IQ

Self-Employed Tax Calculator

Estimate annual self-employment taxes and plan quarterly payments with state-aware assumptions.

Selected state

California

State

California

Estimated total annual tax

$20,236.56

Federal + state + self-employment tax

Quarterly estimate

$5,059.14

Monthly set-aside

$1,686.38

Effective tax rate

27.0%

Percent of net business income

Tax breakdown+
Gross self-employed income$90,000.00
Business expenses-$15,000.00
Net business income$75,000.00
SE Social Security portion$8,588.55
SE Medicare portion$2,008.61
Self-employment tax$10,597.16
Federal income tax$6,504.31
State income tax$3,135.08
Total estimated annual tax$20,236.56
How to use this estimate+
  • Enter projected yearly income and deductible business expenses.
  • Review annual and quarterly tax estimates for planning.
  • Set aside the monthly amount so quarterly deadlines are easier to manage.

Separate business profit from the cash you should reserve

Self-employment tax starts with net business profit, not gross deposits. The federal calculation generally applies the Social Security and Medicare rates to 92.35% of net earnings, subject to the Social Security wage base and Additional Medicare rules. Federal and state income tax are separate layers, so reserving only 15.3% can leave a gap.

The calculator estimates those layers together and turns the annual total into quarterly and monthly planning amounts. It cannot know your complete return, spouse's income, credits, prior-year safe harbor, entity election, or every deductible expense, so reconcile the result with current bookkeeping and prior tax filings.

Worked example

$80,000 of net self-employment profit

  • Approximate earnings subject to self-employment tax: $80,000 × 92.35% = $73,880.
  • Self-employment tax before thresholds: $73,880 × 15.3% = about $11,304.
  • One-half of self-employment tax may become an income-tax deduction.

Federal income tax and state income tax still need to be added before choosing a reserve target.

Before you rely on the result

  • Subtract ordinary and necessary business expenses before entering profit.
  • Include W-2 wages when checking the Social Security wage-base interaction.
  • Compare the calculated payment with the prior-year safe-harbor rules.
  • Update the estimate when profit changes materially during the year.

IRS Self-Employed Individuals Tax CenterOfficial filing, self-employment tax, and estimated-payment guidance.

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