Quarterly estimated tax calculator
Your four 2026 federal payments: what the safe harbor asks, so there's no penalty, and what the projected tax asks, so nothing's left for April. It runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.
2026 · Federal · An estimate
Enter your income to see the four payments.
| Period | Safe harbor | Projected |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 Jan 1–Mar 31due Apr 15, 2026 | — | — |
| Q2 Apr 1–May 31due Jun 15, 2026 | — | — |
| Q3 Jun 1–Aug 31due Sep 15, 2026 | — | — |
| Q4 Sep 1–Dec 31due Jan 15, 2027 | — | — |
How it works
It projects the year's federal tax the way Truenote's app does: self-employment tax on the profit, half of it deducted, the standard deduction, the qualified business income deduction, income tax by bracket, the child tax credit, then your W-2 withholding off the top. What's left is split into four payments, rounded up to the dollar.
The safe harbor takes the smaller of 90% of this year's tax or last year's (100%, or 110% over $150,000 of AGI), less withholding. Leave last year's tax blank and it uses this year's.
A rule of thumb works too: how much to set aside for taxes when you're self-employed. Truenote does this all year from your actual deposits and paystubs, and any AI you connect can read it.
Start a 14-day trial or see how it works.
Questions
- What are quarterly estimated taxes?
- Payments toward this year's federal income tax and self-employment tax on money nobody withholds from: 1099 and business income, mostly. The IRS splits the year into four periods (January–March, April–May, June–August, September–December) and wants a payment after each.
- When are the 2026 estimated payments due?
- April 15, 2026, June 15, 2026, September 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027. A due date on a weekend moves to the Monday after.
- How much do I have to pay to avoid the underpayment penalty?
- Withholding and estimated payments together have to reach the smaller of 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's (110% when last year's AGI was over $150,000, or $75,000 married filing separately), a quarter by each due date. Owing less than $1,000 after withholding means no penalty either way. That's the safe harbor column.
- What's the difference between the safe harbor and projected amounts?
- The safe harbor is the least you can pay during the year without a penalty; you may still owe more with the return. The projected amount pays the whole estimated tax, so April has nothing left to settle.
- I have a W-2 job too. Do I still have to pay quarterly?
- Maybe not. Withholding counts toward the safe harbor and is treated as paid evenly through the year, whenever it happened, so raising your W-2 withholding (a new W-4) can cover the self-employment income instead of quarterly payments.
- How is self-employment tax figured?
- On 92.35% of net profit: 12.4% for Social Security (up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500, less your W-2 wages) and 2.9% for Medicare. Half of it comes off your income before income tax.
- Does Texas have a state income tax?
- No. Texas has no personal income tax, so a Texan's estimated payments are federal only. In states that tax income, this calculator still shows only the federal side and says so.
- Is this tax advice?
- No. It's an estimate from the figures you enter, using the 2026 IRS figures (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments under the 2025 tax law); SSA 2026 wage base). It leaves things out, listed under "How this is worked out". Check anything that matters with a tax professional.