Free online freelance tax calculator to estimate Self-Employment tax, federal income tax and total tax burden. Includes QBI deduction and business expense estimates. | No Signup · Data Never Leaves Your Device
Zero Dependencies · Works OfflineFree online freelance tax calculator to estimate Self-Employment tax, federal income tax and total tax burden. Includes QBI deduction and business expense estimates.
Quarterly Tax Planning：Estimate annual freelance income and tax burden early in the year to set quarterly payment amounts, avoiding large year-end bills and IRS penalties.
Hourly Rate Decisions：Calculate actual take-home pay after SE tax and income tax, comparing against W2 pre-tax equivalents to ensure freelance pricing is reasonable and profitable.
S-Corp Conversion Assessment：When net freelance income exceeds $50,000-70,000, evaluate whether converting to S-Corp saves more in taxes — S-Corp can avoid some SE tax.
SE tax is the Social Security and Medicare tax freelancers pay, equivalent to what W2 employees and their employers pay combined. The 2025 rate is 15.3% (12.4% Social Security + 2.9% Medicare). W2 employees pay 7.65% with employer covering the other half; freelancers pay the full 15.3% themselves. Social Security has an income cap ($168,600), above which only Medicare tax applies.
IRS requires quarterly estimated payments (April 15, June 15, September 15, January 15). Generally pay 100% of last year's tax or 90% of current year's estimate. Missing payments incurs penalties. This calculator estimates annual tax burden — divide by 4 for quarterly payments.
QBI (Qualified Business Income) deduction allows eligible self-employed individuals to deduct 20% of qualified business income from taxable income. Example: $80,000 freelance net income → $16,000 QBI deduction → $64,000 taxable. This is a major benefit from the 2018 tax reform.
Yes! Half of your SE tax (7.65%) is deductible as an above-the-line adjustment to AGI, reducing federal income tax. This calculator automatically includes this deduction. Example: $11,000 SE tax → $5,500 deduction against income tax.
Home office (by square footage proportion), computer/software/equipment, internet/phone, professional services (lawyer/CPA), travel, continuing education, health insurance premiums (self-employed), retirement plan contributions (SEP IRA/Solo 401k). Keep receipts — be reasonable but not aggressive.