Business · Tax

Self-Employed Tax Calculator

Know what is not really yours yet.

Know what to reserve before your business cash starts feeling richer than it really is.

Estimate federal self-employment tax, income-tax reserve, and monthly or quarterly set-asides before gross revenue gives you false confidence.

Best for: Freelancers, consultants, creators, and sole proprietors who need a tax reserve before pricing or spending.

Estimate inputs

Decision mode

Get the current planning number from the inputs.

Scenario presets

Expected annual self-employed income$Self-employed income year to date$Expected remaining self-employed income$Expected annual business expenses$Business expenses year to date$Expected remaining expenses$Filing statusOther W-2 wages this year$Federal withholding already paid$Federal estimated payments already made$Current tax savings balance$Federal income tax reserve%Include state/local reserve placeholderState/local tax reserve%Current reserve habit%Retirement contribution estimate$Self-employed health insurance$Income is irregular or seasonalOne-time large payment this yearEstimate QBI deductionRough estimate only. Phaseouts and specified-service rules can change the actual deduction.

Result

$26,137 estimated tax reserve from entered assumptions

Watchlist

Reserve may work but depends on income and withholding assumptions.

Kefiw verdict

Your business cash may look larger than it really is. This calculator separates estimated tax money from spendable money so you do not build pricing, payroll, or personal spending around cash that may already be committed.

Net business profit: $95,000
Estimated self-employment tax: $13,423; 92.35% net earnings frame, Social Security up to the 2026 wage base, and Medicare.
Estimated income-tax reserve: $12,714
Amount not really yours yet: $21,637
Monthly reserve target: $2,178
Quarterly reserve target: $6,534
Effective reserve rate: 27.5%
Spendable before personal expenses: $68,863

Conservative / expected / aggressive

Conservative

$30,374 estimated tax reserve from entered assumptions

Higher reserve rate, lower remaining expenses, weaker withholding, and more pressure from uneven income.

Expected

$26,137 estimated tax reserve from entered assumptions

Uses the current tax reserve assumptions.

Aggressive

$24,018 estimated tax reserve from entered assumptions

Lower reserve rate, stronger withholding, and cleaner remaining-year income assumptions.

Flags to check

Expense ratio is not unusually high in this scenario.
Self-employment income may still be subject to Social Security tax up to the wage base.
Current reserve and payments leave a planning gap of about $5,637.
Income timing is treated as reasonably even in this scenario.

Assumptions that move this result

Net business profit
W-2 income or withholding
Federal income-tax reserve rate
State tax placeholder
Retirement, health insurance, and QBI assumptions

Common traps with this result

Treating gross revenue like spendable money.
Saving tax cash in the same account as operating cash.
Assuming last quarter still fits after a large invoice.
Using a neat percentage without checking withholding.

Better next move

Recheck after the next invoice, withholding change, or expense change.

This is an educational planning reserve, not your tax bill. Use Form 1040-ES, current tax software, or a tax professional before sending payments.

What most advice leaves out

Most self-employed tax advice explains the rate. That is useful, but the real problem is cash behavior. Tax money often sits in the same account as operating cash, client money, payroll money, and personal draw money.

How this calculator thinks

This tool estimates net business profit, self-employment tax, income-tax reserve, state placeholder, payments already made, and cash still needing protection. It is built to expose reserve pressure, not file a return.

Reality check questions

How much cash is in a separate tax account?
What changed since the last estimate?
Does W-2 withholding cover any of this?
What happens if a large invoice lands late?
Are you pricing with tax reserve included?

What this tool does not do

It does not file taxes or determine a tax position.
It does not determine reasonable salary, eligibility, deductions, penalties, or state treatment.
It does not replace a CPA, enrolled agent, tax software, or official IRS forms.
It does help identify the tax assumptions to verify before acting.

Your next calculator depends on what felt uncomfortable

If the reserve gap felt highScore whether tax cash is protected.If payments are due soonTurn reserve into payment periods.If deductions felt messyReview documentation before relying on expenses.

Messy questions this calculator should answer

How much should I set aside for taxes if I am self-employed?

Start with net profit, self-employment tax, income-tax reserve, withholding, state assumptions, and payments already made. A flat percentage is only a rough habit.

Why does self-employment tax feel high?

Self-employed people generally cover both Social Security and Medicare portions through self-employment tax, on top of income-tax planning.

Does W-2 withholding help cover 1099 income?

It can help the total tax picture, but the answer depends on household income, withholding timing, and total tax due.

Is gross revenue the same as taxable income?

No. Revenue is reduced by business expenses and other adjustments, but tax reserve still needs to be protected before cash feels available.

Business recommendation rule

Calculator result -> guide -> template -> software or service

Kefiw should not send a Business user from a calculator straight to generic affiliate cards. The result should point to the next decision, then to the asset or tool category that fits the actual bottleneck.

Step 1

Calculator result

Start with the calculator state, not a tool category.
Step 2

Result-state guide

Read the guide for the exact weakness the result exposed.
Step 3

Template or packet

Turn the number into a script, worksheet, checklist, or review packet.
Step 4

Software or service bridge

Consider tools only after the problem is clear enough to justify them.

Disclosure stays close to recommendation blocks: Kefiw may earn a commission from some links, but calculator results are not changed by affiliate relationships.

Assumptions

Uses 92.35 percent net earnings framing, 12.4 percent Social Security up to the 2026 taxable maximum, and 2.9 percent Medicare.
Does not replace tax advice or full Form 1040-ES worksheets.

Deductions need a business reason and records

Self-employed deductions generally need to be ordinary, necessary, tied to the business, and supported by records. The dangerous deductions are usually not the biggest dollar amounts; they are the ones with weak business purpose, mixed personal use, or no contemporaneous documentation.

Home office: document exclusive and regular business use, square footage, and why the space is not personal.
Vehicle: keep a mileage log or actual-expense records. The 2026 standard business mileage rate is 72.5 cents per mile.
Meals and travel: keep business purpose, date, amount, location, and who was involved.
Software, phone, internet, equipment: split personal and business use if mixed.

Danger flags

This tool should flag deductions that often need extra support: large home-office claims, 100 percent vehicle use, travel mixed with vacation, meals without business purpose, family payroll, hobby-like losses, and contractor payments without tax forms.

Related tools and tracks

Quarterly Tax Estimate

Tax Reserve Health Score

Deduction Finder

Start Freelancing Track

Tools that may help after you run the numbers

Use this only after the calculator shows where the pressure is. The useful category depends on the bottleneck, not the ad pitch.

bookkeeping software
tax prep
business banking
CPA review

Source links used for this calculator family

Source check and limits

Last source check: April 30, 2026

Scope checked: U.S. federal self-employment tax, Social Security wage base, and federal income-tax planning defaults. State tax is only a user-entered reserve assumption.

This calculator uses educational planning assumptions. Tax rules, thresholds, forms, deadlines, and state rules can change. Kefiw shows the assumptions used so you can audit the math before relying on the result. This tool does not provide legal, tax, accounting, payroll, or filing advice.