Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Self-employment tax
$13,847
Social Security portion
$11,222
Medicare portion
$2,625
Federal income tax
$11,651
Total federal liability
$25,498
Take-home from the business
$72,502
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter business revenue ($).
- 2Enter deductible expenses ($).
- 3Enter filing status.
- 4Read your self-employment tax on the right — it updates as you type.
- 5Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Self-employed people pay both halves of Social Security and Medicare — 15.3% on 92.35% of net earnings. Half of it is deductible against income tax, which softens the blow slightly.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Business revenue: 120000 $
- Deductible expenses: 22000 $
- Filing status: Single
Results
- Self-employment tax: $13,846.96
- Social Security portion: $11,222.37
- Medicare portion: $2,624.59
- Federal income tax: $11,650.83
- Total federal liability: $25,497.79
- Take-home from the business: $72,502.21
What each field means
Inputs
- Business revenue ($)
- The business revenue used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 120000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Deductible expenses ($)
- The deductible expenses used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 22000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Filing status
- Pick the option that matches your situation — the maths changes per option. Choices: Single, Married filing jointly.
Results
- Self-employment tax
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Social Security portion
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Medicare portion
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Federal income tax
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total federal liability
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Take-home from the business
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How does the self-employment tax calculator work?
Self-employed people pay both halves of Social Security and Medicare — 15.3% on 92.35% of net earnings. Half of it is deductible against income tax, which softens the blow slightly. The underlying maths is: SE tax = Net earnings × 92.35% × 15.3%, with Social Security capped at the annual wage base.
What do I need to enter?
3 values: business revenue, deductible expenses, and filing status. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move.
What does the self-employment tax result mean?
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.
Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser.
How accurate is the result?
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.
Who is this tool for?
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.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Self-Employment Tax Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/self-employment-tax
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/self-employment-tax" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Self-Employment Tax Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Self-Employment Tax Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/self-employment-tax) (2026).