Self-Employment Tax Calculator
Work out your US self-employment (SECA) tax from net profit — the Social Security and Medicare split, the deductible half and your effective rate.
Updated September 2026
This is US self-employment (SECA) tax only — separate from income tax. You pay it on 92.35% of net profit; the 12.4% Social Security part stops at the wage base, Medicare’s 2.9% has no cap. Half is deductible on your income taxes. High earners also owe an extra 0.9% Medicare tax above $200k (single) / $250k (married). Figures change yearly.
This is an estimate for general information only and is not financial, tax or investment advice. Figures may differ from a lender or advisor.
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If you're self-employed — a freelancer, contractor, gig worker or sole proprietor — you pay both halves of Social Security and Medicare yourself. That's self-employment tax (SECA), and it's separate from your income tax. This calculator works out what you owe from your net profit, splits it into the Social Security and Medicare parts, and shows the half you can deduct.
The rate is 15.3% — 12.4% for Social Security plus 2.9% for Medicare — but two rules soften it. You only pay on 92.35% of your net profit, and the Social Security portion stops once your earnings reach the annual wage base; Medicare has no cap. On top of that, half of the tax is deductible against your income taxes, so the effective bite is smaller than 15.3%.
How to use it
- 1Enter your net self-employment profit for the year (income minus business expenses).
- 2Check the Social Security wage base — it rises most years; the default is the current figure.
- 3Read your total self-employment tax and the Social Security and Medicare split.
- 4Note the deductible half, which lowers your income-tax bill.
Frequently asked questions
How much is self-employment tax?+
It's 15.3% of your net self-employment earnings — 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. But you only pay on 92.35% of net profit, and the Social Security part stops at the annual wage base, so the effective rate on your full profit is a bit under 15.3%.
Why only 92.35% of my profit?+
Employees split Social Security and Medicare with their employer, and the employer's half isn't taxed. To keep the self-employed on equal footing, you multiply net profit by 0.9235 before applying the 15.3% rate, which mimics excluding that employer-equivalent half.
Is any of it deductible?+
Yes. You can deduct half of your self-employment tax as an above-the-line deduction on your income tax return. It doesn't reduce the SE tax itself, but it lowers your taxable income for income tax.
Is this the same as income tax?+
No — self-employment tax funds Social Security and Medicare and is separate from federal and state income tax, which you also owe on the same profit. High earners additionally pay a 0.9% extra Medicare tax on earnings above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly).
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