Self-Employment Tax Calculator
Estimate your US self-employment tax (Social Security + Medicare) from your net profit, with the deductible half and a quarterly figure.
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US self-employment tax (Social Security + Medicare). Uses the 2025 Social Security wage base; change it if needed.
How self-employment tax works
If you work for yourself you pay both the employer and employee halves of Social Security and Medicare, called self-employment (SE) tax. It applies when net self-employment earnings are $400 or more. The tax is 15.3%: 12.4% Social Security on net earnings up to the annual wage base, plus 2.9% Medicare with no cap. Net earnings are 92.35% of your profit, and you can deduct half of the SE tax when computing income tax. An additional 0.9% Medicare tax applies to high earners above the IRS thresholds and is not included here.
SE tax is separate from federal and state income tax. Estimate your total take-home with the US paycheck calculator, or check sales tax. Estimates only — not tax advice.
How to use it
- Enter your net self-employment profit for the year.
- Add other W-2 wages if any, and check the wage base.
- Read your SE tax, the deductible half and the quarterly amount.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the self-employment tax rate?
15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security (up to the annual wage base) and 2.9% for Medicare (no limit), applied to 92.35% of your net self-employment profit.
Who has to pay self-employment tax?
Anyone with net self-employment earnings of $400 or more, including freelancers, independent contractors and sole proprietors.
Is half of self-employment tax deductible?
Yes. You can deduct the employer-equivalent half of SE tax when calculating your adjusted gross income.
How do I pay it during the year?
Most self-employed people make quarterly estimated payments. The quarterly figure shown covers SE tax only; income tax comes on top.
Which Social Security wage base does the calculator use?
The default is $176,100, the 2025 wage base. The limit changes every year, so update the field if you need a different year.