Taxes · 2026
Self-Employment Tax Calculator
Enter your net profit from Schedule C. This returns the Social Security and Medicare portions separately, the deductible half, and your effective rate.
Line 31 of Schedule C — gross revenue minus business expenses.
Wages already subject to Social Security tax reduce your remaining wage base.
- Net earnings subject to SE tax (92.35%)
- $73,880
- Social Security portion (12.4%)
- $9,161.12
- Medicare portion (2.9%)
- $2,142.52
- Additional Medicare (0.9%)
- $0.00
- Deductible half (Schedule 1, line 15)
- $5,651.82
- Effective rate on net profit
- 14.1%
Transparent method
How this calculator works
- Multiply Schedule C net profit by 92.35% to estimate net earnings from self-employment.
- Apply 12.4% Social Security tax only up to the remaining 2026 wage base after your own W-2 wages.
- Apply 2.9% Medicare tax without a wage cap, then add 0.9% Additional Medicare tax when combined applicable income crosses the filing-status threshold.
What the result does not include
- Federal Schedule SE and Additional Medicare tax only; federal income tax is separate.
- Church employee income, farm optional methods, partnership allocations, and special Schedule SE adjustments are not modeled.
Common questions
Why is only 92.35% of my profit taxed?
Employees do not pay Social Security or Medicare tax on their employer’s half of FICA. Multiplying by 92.35% removes the equivalent amount from your base so that a self-employed person is not taxed on the employer share they are also paying.
Do I owe self-employment tax on every dollar?
No. Social Security tax stops at $184,500 of combined wages and net earnings for 2026. Medicare tax has no cap and continues on every dollar. If your net earnings are under $400 you owe no SE tax at all.
Is self-employment tax the same as income tax?
No, and this is the mistake that produces surprise tax bills. SE tax funds Social Security and Medicare. Federal income tax is separate and stacks on top. Budget for both.
What does the deductible half do?
You deduct half of your Schedule SE tax as an above-the-line adjustment, which lowers your adjusted gross income and therefore your income tax. It does not reduce the SE tax itself. The Additional Medicare tax is not deductible.