Quarterly estimated tax calculator for freelancers (2026): how much to set aside
How much of each client payment should you put aside for tax, and what do you send the IRS each quarter? Enter your expected 2026 freelance profit (or what you’ve made so far this year), your filing status, any W-2 job, and last year’s tax. The calculator estimates your self-employment tax and federal income tax with the 2026 rates, the percentage of every payment to set aside, your four quarterly payments, the safe-harbor minimum that avoids the underpayment penalty, and the 2026 due dates. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.
The starting numbers are only an example (a single freelancer with $60,000 of profit and no other job). Replace them with your own.
2026 figures used (all editable)
| 2026 net profit used | |
| Net earnings from self-employment (92.35%) | |
| Social Security part (12.4%, up to the wage base) | |
| Medicare part (2.9%) | |
| Self-employment tax | |
| Additional Medicare Tax (0.9%) | |
| Deduction for half of SE tax | |
| Adjusted gross income (approx.) | |
| Standard deduction | |
| QBI deduction | |
| Taxable income | |
| Federal income tax | |
| Top bracket you reach | |
| Total 2026 federal tax | |
| Minus W-2 withholding | |
| Federal tax still to pay | |
| State tax at your rate | |
| Set aside from every payment | |
| Of each $1,000 you're paid | |
| Quarterly federal payment (full estimate) | |
| Safe harbor: 90% of 2026 tax | |
| Safe harbor: 100% of 2025 tax | |
| Required to avoid the penalty (smaller of the two) | |
| Quarterly safe-harbor minimum |
| Payment | Due | Full | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 1 to Mar 31 | |||
| 2 Apr 1 to May 31 | |||
| 3 Jun 1 to Aug 31 | |||
| 4 Sep 1 to Dec 31 |
Full = your whole estimated federal tax in four equal parts. Minimum = the safe-harbor amount in four equal parts.
To plan the whole year, the Freelancer Quarterly Tax Planner 2026 (Excel and Google Sheets, $9) logs each payment and expense, works out the share of every dollar to set aside, the safe-harbor and full quarterly payments, and tracks what you’ve paid against the 2026 due dates. To see where every invoice stands, the Freelancer Invoice & Client Tracker (Excel and Google Sheets) logs your hours at each client’s rate, works out invoice due dates, flags overdue invoices on its own, and shows invoiced vs. paid by month with a monthly tax set-aside. Still setting your prices? Try the free freelance hourly rate calculator. Client paying late? The invoice late fee & payment terms calculator works out what they owe.
Disclosure: the Freelancer Quarterly Tax Planner 2026 and the Freelancer Invoice & Client Tracker are our own paid products, and we earn the sale price if you buy one.
Quarterly estimated tax in 2026, in plain language
Who has to pay estimated tax
Nobody withholds tax from freelance income, so the IRS expects you to pay it during the year in four installments. According to the 2026 Form 1040-ES instructions, you generally have to pay estimated tax for 2026 if both of these are true:
- You expect to owe at least $1,000 for 2026 after subtracting withholding and refundable credits, and
- Your withholding and refundable credits will be less than the smaller of 90% of your 2026 tax or 100% of the tax on your 2025 return (110% if your 2025 AGI was over $150,000, or $75,000 if you’ll file married filing separately).
You don’t have to pay estimated tax for 2026 if you had no tax liability for a full 12-month 2025 and were a US citizen or resident alien for all of 2025. Self-employment tax applies once your net earnings from self-employment reach $400, and estimated payments cover it along with income tax.
2026 due dates
| Payment | Covers income earned | Due |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 1 to Mar 31, 2026 | Wednesday, April 15, 2026 |
| 2 | Apr 1 to May 31, 2026 | Monday, June 15, 2026 |
| 3 | Jun 1 to Aug 31, 2026 | Tuesday, September 15, 2026 |
| 4 | Sep 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | Friday, January 15, 2027 |
If a due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the payment is on time on the next day that isn’t one. All four 2026 dates already fall on business days, so none of them move. (In 2028, for example, January 15 is a Saturday and Monday the 17th is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so the January payment for 2027 is due Tuesday, January 18, 2028.) You can skip the January 15, 2027 payment if you file your 2026 return by February 1, 2027 and pay the whole balance with it. You can pay online at IRS.gov/payments.
The safe harbor: the least you can pay without a penalty
The underpayment penalty is charged per payment period, for each day a payment is short. You avoid it if your withholding plus timely estimated payments add up to at least the smaller of:
- 90% of your 2026 tax, or
- 100% of your 2025 tax (110% if your 2025 AGI was over $150,000, or $75,000 married filing separately).
The 2025 option is the predictable one: it’s a number you already know, so if your income is growing you can pay a quarter of last year’s tax each quarter and settle the rest in April 2027. Your withholding from a W-2 job counts as if it were paid evenly through the year. If your income is lumpy, the annualized income installment method (see Form 2210 and IRS Publication 505) can lower the early payments. Farmers and fishermen have their own rules.
How to set aside a percentage of every invoice
- Run the calculator with your best guess for the year and note the set aside percentage.
- Open a separate savings account just for tax. Every time a client pays, move that percentage of the payment into it the same day, before you spend anything.
- Pay each quarter’s amount from that account by the due date.
- Once a quarter, switch to “So far this year” and enter your profit to date. If the percentage moves, use the new one from then on.
- Keep any state estimated tax in the same account. Most states that have an income tax run their own estimated payments; check your state’s tax agency for its dates.
With the example numbers ($60,000 of profit, single, no other job, QBI deduction included), the calculator suggests setting aside 20.06%, about $501.55 of a $2,500 invoice. That’s $12,037.20 of federal tax for the year, or about $3,009.30 a quarter. The safe-harbor minimum is $2,250.00 a quarter (100% of a $9,000 2025 tax).
How the numbers are worked out
net earnings from SE = profit x 92.35% (no SE tax if under $400)
Social Security part = 12.4% x the smaller of net earnings and
(wage base $184,500 - your W-2 wages), not below 0
Medicare part = 2.9% x net earnings
SE tax = Social Security part + Medicare part
Additional Medicare = 0.9% x (W-2 wages + net earnings - threshold), not below 0
threshold: $250,000 joint, $125,000 separate, $200,000 others
AGI = profit + W-2 wages - SE tax / 2
taxable income = AGI - standard deduction - QBI deduction
QBI deduction = 20% x the smaller of (profit - SE tax / 2)
and (AGI - standard deduction)
income tax = 2026 rate schedule for your filing status
total federal tax = income tax + SE tax + Additional Medicare
still to pay = total federal tax - W-2 withholding
set aside % = (still to pay + state rate x profit) / profit
quarterly payment = still to pay / 4
safe harbor = smaller of 90% x 2026 tax and 100% (or 110%) x 2025 tax
quarterly minimum = (safe harbor - W-2 withholding) / 4
so far this year = profit to date x 12 / months
What it leaves out, so you can adjust: itemized deductions, tax credits (child tax credit and others), the newer deductions for tips, overtime, car loan interest and seniors, health insurance and retirement contributions you deduct as self-employed, capital gains and the net investment income tax, local taxes, and state tax tables (the state rate is a flat percentage you choose). If both spouses are self-employed, Form 1040-ES says to figure SE tax for each of you separately; this calculator handles one self-employed person. It uses one W-2 wages number for both income tax and the Social Security wage base, so if box 1 and box 3 of your W-2 differ a lot (for example because of 401(k) contributions), the estimate will be a little off.
The QBI deduction is simplified. Above $201,750 of taxable income ($403,500 joint, $201,775 married filing separately) it can be limited or phased out, especially for service businesses. Starting in 2026 there’s also a minimum $400 deduction if you have at least $1,000 of qualified business income from an active trade or business, which isn’t modeled here.
2026 figures and sources
All checked on IRS.gov and SSA.gov on October 20, 2026. Every figure can be changed under “2026 figures used” in the calculator.
- Tax brackets and standard deduction ($16,100 single and married filing separately, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household): Rev. Proc. 2025-32, sections .01 and .14, and the IRS announcement of the 2026 inflation adjustments. The same rate schedules are printed in the 2026 Form 1040-ES.
- Self-employment tax (92.35%, 12.4%, 2.9%) and the $184,500 Social Security maximum: the 2026 Self-Employment Tax and Deduction Worksheet in the 2026 Form 1040-ES; wage base also on SSA’s contribution and benefit base table.
- Additional Medicare Tax (0.9% over $200,000, $250,000 joint, $125,000 separate): IRS questions and answers on the Additional Medicare Tax.
- Due dates, who must pay, and the 90% / 100% / 110% safe harbor: 2026 Form 1040-ES.
- Weekend and holiday rule: IRS estimated taxes page and Publication 509, which counts legal holidays in the District of Columbia, including Emancipation Day on April 16.
- QBI thresholds ($201,750, $403,500 joint, $201,775 separate): Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section .26.
FAQ
What percentage of freelance income should I set aside for taxes?
It depends on your profit, filing status and other income, which is why the calculator works it out instead of guessing. Self-employment tax alone is about 14.1% of profit (15.3% of 92.35%) up to the Social Security wage base, and federal income tax comes on top. With the example numbers above it comes to about 20%; with more profit, a W-2 job pushing you into a higher bracket, or state tax, 30% or more is common.
I have a W-2 job too. Do I still need to pay quarterly?
Maybe not. If your paycheck withholding already covers the safe harbor, you won’t owe a penalty. You can also give your employer a new Form W-4 to withhold more instead of making estimated payments. Enter your wages and withholding above to see where you stand.
What happens if I miss a payment or pay too little?
You may owe an underpayment penalty, figured like interest on the amount that was short for the days it was late. Paying late is cheaper than not paying, so catch up as soon as you can. Form 2210 works out the exact penalty.
Can I pay more than four times?
Yes. The IRS accepts more frequent payments as long as each period’s total reaches the amount due by that period’s deadline. Some freelancers pay a little after every invoice.
Traveling for work? The free self-employed per diem meal deduction calculator (2026) finds the IRS standard meal allowance for any US city and your travel dates, and the 50% you can deduct.
Saving for retirement? The free SEP IRA vs Solo 401(k) calculator (2026) shows the most you can contribute and deduct, which also lowers the income tax part of your quarterly payments.
Want just the self-employment tax? The free self-employment tax calculator (2026) breaks out the Social Security and Medicare parts, the $184,500 wage base with a W-2 job, and the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax.
More tools and guides: all guides and free tools.
Not tax advice. Not affiliated with the IRS.