Who has to pay quarterly estimated tax?
No employer withholds tax from 1099 or freelance income, so the IRS expects you to pay during the year. Under the general rule in Form 1040-ES, you must make estimated payments for 2026 if both of these apply:
- 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 your 2025 tax (your 2025 return must cover all 12 months).
The safe-harbor rules
- 90% of this year’s tax. Pay in at least 90% of the tax you will show on your 2026 return.
- 100% of last year’s tax. Or pay in at least 100% of the total tax on your 2025 return.
- 110% for higher incomes. If your 2025 adjusted gross income was more than $150,000 ($75,000 if married filing separately for 2026), use 110% of your 2025 tax instead of 100%.
- Farmers and fishermen (two-thirds of gross income from farming or fishing) use 66⅔% and a single January 15 payment. This calculator does not cover that rule.
Your required annual payment is the smaller of the 90% figure and the prior-year figure. Form 1040-ES calls it the “required annual payment to avoid a penalty”: if you do not prepay at least this amount through withholding and estimated payments, you may owe a penalty. Even if you pay it, you may still owe tax when you file. The calculator follows the 2026 Estimated Tax Worksheet in Form 1040-ES: total tax (line 11c), 90% (line 12a), prior-year amount (line 12b), the smaller (line 12c), minus withholding (line 14a), the $1,000 test (line 14b), then one quarter of line 14a (line 15).
How the 2026 tax is estimated
- Self-employment tax: 15.3% of 92.35% of your net profit, with the 12.4% Social Security part stopping at $184,500 (less any W-2 Social Security wages). See the self-employment tax calculator.
- Adjusted gross income: profit + other income − half of the self-employment tax.
- Taxable income: AGI − the 2026 standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household) or your itemized deductions, and any QBI or Schedule 1-A deduction you enter.
- Income tax from the 2026 tax rate schedules, minus credits you enter, plus self-employment tax and Additional Medicare tax.
2026 due dates
| Payment | Due date (2026 tax year) |
|---|---|
| 1st | April 15, 2026 |
| 2nd | June 15, 2026 |
| 3rd | September 15, 2026 |
| 4th | January 15, 2027 |
From Form 1040-ES (2026). You don’t have to make the January 15, 2027 payment if you file your 2026 return by February 1, 2027 and pay the whole balance. If a due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, use the next business day.
Worked example: $80,000 of 1099 profit, single, 2026
| Net profit | $80,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Self-employment tax: 15.3% × $73,880 (92.35%) | $11,303.64 |
| AGI: $80,000 − half SE tax $5,651.82 | $74,348.18 |
| Taxable income: − $16,100 standard deduction | $58,248.18 |
| Income tax: $5,800 + 22% × ($58,248.18 − $50,400) | $7,526.60 |
| Total 2026 tax | $18,830.24 |
| 90% of 2026 tax | $16,947.22 |
| 100% of 2025 tax (2025 AGI $90,000, so not 110%) | $10,000.00 |
| Required annual payment (smaller) | $10,000.00 |
| Each quarterly payment | $2,500.00 |
Paying $2,500 by each due date meets the required annual payment. About $8,830 more would still be due with the 2026 return in April 2027. If 2025 AGI had been over $150,000, the prior-year figure would be 110% × $10,000 = $11,000 and each payment $2,750.
What this calculator does not cover
- State estimated tax (many states have their own vouchers and rules).
- The annualized income installment method for uneven income (Form 2210, Schedule AI).
- Working out the QBI deduction, capital gains rates, the net investment income tax and the alternative minimum tax.
- Farmers and fishermen, fiscal-year filers and 2027 estimated tax (2027 figures are not included).
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I miss a quarterly payment?
Form 1040-ES says a penalty may apply if you didn’t pay enough estimated tax or didn’t pay on time, and it is imposed on each underpayment for the number of days it remains unpaid. The penalty may be waived in some cases (see the Instructions for Form 2210).
Can I just pay 100% of last year’s tax?
Yes, if your 2025 return covered a full 12 months and your 2025 AGI was $150,000 or less ($75,000 married filing separately). Above that, use 110%.
I also have a W-2 job. Do I still need to pay?
Maybe not. Withholding counts toward the safe harbor. You can also give your employer a new Form W-4 to withhold more and skip estimated payments.
What if my income changes during the year?
Form 1040-ES says to refigure your estimated tax with the worksheet and adjust the remaining payments. If income arrives unevenly, the annualized income installment method (Form 2210, Schedule AI) may lower earlier payments.
Is this the same as self-employment tax?
Self-employment tax is part of it. Estimated payments cover both your income tax and your self-employment tax.
Is my data stored?
No. Everything is worked out in your browser.
Official sources
Figures on this page come from these official pages.
- IRS Form 1040-ES (2026), Estimated Tax for Individuals (PDF)
- IRS Topic 554 – Self-employment tax
- IRS Schedule SE (Form 1040) 2025 (PDF)
- IRS – Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes)
- IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (PDF) – 2026 tax rate tables and standard deduction
- Social Security Administration – Contribution and benefit base (wage base)
- IRS Topic 560 – Additional Medicare tax