Skip to content
Finance·1 min read·

Self-employment tax

Estimate Social Security and Medicare tax on net self-employment profit, using the wage base you enter.

The answer

Net earnings are 92.35% of net profit. Social Security tax is 12.4% of those earnings up to the wage base you have left. Medicare tax is 2.9% of all net earnings. Half of the combined tax is the income-tax deduction.

Profit after business expenses, before this tax.

2026 contribution and benefit base. Change it for another year.

Result

$1,412.96

Self-employment tax

Social Security tax
$1,145.14
Medicare tax
$267.82
Half, for the income-tax deduction
$706.48

How this works

Multiply net profit by 0.9235. That is the earnings the IRS uses for this tax. Social Security is 12.4% of those earnings, limited to the wage base minus wages that already paid Social Security tax. Medicare is 2.9% of the full net earnings. There is no Medicare cap on this page. A $10,000 profit, a $184,500 wage base, and no other wages produce $1,145.14 of Social Security tax, $267.82 of Medicare tax, and $1,412.96 combined.

The default wage base is the 2026 Social Security contribution and benefit base, $184,500. Change it for another year. Half of the tax, $706.48 in that example, is the deduction reported on the income-tax return. This page does not compute income tax, and it does not add the extra Medicare tax that starts above a separate threshold.

Examples

  • $10,000 net profit, 2026 wage base, no other wages

    Social Security $1,145.14. Medicare $267.82. Tax $1,412.96. The deductible half is $706.48.

Common mistakes

  • ×

    Multiplying the whole profit by 15.3% and skipping the 92.35% step.

  • ×

    Applying the wage base to Medicare. Medicare on this page has no cap.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the wage base a field?

The Social Security Administration changes it each year. The box starts at the 2026 base so you can see a figure. Replace it when you are estimating another year.

Continue reading

Sources