Quarterly Estimated Tax Calculator 2026

Enter your expected income for 2026 to see your estimated federal tax, the minimum to pay to avoid an underpayment penalty, and what that looks like across the four IRS due dates.

How would you like to enter your income?

Income minus business expenses for the year. If you filed a Schedule C last year, line 31 is a good starting point.

A W-2 job changes how self-employment tax is figured, so this tool will not show a number.

Make it more accurate

The amount your plan lets you deduct for a Solo 401(k) or SEP for 2026. We do not work out the limit for you.

Premiums you paid for yourself, your spouse and your dependents. Months when you could have joined an employer's plan don't count. If you run more than one business and your plan is set up under only one of them, the limit is that business's profit; use IRS Form 7206.

Last year's return (for the minimum payment)

From line 24 of your 2025 Form 1040. If you claimed refundable credits, such as the earned income credit or the additional child tax credit, subtract them: the IRS counts your tax after those credits.

From line 11a of your 2025 Form 1040.

Tick this if your filing status changed or last year's return covered less than 12 months. The IRS has special rules for those cases, so this tool shows the 90% figure only.

Your estimate appears here as soon as you enter your income.

This estimate is federal tax only. Choose your state to see how state tax fits in.

This is an estimate for planning, not tax advice. It follows the 2026 IRS forms listed on this page and can differ from your return. Talk to a tax professional about your situation. The numbers you type stay in your browser. Nothing is sent or stored.

How it's calculated

  1. Add up your expected profit from all of your income sources.
  2. Work out self-employment tax: 92.35% of your profit, then 15.3% on that (12.4% Social Security up to $184,500, 2.9% Medicare), plus the extra 0.9% Medicare tax at higher incomes.
  3. Subtract half of the self-employment tax, and any retirement contribution and self-employed health insurance you enter, to reach your adjusted gross income (AGI).
  4. Subtract the standard deduction: $16,100 for single or married filing separately, $32,200 for married filing jointly, $24,150 for head of household.
  5. Subtract the qualified business income deduction: 20% of your profit after the deductions above, when your taxable income before it is at or below $201,750 (single or head of household), $403,500 (married filing jointly) or $201,775 (married filing separately). Above that, this tool takes no deduction, because the limits depend on the wages you pay and your type of business.
  6. Apply the 2026 federal tax rates for your filing status (the single, joint, head of household and separate rate schedules in Form 1040-ES).
  7. Add self-employment tax and any extra Medicare tax to get your total estimated federal tax.
  8. The minimum to pay is the smaller of 90% of that total and 100% of last year's tax (110% if last year's AGI was over $150,000, or $75,000 if you file separately). Without last year's figures, this tool shows 90% of this year's tax.
  9. No payments are required if you expect to owe less than $1,000 for 2026.
  10. Pay in four equal installments on April 15, 2026, June 15, 2026, September 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027. If you file your 2026 return by February 1, 2027 and pay the full balance, you can skip the January 15, 2027 installment.

Sources, all from the IRS:

Figures last reviewed on .

A worked example

Someone filing as single with $90,000 of profit and no other figures entered:

Worked example of the estimated tax calculation
Profit$90,000
Half of self-employment taxDeducted from your income.-$6,358
Adjusted gross income$83,642
Standard deductionSingle-$16,100
Qualified business income deduction20% of your qualified business income.-$13,508
Taxable income$54,033
Federal income tax2026 tax rates for your filing status.$6,599
Self-employment tax$12,717
Total estimated federal tax$19,316
Worked example of the payment schedule
April 15, 2026$4,346
June 15, 2026$4,346
September 15, 2026$4,346
January 15, 2027$4,346

Keep this up to date as you earn

Moninsight sorts every transaction into a tax category as it arrives, marks likely deductions, and shows an estimate of your tax on what you've earned so far.

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Not included, and would lower your estimate or your payments

  • Itemized deductions, when they are larger than the standard deduction.
  • Tax credits, such as the child tax credit.
  • Tax already withheld or paid. It reduces what you still need to pay.
  • The deduction for cash gifts to charity and the new deductions for tips, overtime, car loan interest and seniors.
  • The $400 minimum qualified business income deduction, and the qualified business income deduction above the income limits.

Not included, and could raise your estimate

  • Other income, such as interest, dividends, capital gains and rental income.
  • Alternative minimum tax and the net investment income tax.

Not covered by this tool

  • W-2 wages. They share the $184,500 Social Security limit and the extra Medicare tax threshold with self-employment income, so a visitor with a W-2 job sees an explanation instead of a number.
  • State and local taxes. This is federal tax only. State estimated taxes are separate and can have their own rules and dates.
  • More than one business. Several income sources are added together and treated as one business.
  • The annualized income method for income that varies through the year. This tool uses four equal installments.
  • Rounding. Amounts are worked out exactly and shown in whole dollars, so they can differ from your return by a dollar or two.

Quarterly estimated tax questions

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