Freelance & Contractor
Self-Employment Tax Estimator
Estimate your U.S. self-employment tax (Social Security + Medicare) from net self-employment income. See the deductible half and effective rate.
Know the numbers
How to use this calculator
Enter your net self-employment income. Optionally enter other W-2 income if you have wages from an employer.
A worked example
$80,000 net SE income with no other W-2: Social Security ≈ $9,114, Medicare ≈ $2,148, total SE tax ≈ $11,262. Deductible half ≈ $5,631.
The calculation
SE tax base = net income × 92.35%. Social Security = min(base, $176,100 − other W-2) × 12.4%. Medicare = base × 2.9%. Deductible half = total SE tax ÷ 2.
Before you use the result
This uses 2024 Social Security wage base ($176,100) and standard SE tax rates. It does not include state taxes, additional Medicare tax (0.9% over $200K), or estimated tax penalties. Consult a tax professional.
Common scenarios
Use this calculator whenever you need to verify your hours, check a paycheck, or prepare a timecard submission. The result is the same arithmetic the payroll department uses, displayed in a form you can inspect.
Calculation notes reviewed 2026-09-20 by Shift Ledger. Calculation methodology and corrections