Self-Employment Tax Calculator

2026 rules

Calculate your 2026 self-employment tax the way Schedule SE does.

Your numbers

Net self-employment profit

W-2 wages this year (shares the Social Security cap)

Filing status

Result

2026 self-employment tax$11,304

Net profit$80,000
× 92.35% = net earnings$73,880
Social Security 12.4% (up to $184,500)$9,161
Medicare 2.9%$2,143
Self-employment tax$11,304
Deduction for half of it (Schedule 1)$5,652
Effective rate on profit14.1%

How it works

Multiply net profit by 92.35% to get net earnings. Social Security tax is 12.4% of net earnings up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, minus any W-2 wages you already earned. Medicare is 2.9% of all net earnings.

Earnings above $200,000 single or $250,000 joint (counting wages) owe another 0.9% Medicare. Half of the regular self-employment tax is deductible on Schedule 1, which lowers income tax but not SE tax.

2026 figures: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments); IRS Notice 2025-67 (2026 retirement plan limits); SSA 2026 COLA fact sheet; IRS Notice 2026-10 and Announcement 2026-11 (mileage).

Questions

Is there a minimum?

No SE tax is due if net earnings are under $400.

Does an S corp avoid self-employment tax?

An S corp pays payroll tax on your salary but not on profit you take as distributions. The salary has to be reasonable for the work you do.