Quarterly Estimated Tax Calculator for the Self-Employed

2026 tax year

Estimate your 2026 federal tax as a freelancer or sole proprietor, the smallest total that avoids the underpayment penalty, and how much to pay by each quarterly due date.

Try an example

Your numbers

Business income minus business expenses for the whole year.

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Optional. Customer tips shown separately on a 2026 Form 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC or 1099-K, for the tips deduction (up to $25,000, through 2028). Tips not included in a 1099 don't count, whether they were paid in cash, by card or through an app. It lowers income tax, not self-employment tax.

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Optional. Form W-2, box 1, for the whole year. Wages use up part of the $184,500 Social Security limit and count toward the Additional Medicare Tax threshold.

$

Optional. Interest and other taxable income that isn't wages or self-employment.

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Optional. From your W-2 paychecks (yours or your spouse's), for the whole year.

$

Optional. What you plan to put in for 2026. Not sure? Use the retirement contribution calculator.

$

Last year's return (for the safe harbor)

Optional. Form 1040, line 24. Leave blank if you don't know it.

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Only matters above about $201,750 of taxable income ($403,500 joint), where the QBI deduction phases out. Service businesses lose it faster. Not sure? Keep the first choice, which gives the higher tax.

Your quarterly payments

Pay each quarter

$0

  1. April 15, 2026

    Payment 1 · income earned Jan 1 – Mar 31

    $0

  2. June 15, 2026

    Payment 2 · income earned Apr 1 – May 31

    $0

  3. September 15, 2026

    Payment 3 · income earned Jun 1 – Aug 31

    $0

  4. January 15, 2027

    Payment 4 · income earned Sep 1 – Dec 31

    $0
Estimated 2026 federal tax
$0
Minimum to avoid the penalty
$0
Covered by withholding
$0
Paid through estimates
$0
Left to pay when you file
$0

How the numbers are figured
    This calculator gives a general estimate for educational purposes only. It isn't personalized financial or tax advice. It covers federal tax only (no state tax) and leaves out credits, itemized deductions, the senior deduction. Above the QBI income threshold it uses the phase-out for a business with no employees or property. Leaving those out generally makes the estimate higher, not lower. It splits the payment into four equal installments (the regular method); if your income is very uneven, the annualized income method on Form 2210 may let you pay less early in the year. Read the full Financial Disclaimer.

    Related guides

    Sources

    The official, primary sources behind the figures and rules on this page.

    1. 1IRS: 2026 Form 1040-ES, Estimated Tax for Individuals (PDF)
    2. 2IRS: Publication 505 (2026), Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax (PDF)
    3. 3IRS: Schedule 1-A (Form 1040), Additional Deductions (PDF)
    4. 4IRS Topic no. 560, Additional Medicare Tax
    5. 5IRS: Rev. Proc. 2025-32, 2026 inflation-adjusted items incl. section 199A thresholds (PDF)
    6. 6IRS: Instructions for Form 8995 (QBI deduction)