Free Tool
Quarterly Estimated Tax Calculator
Updated
If you're self-employed or have income the IRS doesn't withhold from, you're expected to pay taxes four times a year. Estimate your 2026 federal income and self-employment tax, then your quarterly 1040-ES payment. It runs privately in your browser — nothing is saved or sent.
How it works: we estimate your federal income tax (2026 brackets, standard deduction) plus self-employment tax on any 1099/freelance profit, subtract what you've already paid, and split the rest into four quarterly payments. Enter your numbers below.
Suggested quarterly payment
$0
This is a simplified estimate using 2026 brackets and the standard deduction. It doesn't include tax credits, itemized deductions, state tax, the QBI deduction, or the extra 0.9% Medicare tax on very high earners, so your real number can differ. Use it as a planning guide, not a filing. Confirm before relying on it.
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How quarterly estimated taxes work
The U.S. tax system is "pay as you go." Employees have tax withheld from each paycheck; the self-employed and people with untaxed income (1099 work, gig driving, investment or rental income) instead send the IRS estimated payments four times a year using Form 1040-ES. The 2026 due dates are April 15, June 15, September 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027.
Two taxes drive the number. First, federal income tax on your taxable income (your income minus the standard deduction — $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly for 2026 — run through the tax brackets). Second, self-employment tax, 15.3% on 92.35% of your net profit, if you work for yourself. Our self-employment tax calculator breaks that piece out in detail.
The safe move is the safe harbor: pay at least 90% of this year's tax, or 100% of last year's (110% if your prior-year income topped $150,000), and the IRS won't hit you with an underpayment penalty even if you end up owing more at filing. Miss it and the penalty works like interest on each quarter you came up short — a common first step into IRS debt. Setting aside 25–30% of self-employment profit as you earn it keeps you covered.
What this quarterly estimate can’t tell you
Estimated tax is a projection, and a projection made in April about December is going to move.
- Income that arrives unevenly. If most of your year lands in one quarter, the flat four-way split can produce a penalty even when the annual total is right. There is an annualised method for exactly that situation.
- Withholding from other work. A W-2 job, a spouse’s withholding or a pension all count toward the year and change what you still owe.
- Credits and deductions. This estimates what to pay in, not your final return.
- State estimates. Those are separate, with their own due dates.
The safe-harbour rules are based on your prior year return, so last year’s numbers matter as much as this year’s guess.
How to pay once you have the number
A figure is only half the job. Individuals can pay estimated quarterly taxes from an IRS online account, by card, or through IRS Direct Pay. The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, EFTPS, is the other route, and some business tax payments still have to go through it. Enrolment is not instant, so set it up before a deadline rather than on one.
What you are paying is not only income tax. Estimated tax also covers self-employment tax and the alternative minimum tax, and self-employment tax is where Social Security and Medicare come out of self-employed income. That is why the amount of taxes due each quarter is usually larger than an income-tax rate table on its own suggests, and why the safe harbor is measured against your whole tax liability rather than the income-tax slice of it.
Common questions
How do I calculate my quarterly estimated taxes?
Estimate your total tax for the year — federal income tax on your taxable income plus self-employment tax if you're self-employed — subtract any withholding, and divide what's left by four. Those are your quarterly 1040-ES payments, due in April, June, September, and the following January.
What is the safe harbor for estimated taxes?
You generally avoid an underpayment penalty if you pay at least 90% of this year's tax, or 100% of last year's tax (110% if your prior-year adjusted gross income was over $150,000), through withholding and estimated payments. Paying the safe-harbor amount protects you even if you end up owing more.
What happens if I don't pay estimated taxes?
The IRS charges an underpayment penalty, calculated like interest on the amount you should have paid each quarter. It's one of the most common ways self-employed people fall behind and end up owing the IRS, so paying quarterly, or increasing withholding, protects you.
Clarity Tax Relief is not affiliated with the IRS or any government agency. This calculator is general information, not individualized tax or legal advice; your exact tax depends on your full return, and no outcome is guaranteed.
More tools: Self-Employment Tax Calculator · Penalty & Interest Calculator · IRS Payment Plan Calculator · IRS Help Center. Reviewed by Melissa Ly, Chief Tax Officer.
Who has to pay estimated tax, and how do you avoid the penalty?
| Rule | Threshold or test |
|---|---|
| Individuals, sole proprietors, partners and S corporation shareholders | Generally must pay estimated tax if they expect to owe tax of $1,000 or more when the return is filed |
| Corporations | Generally must pay estimated tax if they expect to owe tax of $500 or more |
| Avoiding the underpayment penalty | Owe less than $1,000 after withholdings and credits, or pay at least 90% of the current year's tax or 100% of the tax shown on the prior year's return, whichever is smaller |
| Exceptions | Special rules apply to farmers, fishermen and certain higher income taxpayers |
Figures from IRS, Estimated taxes.
How to use this quarterly estimated tax calculator
- Start from your expected net self-employment income for the year, not from a single month.
- Include self-employment tax as well as income tax, because both are due through estimated payments.
- Compare the total against last year's tax, since the prior-year figure is often the easier safe harbour to hit.
- Split the annual figure across the remaining payment periods rather than paying it all at the end.
“Individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, and S corporation shareholders, generally have to make estimated tax payments if they expect to owe tax of $1,000 or more when their return is filed.”
— IRS, Estimated taxes
The passage quoted above is from IRS, Estimated taxes.