Freelance take-home pay calculator
Profit is not pay. This shows what actually reaches your account after every federal tax, plus a rough state figure, and what that works out to per month.
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Enter your business profit to see what is actually left after tax.
- Total tax
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- Effective rate
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- Top bracket
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- Monthly take-home
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How this is worked out
The calculator starts from your business profit and works through the federal return in the same order the IRS does.
Self-employment tax comes first: 15.3% on 92.35% of profit, split into 12.4% Social Security (only up to the $184,500 wage base for 2026) and 2.9% Medicare. Half of that tax is then deducted from your income. Next comes the standard deduction ($16,100 for a single filer in 2026) and the qualified business income deduction, which is 20% of your business profit but no more than 20% of your taxable income before it. Federal income tax is then charged on what remains, using the 2026 brackets.
For a single filer with $80,000 of profit: self-employment tax is $11,304, federal income tax is about $5,344 and the federal total is about $16,650, or 21% of profit. Add a 5% state rate and take-home is about $61,000 a year, or roughly $5,085 a month.
The state figure is a flat rate applied to your federal taxable income, which is only an approximation. Real state rules have their own brackets and deductions, and some cities tax income too. The calculator also assumes the standard deduction and no other income. A W-2 job, investment income or a spouse's earnings will all change the result.
Take-home here means what is left after income and self-employment tax. Health insurance, retirement contributions and business costs still come out of it.
Sources
Common questions
What percentage of freelance income goes to tax?
For most freelancers, federal income tax plus self-employment tax lands between 20% and 30% of profit, with state tax on top where it applies. The exact figure depends on your profit, filing status and deductions.
Does this include state tax?
Only as a flat rate you enter yourself. Real state rules have their own brackets and deductions, and some cities levy income tax too, so treat the state figure as an approximation.
Is profit the same as revenue?
No. Profit is what is left after business expenses. Enter profit, not what clients paid you, or every figure here will be too high.
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What people use next
Estimates based on published federal rules for tax year 2026. State and local tax is not included. This is general information, not advice about your situation.