Get a precise Social Security and Medicare breakdown based on your actual net self-employment earnings.
Self-Employment
Self-employment tax calculator for freelancers and independent contractors.
Enter your net self-employment income, filing status, W-2 income, and QBI deduction to calculate Social Security tax, Medicare tax, additional Medicare surtax, and the deductible half of SE tax.
Direct answerSelf-employment tax is 15.3% of 92.35% of your net self-employment earnings: 12.4% for Social Security (up to the wage base) and 2.9% for Medicare (no cap). You can deduct half of your SE tax on your income tax return. This calculator breaks down each component and shows your effective SE tax rate.
Browser-first workflowSocial Security + Medicare splitAdditional Medicare surtax
1. Enter your details
CalculatorEnter your net self-employment income and related details to calculate Social Security tax, Medicare tax, and the deductible portion.
Enter your self-employment income or load a sample scenario to calculate SE tax.
Live Tool
Self-Employment Tax Calculator in the browser
Enter your self-employment details to calculate Social Security and Medicare tax.
Privacy-first workflow
This page runs in the browser. No financial data is sent to any server.
What this SE tax calculator solves
Self-employment tax is the single largest tax surprise for freelancers. This calculator breaks it into components so you can plan ahead and claim every available deduction.
If you also have W-2 income, see how it reduces the Social Security portion of your SE tax.
The deductible half of SE tax is an above-the-line deduction many self-employed workers miss.
Key signals
Total SE tax, Social Security portion, Medicare portion, additional Medicare surtax, and deductible half.
Decision support
Effective SE tax rate, wage base utilization, and QBI deduction impact.
Detailed breakdown
Step-by-step SE tax calculation with 92.35% adjustment, wage base application, and Medicare components.
Breaks SE tax into the 12.4% Social Security and 2.9% Medicare components with the wage base cap applied.
Identifies whether your income triggers the 0.9% additional Medicare tax above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (joint).
Accounts for W-2 wages already subject to Social Security tax to avoid double-counting against the wage base.
Shows the above-the-line deduction for the employer-equivalent portion of SE tax that reduces income tax.
Guide Below The Tool
How to use the self-employment tax calculator effectively
Key concepts, practical steps, and guidance for managing SE tax obligations.
A self-employment tax calculator determines the Social Security and Medicare taxes owed on net self-employment earnings. It applies the 92.35% net earnings factor, splits the 15.3% rate into its components, checks the Social Security wage base, and calculates the deductible half that reduces your income tax.
Freelancers, independent contractors, sole proprietors, single-member LLC owners, gig workers, and anyone filing Schedule C or Schedule SE. Also useful for tax professionals estimating client SE tax liability.
Net self-employment income (after business expenses) is the primary driver. W-2 wages reduce the Social Security wage base available for SE tax. The 92.35% factor and deductible half are built-in adjustments that most people forget to apply manually.
Workflow
Four practical steps
Use this calculator to understand your SE tax liability and plan quarterly estimated payments accordingly.
1
Calculate net self-employment income.Start with gross revenue from freelancing or contracting, then subtract all ordinary and necessary business expenses to arrive at net earnings.
2
Enter any W-2 income.If you also work as a W-2 employee, that income counts toward the Social Security wage base and reduces the SE tax Social Security component.
3
Review the component breakdown.Understand how much goes to Social Security vs Medicare, whether the additional Medicare surtax applies, and the deductible half amount.
4
Use the result for quarterly estimated payments.Add your SE tax liability to your income tax estimate to determine total quarterly estimated tax payments.
Review Checklist
What to validate first
Key assumptions that affect your self-employment tax calculation.
SE tax applies to net self-employment earnings after business expenses, not gross revenue. Make sure you are entering the net figure.
Every legitimate business deduction reduces your SE tax base. Track home office, mileage, equipment, software, and professional development expenses.
The wage base increases annually. Using the prior year limit will produce inaccurate results for high earners near the threshold.
Combine net income from all self-employment activities (Schedule C, partnerships, etc.) before calculating SE tax.
If you have elected S-corp status, only reasonable salary is subject to payroll tax, not distributions. This calculator covers Schedule SE self-employment tax.
The Section 199A QBI deduction reduces income tax but does not reduce self-employment tax. These are separate calculations.
Why This Page Exists
Built to demystify the 15.3% tax that catches freelancers off guard
Self-employment tax is often the largest line item on a freelancer's return and the least understood. This calculator makes it transparent.
See exactly how much goes to Social Security, Medicare, and the additional surtax with no black-box calculations.
The deductible half of SE tax saves hundreds or thousands on income tax but is easy to overlook without a calculator.
Ledger Summit can build client-facing SE tax tools for accounting practices. This page delivers value right now.
FAQ
Self-employment tax questions, answered directly
Short answers for searchers and answer engines.
Self-employment tax is the Social Security and Medicare tax that self-employed individuals pay on net earnings. It is the self-employed equivalent of FICA taxes that employers and employees split. The combined rate is 15.3% on 92.35% of net earnings.
The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, consisting of 12.4% for Social Security (up to the wage base) and 2.9% for Medicare (no cap). An additional 0.9% Medicare surtax applies above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly).
Yes. You can deduct half of your self-employment tax as an above-the-line adjustment to income on Form 1040 Schedule 1. This deduction reduces your adjusted gross income and your income tax, but it does not reduce your self-employment tax itself.
The Social Security wage base is adjusted annually for inflation. For 2024 it was $168,600, and for 2025 it is $176,100. The 2026 figure will be announced by the Social Security Administration in late 2025. The 12.4% Social Security tax only applies up to this wage base.
The additional 0.9% Medicare surtax applies to self-employment income above $200,000 for single filers, $250,000 for married filing jointly, and $125,000 for married filing separately. This is on top of the standard 2.9% Medicare tax.
Next Step
Need self-employment tax tools for your accounting practice?
Use the free calculator for personal SE tax planning. If you need client-facing self-employment tax tools, Ledger Summit can build the next layer.
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