2026 tax year · US · Updated June 11, 2026

Quarterly Estimated Tax Calculator

No employer withholds tax from self-employment income, so the IRS expects four payments a year. This calculator turns your expected profit into an exact per-quarter number, including the safe-harbor minimum that keeps you penalty-free.

Your numbers

$
Revenue minus deductible business expenses (your Schedule C bottom line).
$
Positions your self-employment income at the right tax bracket. 0 if none.
$
From your W-2 paychecks. Withholding counts toward the safe harbor.
$
Line 24 on your prior 1040. Unlocks the prior-year safe harbor, usually the easier target.

Your 2026 quarterly payments

Pay each quarter (safe harbor)The minimum that avoids an underpayment penalty
$2,923
Pay each quarter (full coverage)Covers the whole expected bill — nothing due in April
$3,247
Self-employment tax
$8,478
Federal income taxAfter the half-SE-tax deduction and your standard deduction
$4,511
Total expected tax
$12,989
Balance after withholding
$12,989

2026 due dates

  • Q1 (January – March)April 15, 2026
  • Q2 (April – May)June 15, 2026
  • Q3 (June – August)September 15, 2026
  • Q4 (September – December)January 15, 2027

Federal only; most states expect their own estimated payments (see our per-state pages). Estimates exclude credits, QBI, and itemized deductions, which usually lower the bill.

How the payment is calculated

Your quarterly payment has two ingredients: self-employment tax (15.3% Social Security and Medicare on 92.35% of net profit) and federal income tax on the same income after the deductible half of SE tax and your standard deduction come off. The calculator adds both, credits any W-2 withholding, and divides what remains across the four deadlines.

The safe harboris the part most people miss: you do not have to nail this year’s bill exactly. Pay in the smaller of 90% of this year’s tax or 100% of last year’s (110% if last year’s AGI topped $150,000) and no underpayment penalty applies, even if you owe more in April. When your income is rising, the prior-year target is usually cheaper and is locked in the day you file.

Ready to pay? IRS Direct Pay takes about three minutes. Our step-by-step quarterly tax guide walks through every payment method, and the SE tax calculator breaks down the Social Security and Medicare piece line by line.

These are estimates, not tax advice. The model excludes tax credits, the QBI deduction, and itemized deductions (each usually lowers the bill), and covers federal tax only; most states run their own estimated-tax schedules.

Where these numbers come from

Payments are computed with the Form 1040-ES logic: SE tax plus federal income tax, minus withholding, against the section 6654 safe-harbor targets. Every figure is transcribed from these sources:

Constants last verified against these sources on June 11, 2026. Every value is also pinned by an automated test suite that fails if a rate in the calculator drifts from the figure we transcribed from the source.

Frequently asked questions

Who has to make quarterly estimated tax payments?
Anyone who expects to owe $1,000 or more in federal tax for the year after subtracting withholding and refundable credits. That covers most freelancers, gig workers, and side hustlers earning more than a few thousand dollars, unless a day job's withholding already covers the bill.
What is the safe harbor rule?
You avoid the underpayment penalty if your withholding plus estimated payments reach the SMALLER of two targets: 90% of this year's tax, or 100% of last year's total tax (110% if last year's adjusted gross income was over $150,000). Most people aim at the prior-year number because it is already known and locked in.
When are the 2026 payments due?
April 15, June 15, and September 15, 2026, then January 15, 2027. The quarters are not equal: the second payment covers only April and May, and the fourth covers four months. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday it shifts to the next business day; all four 2026 dates land on weekdays.
How do I actually send a payment?
IRS Direct Pay (directpay.irs.gov) is free, takes about three minutes, and needs no account: choose Estimated Tax, the year, and your bank details, then save the confirmation number. You can also schedule all four payments at once from an IRS Online Account.
What happens if I skip a quarter?
The IRS charges an underpayment penalty that works like daily-compounding interest on the amount you should have paid by each deadline. It is calculated per quarter, so catching up at the next deadline stops the clock on the gap. Send a missed payment as soon as you notice rather than waiting for April.
Does my W-2 withholding count toward the safe harbor?
Yes, and it counts as if it were paid evenly through the year regardless of when it was actually withheld. That makes raising your W-4 withholding late in the year a legitimate way to cure an estimated-tax shortfall, a trick quarterly payments cannot replicate.
Why is the safe-harbor payment lower than the full-coverage payment?
The safe harbor only requires you to pay in 90% of this year's tax (or the prior-year target). Paying the safe-harbor amount avoids the penalty but leaves the remaining balance due when you file in April. The full-coverage number spreads the entire expected bill across the four payments instead.
Does this calculator include state estimated taxes?
No, it is federal only. Most states with an income tax expect their own quarterly payments, usually on the federal schedule but not always: Virginia starts May 1, Iowa uses month-end dates, and California weights its installments 30/40/0/30. Our per-state side hustle pages list each state's verified schedule and payment portal.
What if this is my first year self-employed?
If you owed zero tax last year and were a US citizen or resident for the whole year, you generally are not penalized for skipping estimates this year, but the tax itself is still due at filing. Setting aside 25-30% of net profit as you earn it keeps the April bill from hurting.

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