1099 Self-Employment Tax Estimate

This tool estimates self-employment tax in a Schedule SE style from your net profit and any W-2 wages. It uses the 15.3% rate: 12.4% social security and 2.9% Medicare.

Net earnings are net profit x 92.35%. SE tax applies if net earnings are $400 or more. The 2026 social security wage base is $184,500 for combined wages and SE earnings.

2026 net profit from self-employment ($)2026 W-2 wages subject to social security ($)

Estimate

Estimate only. Leaves out the additional 0.9% Medicare tax, credits, deductions other than the SE-tax half, and state tax.

Worked example

Say net profit is $40,000 and W-2 wages are $150,000. Net earnings are $40,000 x 92.35% = $36,940. Combined with wages, $186,940 passes the $184,500 base, so only $34,500 of net earnings faces the 12.4% part. Social security portion: $34,500 x 12.4% = $4,278. Medicare: $36,940 x 2.9% = $1,071. Total SE tax is about $5,349. The employer-equivalent half (about $2,675) is deductible in figuring AGI, which affects income tax only.

Common mistakes

Applying 12.4% to all net earnings after wages already passed the base. Skipping the 92.35% step. Forgetting the additional 0.9% Medicare tax applies above certain thresholds.

Records to keep

Keep your W-2s, profit and loss totals, and the Schedule SE worksheet. Note the wage base figure you used so the math can be checked.

• IRS: Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes)
• IRS: Schedule SE (Form 1040)

Questions

What rate does SE tax use?

15.3%, made of 12.4% social security and 2.9% Medicare.

Why multiply by 92.35%?

Schedule SE uses net profit x 92.35% to get net earnings.

When does SE tax start?

When net earnings are $400 or more.

Data checked 2026-10-31 against the linked irs.gov pages.