South Carolina Self-Employment Tax Calculator (2026)
Federal self-employment tax, federal income tax and South Carolina state income tax on 1099 income, plus how much to set aside for each estimated payment.
Federal 2026 and South Carolina 2026 data checked against the official publications, last on 2026-09-05 Runs in your browser — nothing you type is sent anywhere, not even when you reload or share the link No sign-up Methodology and data status
- Total tax
- $16,320
- Effective rate
- 22.7%
- Set aside per quarter
- $4,080
- After-tax income
- $55,680
| Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Net profit (income − expenses) | $72,000 |
| Self-employment tax | $10,173 |
| Social Security (12.4%) | $8,245 |
| Medicare (2.9%) | $1,928 |
| Federal income tax | $4,630 |
| Adjusted gross income | $66,913 |
| Standard deduction | −$16,100 |
| Qualified business income deduction (20%) | −$10,163 |
| Taxable income · marginal rate 12.0% | $40,651 |
| South Carolina income tax | $1,517 |
| Total federal + state | $16,320 |
Local income tax (never in the total above): South Carolina has no city or county income taxes.
Amounts to set aside, not bills: federal $3,701 for each Form 1040-ES installment (Apr 15, Jun 15, Sep 15, Jan 15). South Carolina: $379 per installment on its own schedule. For the safe-harbor amount and payments you have already made, use the quarterly calculator with these inputs.
South Carolina and self-employment income
South Carolina rewrote its income tax for 2026: instead of starting from federal taxable income with brackets of 0%, 3% and 6%, the state now starts from federal AGI, allows its own $15,000 single / $22,500 head of household / $30,000 joint deduction (phasing out between $40,000 and $95,000 of income single, $80,000 and $190,000 joint) and taxes the result at 1.99% on the first $30,000 and 5.21% above. Two things stay: the exemption per dependent ($4,930 in 2025; the 2026 amount is not yet indexed), and the I-335 election that lets sole proprietors pay a flat 3% on active trade or business income — under the safe harbor, half of net profit after the half-SE deduction, for pass-through income up to $100,000 — which this calculator applies when it lowers the tax.
South Carolina rules used by this calculator (2026)
- South Carolina applies 2 brackets from 1.99% to 5.21% for 2026.
- Each dependent adds a $4,930 deduction.
- Standard deduction: $15,000 single ($30,000 joint), shrinking once income passes $40,000 ($80,000 joint) and gone at about $95,000 ($190,000 joint).
- South Carolina's earned income credit is 125% of the federal credit, nonrefundable, capped at $200; the calculator applies it.
- Sole proprietors may elect a flat 3% on active trade or business income; under the safe harbor that is 50% of net profit after the half-SE deduction for profits up to $100,000. The calculator applies the election when it lowers the tax.
- South Carolina starts from federal AGI, so the deductible half of self-employment tax reduces state income as well.
- South Carolina has no city or county income taxes.
What a South Carolina freelancer may still owe
- South Carolina requires estimated payments (SC1040ES) when you expect to owe $100 or more; the 2026 SC1040ES was printed before the reform and shows the old schedule — use the Department's Information Letter #26-20.
- There is no city or county income tax. Not included here: the extra exemption per child under six and the two-wage-earner credit.
- Applied here: South Carolina's earned income tax credit for full-year residents — 125% of the federal credit against the tax in 2025, capped at $200 from 2026 under Act 110.
What South Carolina costs at three levels of profit (2026)
A single filer with no dependents and no other income, taking the standard deduction. The state column is South Carolina's own tax after its deductions, exemptions and credits.
| Net profit | Federal | South Carolina | Total | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $9,732 | $765 | $10,497 | 20.99% |
| $75,000 | $15,495 | $1,602 | $17,097 | 22.8% |
| $100,000 | $22,365 | $2,819 | $25,184 | 25.18% |
At $75,000 of profit, South Carolina takes $1,602 — 9.37% of the total tax bill. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own figures.
How the federal part is worked out
Net profit is 1099 income less business expenses (Schedule C). Self-employment tax is 15.3% of 92.35% of that profit — 12.4% Social Security up to $184,500 of combined wages and earnings, 2.9% Medicare on all of it. Half of that tax, the $16,100 standard deduction ($32,200 joint) and the 20% qualified business income deduction come off before the 2026 brackets are applied; the child tax credit and the earned income credit then reduce what is left, and the refundable parts can offset self-employment tax. The methodology page sets out the full sequence and every rule the calculator leaves out, including how South Carolina's figures are derived.
Quarterly estimated tax deadlines (2026)
If you expect to owe $1,000 or more of federal tax for the year, the IRS expects four estimated payments (Form 1040-ES). South Carolina runs its own estimated-payment schedule with its own threshold (see above); the calculator shows the federal installment and the South Carolina installment separately, and one combined amount to set aside each quarter.
The 2026 dates are April 15, 2026, June 15, 2026, September 15, 2026, January 15, 2027. The federal amount is split into four equal Form 1040-ES installments after any withholding you entered; paying 100% of last year's tax instead (110% above $150,000 of prior-year AGI) also avoids the penalty. The quarterly calculator works that out and subtracts what you have already paid, and the guide to the due dates explains the rule.
Common questions
Does South Carolina tax self-employment income differently from wages?
For state income tax, net profit from self-employment is ordinary income like wages. The self-employment tax itself is federal only; South Carolina does not add a state equivalent.
Is half of self-employment tax really deductible?
Yes, for federal tax. The employer-equivalent half is an adjustment to income on Schedule 1, which lowers your AGI and therefore your federal income tax. It does not reduce the self-employment tax itself.
Does an LLC change these numbers?
For federal income tax and self-employment tax, a single-member LLC taxed as a sole proprietorship follows exactly the calculation shown here. State and local obligations can still differ: an LLC may be a taxable entity for a state's franchise, gross-receipts or excise tax, and may owe registration or licence fees a sole proprietor does not — South Carolina's are listed above. Electing S-corporation status changes the federal arithmetic too (salary plus distributions) and is outside this tool's scope.
What if I moved to South Carolina during the year?
Income earned while you were a resident of another state is taxable there under that state's rules. This calculator assumes all income was earned as a South Carolina resident.
Data sources and status
Federal figures for 2026: verified · last verified 2026-09-05 · the revenue procedures and forms they were read from, with every other data set
South Carolina figures for 2026: verified · last verified 2026-09-08
- Act 110 of 2026 (H.4216, signed 2026-03-30) : S.C. Code §12-6-510(C) two-bracket schedule for tax years from 2026 (1.99% below $30,000; 5.21% less $966 at or above, all filing statuses, indexed), §12-6-1140(15) South Carolina individual adjustment deduction (SCIAD: $15,000 single and separate, $22,500 head of household, $30,000 joint and surviving spouse, phased out over $40,001–$94,999 / $60,001–$142,499 / $80,001–$189,999 of federal AGI, reductions rounded down to $10), and the new starting point at federal AGI with the federal standard, itemized, QBI, senior, tip and overtime deductions disallowed
- South Carolina Department of Revenue : Information Letter #26-20 (2026-08-31) and the Department's 'Information about H.4216' page: the 2026 brackets, the SCIAD amounts and phase-out windows, the federal-AGI starting point, the $200 EITC cap. (The 2026 SC1040ES, revised 2025-10-13, predates Act 110 and prints the old schedule.)
- S.C. Code §12-6-545 (I-335 election, untouched by Act 110) and §12-6-1140 (dependent exemption, untouched; the 2026 indexed amount is not yet published : the 2025 $4,930 is carried provisionally)
- South Carolina Department of Revenue : Revenue Ruling #08-2 (active trade or business income): the safe harbor's $100,000 test and the 50% share both use pass-through income after its deductions, including one-half of self-employment tax (Q10, Q16); $100,000 is the safe-harbor eligibility line, not a cap on the election
- South Carolina Department of Revenue : Form TC-60 (earned income tax credit: 125% of the federal credit for full-year residents, nonrefundable, entered on SC1040TC code 060 → SC1040 line 13; agency example $1,190 × 125% = $1,488); S.C. Code §12-6-3632
- Act 110 of 2026 (H.4216) §7 : the credit is capped at $200 for tax years beginning after 2025
South Carolina Department of Revenue · How figures are checked · Corrections log
Other states
Paying as you go? The quarterly estimated tax calculator applies the federal safe harbor and subtracts what you have already paid.