What you'll owe on 1099 income — before April surprises you.
Plug in what you made and what you spent. You get SE tax, federal income tax, and a quarterly number to set aside. Assumes single filer, standard deduction — same starting point most solo freelancers use.
Tax data last updated: July 2026. Sources & methodology
Your numbers
Everything clients paid you this year, before expenses.
Software, mileage, home office slice, health premiums — the usual list.
Most sole props under the income cap get this — leave it on unless you know you don't qualify.
About $3,903 per quarter if you pay evenly.
- Net self-employment income
- $75,500
- Self-employment tax (15.3%)
- $10,668
- Estimated federal income tax
- $4,942
- Quarterly payment
- $3,903
- Self-employment tax14%
- Federal income tax7%
- Take-home79%
Ballpark for a single filer on the standard deduction. Skips state tax, other W-2 income, credits, and filing statuses that aren't single. Good enough to plan — not good enough to file. For that, hire a CPA.
How this is calculated
Start with gross 1099 income minus business expenses. The IRS taxes 92.35% of that net at 15.3% for Social Security and Medicare — you pay both halves when there's no employer. Social Security stops at $184,500 in 2026; Medicare keeps going, with an extra 0.9% above $200,000.
For income tax we subtract half the SE tax, take the federal standard deduction ($16,100 for 2026), optionally apply the 20% QBI deduction, and run the rest through the actual brackets — not a flat percentage guess. State tax is a separate calculator.