Free calculator
Quarterly Estimated Tax Calculator
How much should my quarterly tax payment be?
Take this year's federal income tax plus self-employment tax, multiply by 90%, and divide by four. On $100,000 of 1099 or single-member LLC profit, a single filer owes about $22,365 for 2026, so each quarterly payment is about $5,032. If last year's tax was lower, 100% of it (110% above $150,000 of AGI) is enough instead.
Pay by January 15, 2027
$5,032
Set aside 22.4% of profit as it comes in.
- Self-employment tax
- $14,130
- Federal income tax
- $8,235
- Additional Medicare Tax
- Total 2026 federal tax
- $22,365
- Required to avoid penalty (90% of this year)
- $20,128
- Even quarterly payment
- $5,032
The estimate is only as good as the profit figure. With books closed every month you know it before each due date, not after April. Ledgerbrook keeps the books in QuickBooks Online for $149 a month.
Send your file for a free review →How owner's draws and tax set-asides workDue dates
2026 estimated tax due dates
- April 15, 2026
- June 15, 2026
- September 15, 2026
- January 15, 2027, or file and pay in full by February 1, 2027
Pay through IRS Direct Pay, your IRS online account or EFTPS, or mail a Form 1040-ES voucher. The rest of the year's federal deadlines are in business tax deadlines.
Worked examples
Quarterly estimated tax by profit, 2026
Single filer, self-employment profit only, standard deduction, paying 90% of this year's tax. Federal only; add your state's income tax.
| Profit | Self-employment tax | Income tax | Share of profit | Each quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $4,239 | $942 | 17.3% | $1,166 |
| $50,000 | $7,065 | $2,667 | 19.5% | $2,190 |
| $75,000 | $10,597 | $4,898 | 20.7% | $3,486 |
| $100,000 | $14,130 | $8,235 | 22.4% | $5,032 |
| $150,000 | $21,194 | $16,413 | 25.1% | $8,462 |
| $200,000 | $28,234 | $25,196 | 26.7% | $12,022 |
Method
How the calculator works
- Self-employment tax: 12.4% Social Security and 2.9% Medicare on 92.35% of profit, per Schedule SE. Social Security stops at $184,500 of wages and self-employment earnings combined, and the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax starts at $200,000, or $250,000 filing jointly and $125,000 filing separately.
- Income tax: profit less half of self-employment tax, plus other income, less the standard or itemized deduction and the 20% qualified business income deduction, taxed on the 2026 rate schedules in Form 1040-ES.
- The qualified business income deduction is figured for a business with no employees or depreciable property: in full below $201,750 of taxable income ($403,500 joint), shrinking to the $400 minimum above that. A business with payroll may get more; a specified service business such as consulting, law, accounting or health care gets less in that range.
- Required payment: the smaller of 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's (110% above $150,000 of AGI), less withholding, in four equal parts. No payments are required when less than $1,000 would be owed after withholding, or when you owed no tax for a full 12-month prior year as a US citizen or resident, per Publication 505.
- Left out: state income tax, the net investment income tax, lower rates on capital gains and qualified dividends, the self-employed health insurance and retirement deductions, and the annualized method for uneven income. The figures are estimates, not tax advice.
Frequently asked
Estimated tax questions
Weighing an S corp to cut self-employment tax? Compare both in the S corp tax calculator.
How much should I set aside for taxes on 1099 or LLC income?
For a single filer with no other income, 2026 federal income and self-employment tax comes to about 19.5% of a $50,000 profit, 22.4% of $100,000 and 25.1% of $150,000. The same applies to a single-member LLC, which is taxed like a sole proprietor unless it elects otherwise. Set the share aside from every payment as it arrives, and add your state's income tax on top. The percentage applies to profit, not to what clients pay you, so expenses lower it.
How much tax do I pay on $30,000 or $50,000 of self-employed income?
For a single filer in 2026, about $9,732 federal on $50,000: $7,065 of self-employment tax and $2,667 of income tax after the standard deduction and the qualified business income deduction, or four quarterly payments of about $2,190 under the 90% rule. On $30,000 it is about $5,181, mostly self-employment tax ($4,239), because the standard and qualified business income deductions leave little income to tax.
Do I have to pay exactly the amount the calculator shows?
No. The penalty is avoided by paying, on time, the smaller of 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's (110% if last year's AGI was over $150,000). Paying more is fine; the excess comes back as a refund or carries to next year. Enter last year's total tax to see whether the prior-year figure is the lower one.
Does an LLC pay quarterly estimated taxes?
A single-member LLC does not pay them itself: the owner pays estimated tax on the LLC's profit through Form 1040-ES, which is what this calculator figures. Partners and S corp owners do the same on their share. How an LLC files taxes covers each type, and for an S corp owner on payroll, raising withholding on the salary can replace the quarterly payments.
What if I missed a quarterly payment?
Pay it as soon as you can. The underpayment penalty runs like interest on each late installment from its due date, figured on Form 2210, so a late payment costs less than none. Pick the next due date in the calculator and enter what you have paid; it spreads the rest over the payments left. If income came late in the year, the annualized method in Publication 505 can lower the earlier installments.
Can I skip the January payment?
Yes, if you file your 2026 return by February 1, 2027 and pay the whole balance with it. The first three installments still count on their own dates.
Where do estimated tax payments go in the books?
Not in expenses. For a sole proprietor, partner or S corp owner they are personal tax, so a payment from the business account is an owner's draw or distribution. The entries are in recording estimated tax payments.
Updated October 29, 2026