1099 Tax Calculator

Estimate self-employment tax and federal income tax on your freelance or contractor income, and see your real take-home. Free, private, and entirely in your browser — nothing you enter leaves this page.

📖 How it works & FAQ

1099 income for the year ($)

Business expenses ($)

Effective federal income tax rate (%)

$0Total estimated tax

0%Effective tax rateof net profit

$0Take-homenet profit minus tax

$0Self-employment tax

$0Federal income tax

Estimates only — not tax advice. Excludes state tax, credits, and the QBI deduction.

How the 1099 tax estimate works

When you work as a freelancer or independent contractor, no employer withholds taxes from your pay — you owe them yourself, and the bill surprises a lot of first-year 1099 earners. This calculator estimates the two big federal pieces. First, self-employment (SE) tax: a flat 15.3% that funds Social Security and Medicare, applied to 92.35% of your net profit (income minus business expenses). Second, federal income tax: because brackets, filing status, and deductions differ for everyone, you enter one editable effective rate — the overall percentage you actually pay — instead of the tool guessing your bracket mix. The calculator also subtracts the deduction for half of your SE tax before applying that rate, the same adjustment Schedule SE and Form 1040 make. Everything runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere.

These are estimates only, not professional, financial, tax, or legal advice — state tax, the QBI deduction, credits, and other household income all change your real bill.

How to use it

Enter your total 1099 income for the year — add up every 1099-NEC and 1099-K, plus any client payments too small to generate a form.
Enter your deductible business expenses: software, supplies, mileage, home office, equipment, and similar costs.
Adjust the effective federal income tax rate. Around 10-12% is common for modest freelance income; try 18-24% if freelancing sits on top of a higher household income.
Read the cards: total estimated tax, your effective rate on net profit, and estimated take-home pay. Results update as you type.

FAQ

Why is SE tax applied to only 92.35% of profit?: Employees do not pay payroll tax on the share their employer pays, so the IRS lets self-employed people knock 7.65% off first. Multiplying net profit by 92.35% mirrors that.
What effective federal rate should I use?: Take last year's total federal income tax and divide it by your taxable income, or start at 12% and adjust. It is deliberately editable because only you know your bracket situation.
Do I owe SE tax on a small side hustle?: If net self-employment earnings are under $400 for the year, SE tax does not apply — though the income is still reportable.
Does this cover state tax or quarterly payments?: No state or local tax is included. For quarterly estimates, dividing the total by four is a common rough starting point.