{
  "slug": "quarterly-tax-estimate",
  "title": "Quarterly Estimated Tax Calculator",
  "heading": "Quarterly Estimated Tax Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/quarterly-tax-estimate",
  "summary": "What to send the IRS every quarter as a freelancer.",
  "description": "Self-employed income has no withholding, so you pay four times a year. This estimates income tax plus self-employment tax and splits it into quarters.",
  "formula": "SE tax on 92.35% of profit + income tax on profit − half SE tax",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=quarterly-tax-estimate",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "profit",
      "label": "Expected annual net profit",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 80000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "otherIncome",
      "label": "Other W-2 income",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "bracket",
      "label": "Effective income tax rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 15,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 50
    },
    {
      "id": "state",
      "label": "State tax rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 5,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 15
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "quarterly",
      "label": "Each quarterly payment",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Total annual tax",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "se",
      "label": "Self-employment tax",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "fed",
      "label": "Federal income tax",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "st",
      "label": "State income tax",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Expected annual net profit: 80000 $",
      "Other W-2 income: 0 $",
      "Effective income tax rate: 15 %",
      "State tax rate: 5 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Each quarterly payment: $6,543",
      "Total annual tax: $26,173",
      "Self-employment tax: $11,304",
      "Federal income tax: $11,152",
      "State income tax: $3,717"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter expected annual net profit ($).",
      "Enter other w-2 income ($).",
      "Enter effective income tax rate (%).",
      "Enter state tax rate (%).",
      "Read your each quarterly payment on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "profit": 48000,
        "otherIncome": 0,
        "bracket": 9,
        "state": 3
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "profit": 80000,
        "otherIncome": 0,
        "bracket": 15,
        "state": 5
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "profit": 128000,
        "otherIncome": 0,
        "bracket": 24,
        "state": 8
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the quarterly estimated tax calculator work?",
      "a": "Self-employed income has no withholding, so you pay four times a year. This estimates income tax plus self-employment tax and splits it into quarters. The underlying maths is: SE tax on 92.35% of profit + income tax on profit − half SE tax"
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "4 values: expected annual net profit, other w-2 income, effective income tax rate, and state tax rate. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the each quarterly payment result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Quarterly Estimated Tax Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/quarterly-tax-estimate)"
}