Quarterly estimated taxes for freelancers in 2026

When you have a job, your employer sends part of every paycheck to the IRS. As a freelancer nobody does that, and federal income tax is pay-as-you-go: the IRS expects the money during the year, not all at once in April. Estimated tax payments are how you do it. Miss them and you can owe a penalty even if you pay the full balance when you file.

2026 due dates

• Income from January 1 to March 31, 2026: due April 15, 2026.
• Income from April 1 to May 31, 2026: due June 15, 2026.
• Income from June 1 to August 31, 2026: due September 15, 2026.
• Income from September 1 to December 31, 2026: due January 15, 2027.

The "quarters" aren't equal: the second covers two months and the fourth covers four. When a due date falls on a weekend or federal holiday, it moves to the next business day. Most states with an income tax run their own estimated payments, often on the same dates; check your state tax agency.

Do you have to pay?

You generally must make estimated payments if you expect to owe at least $1,000 in federal tax for 2026 after subtracting withholding and refundable credits. If you also have a job, you can raise the withholding on your W-4 instead, and withholding counts as if it had been paid evenly through the year. If you owed nothing for 2025 and were a US citizen or resident for the whole year, you usually don't need to pay estimated tax for 2026.

What the payment covers

Your estimate has two parts. The first is regular income tax on your profit. The second is self-employment tax, which is Social Security and Medicare for people who work for themselves:

• Self-employment tax is 15.3% (12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare) on 92.35% of your net profit. If that 92.35% figure is under $400, you owe none.
• The 12.4% Social Security part stops at the wage base, $184,500 for 2026. The 2.9% Medicare part has no cap.
• An extra 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax applies above $200,000 of self-employment income for single filers ($250,000 married filing jointly).
• You deduct half of your self-employment tax when you figure your adjusted gross income, which lowers your income tax a little.

The safe harbor rules

You don't have to predict your tax exactly. You avoid the underpayment penalty if your withholding and timely estimated payments add up to the smaller of:

• 90% of the tax on your 2026 return, or
• 100% of the tax shown on your 2025 return, rising to 110% if your 2025 adjusted gross income was more than $150,000 ($75,000 if married filing separately). Your 2025 return must cover all 12 months.

The prior-year rule is the one most freelancers rely on, because last year's tax is a number you already know. If your income is growing, you pay a predictable amount now and settle the rest in April without a penalty. If your income is dropping, the 90% current-year test lets you pay less.

A worked example

Maya is a single freelance designer. Her 2025 return showed a total tax of $12,400 and an AGI of $90,000. For 2026 she expects a net profit of $96,000.

1. Prior-year safe harbor: her 2025 AGI is under $150,000, so she needs 100% of $12,400. That's $3,100 per payment.
2. Current-year estimate: self-employment tax is $96,000 × 92.35% × 15.3% = $13,564. Her tax software puts her 2026 federal income tax at about $9,000, so her total is roughly $22,564, and 90% of it is $20,308, or $5,077 per payment.
3. The safe harbor is the smaller amount, so paying $3,100 on each of the four dates protects her from the penalty.
4. She'll owe about $10,164 more when she files in April 2027. She moves that difference into a savings account month by month so April isn't a surprise.

Run your own numbers with the self-employment tax calculator. Enter your net profit and it shows Social Security and Medicare tax, the half-SE-tax deduction and a rough quarterly payment.

If your income is uneven

Freelance income rarely arrives in four even pieces. If you earned most of your money late in the year, the annualized income installment method lets you match each payment to what you actually earned in that period. You figure it on Schedule AI of Form 2210 when you file. It takes more work, but it can remove a penalty for early quarters when you hadn't earned much yet.

How to pay

Pay online through IRS Direct Pay, your IRS Online Account or EFTPS, or mail a check with a Form 1040-ES voucher. Online payments give you a confirmation number right away, and your online account shows each payment, which helps when you file. Keep a note of the date and amount of every payment; you'll enter the total on your return.

A monthly habit that makes this easy

1. Each time a client pays, move a fixed percentage into a separate savings account. 25% to 30% is a common starting point; adjust once you see your real numbers.
2. Put the four due dates in your calendar with a reminder a week before each one.
3. On each date, pay your safe harbor amount from that account.
4. Once a quarter, compare your income so far with last year. If it's much higher, consider paying more so April's bill is smaller.

Doing it in SoloWOS

SoloWOS doesn't file or pay taxes. Expenses gives you the numbers you need for the estimate: the monthly report puts paid invoices next to what you spent, shows profit, and suggests an amount to set aside at the percentage you choose (25% to start). Export the year to CSV for your accountant. Paid invoices flow into that report on their own, so you aren't retyping income.

This guide is general information for planning, not tax advice. Tax rules change and your situation may differ; for a specific estimate, use Form 1040-ES or talk to a tax professional.