GigWorkerTaxTax estimates for 1099 and gig workers

1099 tax calculator: how much to set aside

A free 1099 tax calculator for gig work: enter what you earn in a month, or switch to a week, and see how much of it to keep for tax in 2026, with every step of the working shown.

Year
  1. 1Earnings
  2. 2About you
  3. 3Result

What you earn in a month

A typical month of 1099 and gig work in 2026. Every amount here is for one month.

Everything platforms and clients paid you in a month, before expenses. Include tips paid through the app.

$

Where do I find this number?
  • Form 1099-NEC from a client or platform: the amount in box 1.
  • Form 1099-K from an app or payment processor: box 1a, the gross amount before the app's fees. The fees are a business expense.
  • No form yet, or none at all: the yearly earnings summary in the app, or your own records of what you were paid. The income counts even when no 1099 is sent.
  • Part of the year so far: what you have been paid so far, plus a guess for the months left. An estimate is fine; you can change it later.

Source: IRS Publication 334, Tax Guide for Small Business; the 1099-NEC and 1099-K instructions.

Miles driven for the work, including driving to a pickup. Leave at 0 if you do not drive for work.

mi

Phone, supplies, platform fees and other costs of the work. Not gas or car repairs if you enter miles: the mileage rate covers them.

$

Type what you earn in a month to see how much of it to set aside.

For a closer number, .

How much tax do you pay on 1099 income?

Two taxes: self-employment tax of 15.3% on 92.35% of your profit, and income tax on top of it at your bracket, plus state tax in most states. Many guides quote 25% to 30% of what you earn; the real share depends on your profit, filing status and state. Here is the tax on a month of 1099 income, and its share, for a single filer with no business costs:

Earnings in a monthTexas (no state income tax)California (typical rate)
$1,500$196 (13.1%)$199 (13.3%)
$3,000$542 (18.1%)$635 (21.2%)
$5,000$1,003 (20.1%)$1,215 (24.3%)
$8,000$1,762 (22.0%)$2,152 (26.9%)

Miles and other business costs lower these amounts, and so do children and filing jointly. Enter your own month above for your share, or use the tracker to set aside from each payout. Figures for the 2026 tax year; how each one is worked out is on the methodology page.

How the calculator works

What this tool does

Most people paid through DoorDash, Uber, Instacart or their own clients know what they make in a month or a week, not in a year. This calculator starts from that. You enter one month's (or one week's) earnings, business miles and other costs, and your filing status and state. It works out the tax for a year of months like that one and shows the share of each month's pay to set aside for tax. It runs in your browser. What you type is saved in this browser so it is there when you come back; the calculator does not send it to our server.

The Month and Week buttons above the calculator switch between the two at any step, with the same numbers. For a whole year with every deduction, credits, the quarterly due dates and how to pay, use the annual estimator; the last step of this calculator links to it, and it opens with what you typed here.

The rules it applies

  • From a month to a year. A month's amounts are multiplied by 12, a week's by 52. Tax brackets, the standard deduction and the Social Security wage base are yearly, so the tax is worked out on the year and then divided back by 12 or 52.
  • Business costs. Miles at the standard mileage rate of $0.725 a mile (the January–June 2026 rate, used for every mile so the deduction is not overstated), plus the other costs you enter.
  • Self-employment tax. 15.3% (12.4% Social Security, 2.9% Medicare) on 92.35% of the year's profit (Schedule SE).
  • Income tax. Half of the self-employment tax comes off, then the standard deduction and the qualified business income (QBI) deduction, then the federal brackets for your filing status. The Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit are applied for the children you enter.
  • State tax. Your state's flat rate where it has one, otherwise a typical rate.

The engine is the same one the annual estimator uses. Sources are IRS Publication 505, Schedule SE, Publication 334 and the yearly inflation adjustments; the methodology page lists every figure and the year it belongs to.

How to read the result

The amount appears under your earnings as you type, before any other question. Filing status, children and state make it closer; until you choose a state, the amount is federal tax only and says so, rather than guessing a state for you. The large figure is the amount to set aside from a month's (or a week's) earnings: the year's estimated tax divided by 12 (or 52), with the same amount for a week, a month, a quarter and the year next to it. Under it, each tax is listed the same way, so the lines add up to the amount to set aside, and the working line shows the multiplication and the division. If you also have a W-2 job and entered it in the annual estimator, tax already withheld from your wages comes off first. To keep the amount up to date payout by payout, the set-aside tracker uses the same share.

What it does not do

  • It does not file a return or replace one. It is an estimate for planning.
  • It treats every month as the same. If your earnings change with the season, use the annual estimator with the year's total.
  • It does not ask about health insurance, retirement contributions, a home office or the tips deduction. If you entered them in the annual estimator, they are used and listed under the result.
  • State tax is one rate on your taxable income, not your state's full bracket table. City and county taxes are not included.
  • It does not pay the IRS or move money. Estimated tax is paid four times a year; the annual estimator shows the dates and how to pay.

An example

Example. A single delivery driver in Texas earns $4,000 in a month, drives 1,000 business miles and spends $150 on a phone and supplies.

Over a year that is $48,000 of earnings and $10,500 of business costs, so profit is $37,500. Self-employment tax is $5,299 and federal income tax is $1,552. Texas has no state income tax, so the year's tax is $6,851.

Divided by 12, that is $571 to set aside each month, 14.3% of what the driver earns.

Read more

The guides cover the decisions around the numbers, such as how much to set aside and the 1099 tax guide. Who runs this site is on the about page, and every result is an estimate as described in the disclaimer. There are also guides for DoorDash, Uber, Lyft, Amazon Flex, Grubhub, Spark, Uber Eats and Instacart drivers and for freelancers.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 1099 form?

A 1099 form is an IRS tax document that reports income you received from sources other than an employer. Clients and platforms (e.g., Uber, DoorDash, Upwork) that pay you above the IRS reporting threshold during the year send you a 1099-NEC (Nonemployee Compensation). Unlike a W-2, no taxes are withheld — you are responsible for paying them yourself.

Who needs to pay self-employment tax?

Anyone with net self-employment income of $400 or more must pay self-employment (SE) tax. This covers your Social Security (12.4%) and Medicare (2.9%) contributions — both the employee and employer shares — for a combined rate of 15.3%. You can deduct half of SE tax from your gross income on your federal return.

How do I pay quarterly estimated taxes?

Because no employer withholds taxes for you, the IRS requires quarterly estimated payments if you expect to owe $1,000 or more. For the 2026 tax year the due dates are April 15, 2026, June 15, 2026, September 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027. You can pay online at IRS Direct Pay (irs.gov/payments) or by mailing Form 1040-ES. The calculator above estimates a quarterly amount from your numbers.

What expenses can I deduct as a gig worker?

Common deductible business expenses include: mileage or vehicle costs (72.5 cents a mile in 2026 through June, 76 cents from July 1), phone and internet (business-use portion), equipment and supplies, home office (if used regularly and exclusively for work), platform fees, and health insurance premiums. Keep receipts and records throughout the year. The 20% Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction may also reduce your taxable income.

Is this calculator free, and where do my numbers go?

It is free and there is no sign-up. What you type is saved in this browser so it is there when you come back, and the calculator does not send it to our server. The Clear My Data button on the last step removes it. Pages load Google Analytics and Google AdSense, which the privacy page describes.