Income & Pay
Freelance Tax Estimator calculator
Estimate self-employment tax + federal income tax for 1099 income.
Your inputs
$
$
%
Results
Estimated total tax
$20,335
Self-employment tax
$10,173
Federal income tax
$6,562
State tax
$3,600
Take-home after tax
$51,665
Quarterly payment
$5,084
Breakdown
Total: $80,000
Where your gross goes
0%25%50%75%100%
- Take-home$51,66564.6%
- SE tax$10,17312.7%
- Federal tax$6,5628.2%
- State tax$3,6004.5%
- Expenses$8,00010.0%
Decision Engine
Should you go for this?
Freelancers should reserve 25–30% of gross for taxes.
Set Aside More
Financial fit score75/100
Quarterly reserve
$1,271
Annual reserve
$5,084
Next steps
- Save ~$6,000 each quarter to avoid IRS underpayment penalties.
- Deduct home office, health insurance, and half of SE tax to reduce liability.
AI Insight
Personalized analysis from your numbers
Tap Generate for an AI-written breakdown of what your numbers mean, plus tailored next steps.
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About this calculator
What the Freelance Tax Estimator calculator does
Freelance Tax Estimator helps you estimate self-employment tax + federal income tax for 1099 income. It runs entirely in your browser — your inputs are never sent to a server.
How to use it
- Enter your details: Gross 1099 income, Business expenses, Estimated state tax.
- Results update instantly as you type — no submit button needed.
- Tap an info icon next to any field for guidance on what to enter.
- Use the Share button to save a permalink that restores your exact inputs.
- Tap Generate on the AI Insight card for a personalized written breakdown.
Tips & context
- Try a few scenarios — adjust one input at a time to see its impact.
- Save useful scenarios to your dashboard for later comparison.
- Pair this with other Income & Pay calculators for a fuller picture.
FAQ
Frequently asked
Is this calculator free?+
Yes — every CortexCalculator tool is free, requires no signup, and runs locally in your browser.
Is my data private?+
Absolutely. Inputs stay on your device. Only anonymous AI Insight requests (when you tap Generate) leave the page.
How accurate are the results?+
We use standard financial formulas and refresh tax rates annually. Treat outputs as planning estimates, not professional advice.