Enter your expected annual net self-employment profit and your tax rates to estimate your total annual tax and how much to pay each remaining quarter. Every rate is an input you control — nothing is hardcoded to a specific tax year, so the calculator stays accurate as brackets and caps change.
Your Schedule C net profit: 1099 income minus deductible business expenses.
Defaults to the combined 15.3% (12.4% Social Security + 2.9% Medicare). Social Security only applies up to that year's wage base, which changes annually — lower this rate if your net profit is expected to exceed the current year's cap.
Your expected marginal or effective federal rate. Tax brackets are adjusted every year, so check the current IRS tables and enter your own estimate.
Enter the details above to calculate the result.
| Period covered | Due date |
|---|---|
| Q1 (Jan – Mar income) | April 15 |
| Q2 (Apr – May income) | June 15 |
| Q3 (Jun – Aug income) | September 15 |
| Q4 (Sep – Dec income) | January 15 of the following year |
These are the standard quarterly due dates and don't change year to year, but if a date falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the actual deadline shifts to the next business day — always confirm the exact date on IRS.gov.
This is a simplified planning estimate, not tax advice. It applies a flat rate to net profit for state tax and doesn't account for the standard/itemized deduction, other income, tax credits, the Additional Medicare Tax, or the safe-harbor rules (paying at least 90% of this year's tax, or 100–110% of last year's tax, to avoid an underpayment penalty). Consult a tax professional or IRS Form 1040-ES instructions for your actual filing.
Unlike employees who have taxes withheld from every paycheck, US self-employed individuals and freelancers (1099 workers) are generally required to estimate and pay their own federal income tax and self-employment tax in quarterly installments throughout the year, rather than in one lump sum at filing time — failing to pay enough quarterly can result in IRS underpayment penalties even if you pay everything owed by the annual deadline. This tool estimates your total annual tax liability and the resulting quarterly payment amount.
Self-employment tax is calculated on 92.35% of your net profit (a standard adjustment reflecting that the employer-equivalent half of these taxes is deductible) at your entered rate, approximating the combined Social Security and Medicare tax a traditional employer and employee would split. Federal and state income tax are calculated separately at the rates you enter, and all three are summed into your total estimated annual tax; after subtracting any tax already paid, the remaining balance is divided evenly across your remaining number of quarters to find each quarterly payment.