Free tool
How much should my quarterly estimated tax payment be?
Enter the profit you expect this year. See your estimated tax, the safe harbor amount, and what to pay for each payment still ahead of you.
Prefer to talk it through? Take the free books check or contact us.
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How it works
How it works
The calculator estimates your full-year tax from your expected profit: self-employment tax, federal income tax and, if you choose, New Jersey income tax. It uses 2026 federal figures and New Jersey's 2025 table.
Then it finds your safe harbor, the amount that generally keeps you out of penalty even if your final bill is higher. That is the lower of 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's total tax (110% for higher earners). Subtract what you have already paid, divide by the payments left, and you have a number for each one. Nothing you type is sent or saved.
FAQ
About this calculator
Who has to pay estimated taxes?
Generally, people who expect to owe $1,000 or more in federal tax after withholding and credits, including most self-employed people, freelancers and owners of pass-through businesses. New Jersey has its own estimated payment rules for state tax.
When are quarterly payments due?
Federal estimated payments are generally due April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15. When a date falls on a weekend or holiday, it moves to the next business day. The tax deadline calendar shows your dates.
What is the safe harbor?
It is a payment level that helps you avoid an underpayment penalty even if your final bill is higher. Paying at least 90% of this year's tax, or 100% of last year's total tax (110% if last year's adjusted gross income was above $150,000), generally qualifies. The calculator uses the lower of the two.
Why does this match the self-employed tax calculator?
Both use the same formula and figures, so the annual total is the same. This page splits it into payments and applies the safe harbor.
What if my income is uneven?
You can base payments on when income was earned instead of dividing evenly, using the annualized method on Form 2210. Ask a preparer if your income is lumpy.
Is anything saved?
No. The math runs in your browser and nothing you enter is sent to us.
See every filing date in the tax deadline calendar, work out a monthly set-aside with the self-employed tax calculator, or read our bookkeeping guides. More free tools: Depreciation and Loan Schedule Python script, MCC Financial Suite, Retirement Monte Carlo Python script, or see all free tools.
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General information, not tax or legal advice. How we write and check our tools.
Python scripts
2026 Form 1040 & Schedule C Estimator (Python)
Type in revenue and expenses and see profit, self-employment tax, taxable income, federal tax and what to pay each quarter, from a script you run locally with no subscription.
Also in the Solopreneur Money Toolkit: 4 products for $99 instead of $146 separately.
MCC Tax 1040
Doing your own Form 1040?
MCC Tax 1040 is a guided Form 1040 that runs on your own computer, for tax years 2025 and 2026, $39 one time. It lists the situations it does not handle and marks the return not complete instead of guessing. It does not e-file. We are not a tax preparer, and this is not tax advice.
See Tax 1040 Compare the three apps