Which tax bracket are you in — really?
Freelancers often say they're in the 24% bracket when their real blended rate is lower — or forget SE tax stacks on top. See both numbers from your income and expenses.
Tax and payroll data last updated: July 2026. Sources & methodology
Your numbers
Effective rate on net income: 21% — what you actually pay overall.
- Federal taxable income
- $43,625
- Marginal rate on next dollar
- 12%
- Self-employment tax
- $10,738
- Federal income tax
- $4,987
- Total tax
- $15,725
Marginal bracket is the rate on your next dollar of income; effective rate is total tax ÷ net profit. State tax not included. Single filer, standard deduction.
How this is calculated
We run your net self-employment profit through SE tax, standard deduction, optional QBI, and the actual 2026 federal brackets. Marginal rate is what the next dollar of income costs; effective rate is total tax divided by net profit.
SE tax (15.3% on most net earnings) is separate from income tax brackets but hits the same bank account — the breakdown shows both pieces.