Self-Employed Tax Calculator California

How to use

1. Enter net self-employment profit for the year in dollars.
2. Choose single or married filing status.
3. Read the SE tax, federal tax, California tax, and after-tax income.
4. Switch filing status to see the married brackets and doubled thresholds shift the split.
5. Split the total by four if you set aside money for quarterly estimated payments.

General information only — not medical, financial or legal advice. Figures cross-checked against public official sources (IRS / HMRC / NHS / WHO guidance); content last reviewed September 2026. For decisions that matter, confirm with a licensed professional in your country.

About this tool

Stack all three taxes on California self-employment profit. The model computes the 15.3 percent SE tax, applies 2026 federal brackets to profit after half the SE tax, then runs California's own bracket schedule on the same base. On the default 85,000 dollars of net profit as a single filer: 12,010.12 dollars of SE tax, 8,750.89 dollars federal, and 3,888.89 dollars to Sacramento, leaving 60,350.10 dollars. California's top rates sit among the highest in the country, and the state computes taxable income under its own rules rather than conforming fully to federal ones. The estimate skips the California standard deduction and any local taxes, so actual state tax on a filed return would come in modestly lower. Simplified model: no California standard deduction, no credits, no SDI, SE tax without the wage-base cap; state brackets are recent published figures; verify with official sources; not tax advice.The bracket schedule runs 1 through 12.3 percent, with the top rate folding in the 1 percent mental health surtax that applies above 1,000,000 dollars. Self-employed income carries no California SDI or Paid Family Leave withholding; those apply to W-2 wages only. Estimated payments go to two agencies separately, the IRS and the FTB, on their own schedules.

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