ReceiptKitQuarterly Tax Calculator
Enter your filing status, profit, wages and withholding to estimate your 2026 federal tax balance and an estimated quarterly payment. The calculator runs in your browser, and nothing you type is stored or sent.
Quarterly estimated tax calculator
Keep the records behind the estimate in ReceiptKit
Keep receipts, business spending and tax paid by quarter together, then export a report for your accountant.
How it's calculated
Estimated quarterly payment = max(0, total federal tax - withholding and credits) ÷ 4
- Net self-employment earnings = net profit × 92.35%.
- Regular self-employment tax = Social Security tax + Medicare tax. Social Security uses the $184,500.00 wage base; Medicare has no wage cap.
- Taxable income = profit + wages + other income - one-half of regular self-employment tax - the standard deduction for your status.
- Total federal tax = progressive income tax + regular self-employment tax + Additional Medicare tax, when relevant.
The calculator assumes a calendar-year taxpayer with income spread evenly through the year. It uses the standard deduction and does not model every credit or deduction.
| Single | $16,100.00 |
| Married filing jointly | $32,200.00 |
| Head of household | $24,150.00 |
2026 estimated tax due dates
If you pay in four equal installments, the general Form 1040-ES dates are:
- Q1: April 15, 2026
- Q2: June 15, 2026
- Q3: September 15, 2026
- Q4: January 15, 2027
If a date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the payment is generally timely on the next day that is not one of those days. The fourth payment can also be affected by an early return filing.
Worked example
| Net self-employment earnings | $55,410.00 |
| Regular self-employment tax | $8,477.73 |
| Half-SE-tax deduction | $4,238.87 |
| Taxable income after standard deduction | $39,661.13 |
| Estimated income tax | $4,511.34 |
| Estimated annual federal tax | $12,989.07 |
| Estimated quarterly payment | $3,247.27 |
Keep the records with ReceiptKit
ReceiptKit is a receipt scanner with a business or personal switch, tax paid totals by quarter and exportable reports. Keep the receipts behind your estimate in one place, then send a PDF, Excel or CSV report to your accountant. See the tax report and export features.
FAQ
What does this quarterly tax calculator estimate?
It estimates your 2026 U.S. federal income tax, regular self-employment tax, and any Additional Medicare tax from the income and withholding you enter. It then divides the estimated balance into four equal payments. It does not estimate state or local tax.
What are the estimated tax payment due dates?
For 2026, the four general Form 1040-ES dates are April 15, 2026 (Q1), June 15, 2026 (Q2), September 15, 2026 (Q3), January 15, 2027 (Q4). A weekend or legal holiday can move a date to the next business day.
What is the estimated tax safe-harbor rule?
The IRS general safe harbor is the smaller of 90% of your expected current-year tax or 100% of last year's tax. If your prior-year AGI was more than $150,000.00, the prior-year percentage becomes 110%. This calculator shows that target when you enter last year's total tax and AGI.
How is self-employment tax calculated?
The estimate first applies the 92.35% net-earnings factor to your profit. It applies 12.4% Social Security tax up to the $184,500.00 wage base, 2.9% Medicare tax without a wage cap, and the 0.9% Additional Medicare tax when the filing-status threshold is exceeded.
Does this include every tax deduction and credit?
No. It uses the standard deduction and the deduction for one-half of regular self-employment tax. It does not model itemized deductions, the qualified business income deduction, dependents, tax credits, capital gains, special deductions, or annualized income. Use the result as a planning estimate, not a filing calculation.
What if my income changes during the year?
Recalculate when your profit, wages, withholding, deductions, or credits change. The IRS can require different installments when income is uneven, so use the annualized income installment method in Publication 505 for a more exact calculation.
Sources
- IRS Internal Revenue Bulletin 2025-45: 2026 tax rate tables and standard deductions (checked 2026-10-25)
- IRS Publication 505 (2026): withholding and estimated tax (checked 2026-10-25)
- IRS Form 1040-ES (2026) (checked 2026-10-25)
- IRS Instructions for Schedule SE (2026) (checked 2026-10-25)
- IRS Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes) (checked 2026-10-25)
- IRS Topic no. 560: Additional Medicare tax (checked 2026-10-25)
- SSA 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustment fact sheet (checked 2026-10-25)
Rates and rules checked on official IRS and SSA pages on 2026-10-25. This calculator gives an estimate for U.S. federal planning. It is not tax advice and does not calculate state or local tax, every deduction, every credit, capital gains, or the exact annualized installment method. Ask a tax professional before you file or make a payment.
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