★ MONEY · SELF-EMPLOYMENT TAX · 2026 TAX
Total SE tax $11,303.64 — $9,161.12 Social Security plus $2,142.52 Medicare. An $80,000 freelance profit costs $11,303.64 in self-employment tax, because only 92.35% of the profit is taxed and the Social Security piece stops at the $184,500 wage base. Enter your profit and wages to see your bill.
What do you owe in self-employment tax? Enter your net business profit, any W-2 wages and your filing status to see your 2026 Social Security tax, Medicare tax, additional Medicare tax, total SE tax and the half you can deduct.
Self-employment tax is the Social Security and Medicare tax that an employer would normally split with you — as your own boss, you pay both halves. The law gives you a break first: only 92.35% of your net profit counts as net earnings, because the 7.65% you never see is the self-employed equivalent of the employer share. On the defaults — net profit $80,000.00, W-2 wages $0.00, filing status single — the net earnings are $73,880.00, the Social Security tax is $9,161.12, the Medicare tax is $2,142.52, the additional Medicare tax is $0.00, the total SE tax is $11,303.64, the deductible half is $5,651.82, the effective rate is 14.13% and the after-tax profit is $68,696.36.
| Piece | Rate | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security | 12.4% | Net earnings up to the $184,500 wage base (less W-2 wages) |
| Medicare | 2.9% | All net earnings — no cap |
| Additional Medicare | 0.9% | Net earnings above $200,000 single / $250,000 married filing jointly |
| Deductible half | 50% | Of the total SE tax — an income-tax deduction, not a credit |
| Scenario | Net earnings | Social Security | Medicare | Additional | Total | Effective | After-tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default ($80,000 profit, $0 wages, single) | $73,880.00 | $9,161.12 | $2,142.52 | $0.00 | $11,303.64 | 14.13% | $68,696.36 |
| Profit $50,000 | $46,175.00 | $5,725.70 | $1,339.08 | $0.00 | $7,064.78 | 14.13% | $42,935.23 |
| Profit $120,000 | $110,820.00 | $13,741.68 | $3,213.78 | $0.00 | $16,955.46 | 14.13% | $103,044.54 |
| Profit $200,000 | $184,700.00 | $22,878.00 | $5,356.30 | $0.00 | $28,234.30 | 14.12% | $171,765.70 |
| Profit $250,000 | $230,875.00 | $22,878.00 | $6,695.38 | $277.88 | $29,851.25 | 11.94% | $220,148.75 |
| Profit $500,000 | $461,750.00 | $22,878.00 | $13,390.75 | $2,355.75 | $38,624.50 | 7.72% | $461,375.50 |
| W-2 wages $150,000 | $73,880.00 | $4,278.00 | $2,142.52 | $214.92 | $6,635.44 | 8.29% | $73,364.56 |
| W-2 wages $200,000 | $73,880.00 | $0.00 | $2,142.52 | $664.92 | $2,807.44 | 3.51% | $77,192.56 |
| Married filing jointly, profit $250,000 | $230,875.00 | $22,878.00 | $6,695.38 | $0.00 | $29,573.38 | 11.83% | $220,426.63 |
| Married filing jointly, profit $500,000 | $461,750.00 | $22,878.00 | $13,390.75 | $1,905.75 | $38,174.50 | 7.63% | $461,825.50 |
At the defaults — net profit $80,000.00, W-2 wages $0.00, filing status single — the net earnings are $73,880.00, the Social Security tax is $9,161.12, the Medicare tax is $2,142.52, the additional Medicare tax is $0.00, the total SE tax is $11,303.64, the deductible half is $5,651.82, the effective rate is 14.13% and the after-tax profit is $68,696.36. Check the identities: net earnings = profit × 92.35%; Social Security = 12.4% × min(net earnings, max(0, $184,500 − W-2 wages)); Medicare = 2.9% × net earnings; additional Medicare = 0.9% × min(net earnings, max(0, W-2 wages + net earnings − threshold)); total = Social Security + Medicare + additional, from unrounded components; deductible half = total ÷ 2; effective rate = total ÷ profit × 100; after-tax profit = profit − total. Rounding convention: totals are computed from unrounded values, so rounded parts may differ by a cent from their rounded sum.
Setup: net profit $80,000.00, W-2 wages $0.00, filing status single.
Line 1 — the net earnings. $80,000 × 92.35% = $73,880.00. Only 92.35% of the profit is subject to SE tax.
Line 2 — the Social Security tax. The wage base is $184,500 and there are no W-2 wages, so the whole $73,880.00 is taxable: $73,880.00 × 12.4% = $9,161.12.
Line 3 — the Medicare tax. $73,880.00 × 2.9% = $2,142.52. Medicare has no wage base, so all of the net earnings count.
Line 4 — the additional Medicare tax. W-2 wages plus net earnings are $73,880.00 — below the $200,000 single threshold — so the additional tax is $0.00.
Line 5 — the total, the half and the rate. $9,161.12 + $2,142.52 + $0.00 = $11,303.64. The deductible half is $11,303.64 ÷ 2 = $5,651.82. The effective rate is $11,303.64 ÷ $80,000 × 100 = 14.13%. The after-tax profit is $80,000 − $11,303.64 = $68,696.36.
Reverse: the profit for a $10,000.00 total SE tax is $70,773.66 (exact 70773.6623); at $70,773.66 the total is $9,999.9997, at $70,773.65 it is $9,999.9983 — the exact value decides. The profit for a $20,000.00 total SE tax is $141,547.32 (exact 141547.3246); at $141,547.32 the total is $19,999.9994, at $141,547.31 it is $19,999.9979. The profit for a $30,000.00 total SE tax is $254,238.74 (exact 254238.7371); at $254,238.74 the total is $30,000.0001, at $254,238.73 it is $29,999.9998. The W-2 wages at which Social Security tax on SE earnings becomes $0 is $184,500.00; at $184,500.00 the Social Security tax is $0.00 and the total is $2,667.94, at $184,499.00 the Social Security tax is $0.12 and the total is $2,668.06. The profit for an effective rate of exactly 10% is $324,741.55 (exact 324741.5533); at $324,741.55 the effective rate is 10.0000001%, at $324,741.54 it is 10.0000003%. The profit for a $100,000.00 after-tax profit is $116,454.50 (exact 116454.4963); at $116,454.50 the after-tax profit is $100,000.0032, at $116,454.49 it is $99,999.9946.
Profit $50,000: Net earnings $46,175.00, Social Security $5,725.70, Medicare $1,339.08, additional $0.00, total $7,064.78, deductible half $3,532.39, effective 14.13%, after-tax $42,935.23. A smaller profit stays well under the wage base, so the effective rate is the same 14.13% as the default — Social Security and Medicare both scale with profit.
Profit $120,000: Net earnings $110,820.00, Social Security $13,741.68, Medicare $3,213.78, additional $0.00, total $16,955.46, deductible half $8,477.73, effective 14.13%, after-tax $103,044.54. Still under the wage base, so the bill scales in the same proportion — the total is $16,955.46 at the same 14.13% effective rate.
Profit $200,000: Net earnings $184,700.00, Social Security $22,878.00, Medicare $5,356.30, additional $0.00, total $28,234.30, deductible half $14,117.15, effective 14.12%, after-tax $171,765.70. The net earnings are $184,700.00 — just past the $184,500 wage base — so the Social Security tax caps at $22,878.00 and the effective rate slips to 14.12%.
Profit $250,000: Net earnings $230,875.00, Social Security $22,878.00, Medicare $6,695.38, additional $277.88, total $29,851.25, deductible half $14,925.63, effective 11.94%, after-tax $220,148.75. The Social Security tax is capped at $22,878.00, Medicare keeps growing, and the additional Medicare tax appears at $277.88 — the total is $29,851.25. Note: the rounded parts sum to $29,851.26 — the $29,851.25 total is computed from unrounded components.
Profit $500,000: Net earnings $461,750.00, Social Security $22,878.00, Medicare $13,390.75, additional $2,355.75, total $38,624.50, deductible half $19,312.25, effective 7.72%, after-tax $461,375.50. At half a million of profit the Social Security piece is still capped at $22,878.00 — the effective rate falls to 7.72% because the capped piece shrinks as a share of the profit.
W-2 wages $150,000: Net earnings $73,880.00, Social Security $4,278.00, Medicare $2,142.52, additional $214.92, total $6,635.44, deductible half $3,317.72, effective 8.29%, after-tax $73,364.56. The wages use up $150,000 of the wage base, so only $34,500 of net earnings is left for Social Security — the Social Security tax falls to $4,278.00 and the total to $6,635.44 — but the wages plus net earnings pass $200,000, so the additional Medicare tax of $214.92 appears.
W-2 wages $200,000: Net earnings $73,880.00, Social Security $0.00, Medicare $2,142.52, additional $664.92, total $2,807.44, deductible half $1,403.72, effective 3.51%, after-tax $77,192.56. The wages alone pass the $184,500 wage base, so the Social Security tax on SE earnings is $0.00 — the total is just the Medicare pieces, $2,807.44.
Married filing jointly, profit $250,000: Net earnings $230,875.00, Social Security $22,878.00, Medicare $6,695.38, additional $0.00, total $29,573.38, deductible half $14,786.69, effective 11.83%, after-tax $220,426.63. The additional Medicare threshold is $250,000 for a couple, and $230,875 of net earnings stays under it — so the additional tax is $0.00 and the total is $29,573.38, below the $29,851.25 single total.
Married filing jointly, profit $500,000: Net earnings $461,750.00, Social Security $22,878.00, Medicare $13,390.75, additional $1,905.75, total $38,174.50, deductible half $19,087.25, effective 7.63%, after-tax $461,825.50. Even jointly the $461,750 of net earnings passes the $250,000 threshold, so the additional tax is $1,905.75 — but the total is $38,174.50, still below the single total of $38,624.50.
The model assumes your profit is net business profit — revenue minus business expenses — and that the 92.35% adjustment applies to all of it. It assumes the 2026 wage base is $184,500 and the additional Medicare thresholds are $200,000 single and $250,000 married filing jointly. It assumes no W-2 wages unless you enter them, and that your W-2 wages and net earnings both count toward the wage base in the year they are earned. It does not model federal income tax, state tax, estimated-tax penalties, or the qualified business income deduction — the deductible half is an income-tax deduction, not a credit, so it lowers your income tax by your marginal rate times $5,651.82, not by $5,651.82 itself. With a $0 profit the total is $0.00 and the effective rate is — (no profit, no rate). With a $1,000 profit the total is $141.30 — the rounded parts sum to $141.29, so the unrounded-derived total is a cent higher than the sum of its rounded parts. Rounding convention: totals are computed from unrounded values, so rounded parts may differ by a cent from their rounded sum; the reverses are nearest-value solutions, and the exact unrounded figures (70773.6623, 141547.3246, 254238.7371, $184,500.00, 324741.5533, 116454.4963) are stated wherever the rounded figures appear.
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Net earnings | profit × 92.35% | $73,880.00. |
| Social Security tax | 12.4% × min(net earnings, max(0, $184,500 − W-2 wages)) | $9,161.12. |
| Medicare tax | 2.9% × net earnings | $2,142.52. |
| Additional Medicare tax | 0.9% × min(net earnings, max(0, W-2 wages + net earnings − threshold)) | $0.00. |
| Total SE tax | Social Security + Medicare + additional, from unrounded components | $11,303.64. |
| Deductible half | total SE tax ÷ 2 | $5,651.82. |
| Effective rate | total SE tax ÷ profit × 100 | 14.13%. |
| After-tax profit | profit − total SE tax | $68,696.36. |
| Profit for a $10,000 total SE tax | bisection: the profit where total = $10,000.00 | 70773.6623 → $70,773.66. |
| Profit for a $20,000 total SE tax | bisection: the profit where total = $20,000.00 | 141547.3246 → $141,547.32. |
| Profit for a $30,000 total SE tax | bisection: the profit where total = $30,000.00 | 254238.7371 → $254,238.74. |
| W-2 wages where Social Security tax becomes $0 | the 2026 wage base, $184,500 | $184,500.00 → $184,500.00. |
| Profit for an effective rate of exactly 10% | bisection: the profit where effective rate = 10% | 324741.5533 → $324,741.55. |
| Profit for a $100,000 after-tax profit | bisection: the profit where after-tax = $100,000.00 | 116454.4963 → $116,454.50. |
| Profit $50,000 | same model | Net earnings $46,175.00, Social Security $5,725.70, Medicare $1,339.08, additional $0.00, total $7,064.78, deductible half $3,532.39, effective 14.13%, after-tax $42,935.23. |
| Profit $120,000 | same model | Net earnings $110,820.00, Social Security $13,741.68, Medicare $3,213.78, additional $0.00, total $16,955.46, deductible half $8,477.73, effective 14.13%, after-tax $103,044.54. |
| Profit $200,000 | same model | Net earnings $184,700.00, Social Security $22,878.00, Medicare $5,356.30, additional $0.00, total $28,234.30, deductible half $14,117.15, effective 14.12%, after-tax $171,765.70. |
| Profit $250,000 | same model | Net earnings $230,875.00, Social Security $22,878.00, Medicare $6,695.38, additional $277.88, total $29,851.25, deductible half $14,925.63, effective 11.94%, after-tax $220,148.75. |
| Profit $500,000 | same model | Net earnings $461,750.00, Social Security $22,878.00, Medicare $13,390.75, additional $2,355.75, total $38,624.50, deductible half $19,312.25, effective 7.72%, after-tax $461,375.50. |
| W-2 wages $150,000 | same model | Net earnings $73,880.00, Social Security $4,278.00, Medicare $2,142.52, additional $214.92, total $6,635.44, deductible half $3,317.72, effective 8.29%, after-tax $73,364.56. |
| W-2 wages $200,000 | same model | Net earnings $73,880.00, Social Security $0.00, Medicare $2,142.52, additional $664.92, total $2,807.44, deductible half $1,403.72, effective 3.51%, after-tax $77,192.56. |
| Married filing jointly, profit $250,000 | same model | Net earnings $230,875.00, Social Security $22,878.00, Medicare $6,695.38, additional $0.00, total $29,573.38, deductible half $14,786.69, effective 11.83%, after-tax $220,426.63. |
| Married filing jointly, profit $500,000 | same model | Net earnings $461,750.00, Social Security $22,878.00, Medicare $13,390.75, additional $1,905.75, total $38,174.50, deductible half $19,087.25, effective 7.63%, after-tax $461,825.50. |
The math is the 2026 SE-tax rules: net earnings = profit × 92.35%; Social Security = 12.4% × min(net earnings, max(0, $184,500 − W-2 wages)); Medicare = 2.9% × net earnings; additional Medicare = 0.9% × min(net earnings, max(0, W-2 wages + net earnings − threshold)); total = Social Security + Medicare + additional, from unrounded components; deductible half = total ÷ 2; effective rate = total ÷ profit × 100; after-tax profit = profit − total. The 4-decimal exact is shown where the rounding matters: the profit for a $10,000.00 total SE tax is 70773.6623 (shown as $70,773.66); at $70,773.66 the total is $9,999.9997, at $70,773.65 it is $9,999.9983. The profit for a $20,000.00 total SE tax is 141547.3246 (shown as $141,547.32); at $141,547.32 the total is $19,999.9994, at $141,547.31 it is $19,999.9979. The profit for a $30,000.00 total SE tax is 254238.7371 (shown as $254,238.74); at $254,238.74 the total is $30,000.0001, at $254,238.73 it is $29,999.9998. The profit for an effective rate of exactly 10% is 324741.5533 (shown as $324,741.55); at $324,741.55 the effective rate is 10.0000001%, at $324,741.54 it is 10.0000003%. The profit for a $100,000.00 after-tax profit is 116454.4963 (shown as $116,454.50); at $116,454.50 the after-tax profit is $100,000.0032, at $116,454.49 it is $99,999.9946. What the model cannot do is your actual tax return: it does not model federal income tax, state tax, the qualified business income deduction, or estimated-tax penalties, and the wage base and thresholds change every year — check the 2026 Social Security wage base page for the current figure. For the quarterly payments the bill turns into, see the estimated quarterly tax calculator; for the W-2 versus 1099 choice behind the wages, see the 1099 vs W-2 calculator. This is a calculator, not tax advice.
Bright Side Kit. "Self-Employment Tax Calculator: What You Owe in 2026" https://brightoolbox.com/self-employment-tax-calculator/ Accessed October 25, 2026.$11,303.64. On an $80,000 profit the net earnings are $73,880.00, the Social Security tax is $9,161.12, the Medicare tax is $2,142.52, and the total SE tax is $11,303.64 — an effective rate of 14.13%. You can deduct half of it, $5,651.82, from your income tax.
$70,773.66. The profit for a $10,000.00 total SE tax is $70,773.66 (exact 70773.6623). At $70,773.66 the total is $9,999.9997; at $70,773.65 it is $9,999.9983 — the exact value decides.
It is the self-employed equivalent of the employer share. An employer pays 7.65% of your wages in Social Security and Medicare tax that you never see — so the law taxes only 92.35% of your profit, and you pay both halves on that smaller amount. On $80,000 of profit the net earnings are $73,880.00.
Yes — they use up the Social Security wage base. With $150,000 of W-2 wages the Social Security tax on SE earnings falls from $9,161.12 to $4,278.00 and the total from $11,303.64 to $6,635.44. With $200,000 of wages the Social Security piece is $0.00 and the total is $2,807.44.
When wages plus net earnings pass $200,000 single or $250,000 married filing jointly. On a $250,000 profit the additional tax is $277.88 filing single — but $0.00 filing jointly, because the couple’s threshold is higher.
Yes — $5,651.82 on the defaults. You can deduct half of your SE tax from your income tax. It is a deduction, not a credit: it lowers your taxable income by $5,651.82, which saves you your marginal rate times $5,651.82, not $5,651.82 itself.
$116,454.50. The profit for a $100,000.00 after-tax profit is $116,454.50 (exact 116454.4963). At $116,454.50 the after-tax profit is $100,000.0032; at $116,454.49 it is $99,999.9946.
The Social Security piece, yes — the Medicare piece, no. Once combined wages and net earnings pass $184,500, the 12.4% Social Security piece stops — at $500,000 of profit it is still $22,878.00 — but the 2.9% Medicare tax keeps growing on every dollar.