Wisconsin Self-Employment Tax Calculator (2026)
Federal self-employment tax, federal income tax and Wisconsin state income tax on 1099 income, plus how much to set aside for each estimated payment.
Federal 2026 and Wisconsin 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
- $17,267
- Effective rate
- 24.0%
- Set aside per quarter
- $4,317
- After-tax income
- $54,733
| 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 |
| Wisconsin income tax | $2,463 |
| Total federal + state | $17,267 |
Local income tax (never in the total above): Wisconsin 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). Wisconsin: $616 per installment on its own schedule. For the safe-harbor amount and payments you have already made, use the quarterly calculator with these inputs.
Wisconsin and self-employment income
Wisconsin has four brackets — 3.5%, 4.4%, 5.3% and 7.65% — and the 2025 budget widened the 4.4% band so that it now reaches $50,480 (single) / $67,300 (joint) in 2025 and slightly more in 2026. The standard deduction is a sliding scale: $13,560 single / $25,110 joint at low incomes, shrinking by 12% (single) or about 20% (joint) of every dollar over roughly $19,550 / $28,210 until it disappears around $132,000 / $155,000. Each filer and dependent adds a $700 exemption. Wisconsin starts from federal AGI, so the deduction for half of self-employment tax carries over; the QBI deduction does not.
Wisconsin rules used by this calculator (2026)
- Wisconsin applies 4 brackets from 3.5% to 7.65% for 2026.
- Each filer gets a $700 personal exemption.
- Each dependent adds a $700 deduction.
- Standard deduction: $13,960 single ($25,840 joint), shrinking once income passes $20,120 ($29,040 joint) and gone at about $136,453 ($159,690 joint).
- Wisconsin's earned income credit is 4% to 34% of the federal credit depending on the number of children, refundable; the calculator applies it.
- Wisconsin starts from federal AGI, so the deductible half of self-employment tax reduces state income as well.
- Wisconsin has no city or county income taxes.
What a Wisconsin freelancer may still owe
- Wisconsin requires estimated payments (Form 1-ES) when you expect to owe $500 or more.
- There is no city or county income tax. Not included here: the school property tax / rent credit (up to $300) and the married couple credit for two-earner couples.
- Applied here: Wisconsin's refundable earned income credit for full-year residents — 4%, 11% or 34% of the federal credit for one, two, or three or more children (nothing for childless filers or married filing separately).
What Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin's own tax after its deductions, exemptions and credits.
| Net profit | Federal | Wisconsin | Total | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $9,732 | $1,403 | $11,135 | 22.27% |
| $75,000 | $15,495 | $2,629 | $18,124 | 24.17% |
| $100,000 | $22,365 | $4,008 | $26,373 | 26.37% |
At $75,000 of profit, Wisconsin takes $2,629 — 14.51% 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 Wisconsin'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). Wisconsin runs its own estimated-payment schedule with its own threshold (see above); the calculator shows the federal installment and the Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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; Wisconsin 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 — Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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
Wisconsin figures for 2026: verified · last verified 2026-09-08
- Wisconsin Department of Revenue : 2026 Form 1-ES instructions (D-101A R. 1-26, Wayback capture): 2026 rate schedules (brackets $15,110 / $51,950 / $332,720 single and head of household; $20,150 / $69,260 / $443,630 joint; $10,080 / $34,630 / $221,820 separate) with the printed bases (e.g. $528.85 + 4.4% over $15,110; $2,149.81 + 5.3% over $51,950; $2,866.09 + 5.3% over $69,260 joint), and the 2026 standard deduction schedules ($13,960 / $18,030 / $25,840 / $12,280; phase-outs from $20,120 / $20,120 / $29,040 / $13,780)
- 2025 Wisconsin Act 15 §230 : s. 71.06(2e)(bm): brackets indexed from 2026 on an August-2024 CPI-U base; 2025 Form 1 instructions for the unchanged mechanics ($700 exemptions, formula shapes)
- Wisconsin Department of Revenue : 2025 Form 1 instructions, line 30 (earned income credit: 4% / 11% / 34% of the federal credit for one / two / three or more qualifying children, none for childless filers, refundable, full-year residents, not married filing separately; computed directly on the form — there is no separate schedule); Wis. Stat. §71.07(9e)
Wisconsin 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.