm on your actual return.
Inputs (USD, annual)

Schedule SE generally applies when net earnings are $400 or more—below that, read IRS rules; this tool still runs the math for learning.

Default reflects a commonly cited 2025 OASDI wage base figure—verify against current IRS publications before filing.

SE tax breakdown and deductible-half estimate will appear here.

For Schedule SE context, quarterly estimated taxes, and why Medicare has no cap, read Self-employment tax in plain language below.