A Free Self-Employment Tax Calculator — No TurboTax Required
TurboTax's self-employment tax calculator is a lead-gen funnel into paid software. Reise Tools is a standalone calculator that shows the SE tax formula, quarterly safe harbor amounts, and QBI deduction logic — for free, with no account, no upsell.
🧮Try 1099 Quarterly Tax Planner →1099 Quarterly Tax Planner
Calculate your quarterly IRS payments with QBI deduction (Section 199A), safe harbor, and all 4 due dates. Adds the 20% pass-through deduction that most freelancers forget to claim.
| Feature | TurboTax Self-Employment Tax Calculator | Reise Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Free with no account required TurboTax calculator requires account or leads to paid product | ||
| SE tax formula shown (12.4% SS + 2.9% Medicare) | ||
| 50% SE tax deduction on AGI computed | ||
| QBI deduction (Section 199A) surfaced | ||
| Quarterly safe harbor amounts (100%/90% rules) | ||
| Formula shown for every result | ||
| IRS underpayment penalty avoidance amounts | ||
| Full tax filing (actual return) TurboTax files taxes; Reise is a planning tool only | ||
| Run hypothetical scenarios freely |
To be honest: this is a widely-used tool for good reasons. Here's what it does well.
- TurboTax files your actual taxes end-to-end — full-service tax prep that Reise Tools doesn't try to replace
- Backed by years of IRS rule updates and professionally reviewed tax logic
- Audit defense and refund guarantees are valuable for complex tax situations
- TurboTax's interview UI is genuinely well-designed for users with no tax knowledge
- ▸The 'calculator' is a funnel, not a tool — TurboTax's self-employment estimator exists to get you to start a TurboTax return. It doesn't show formulas or let you explore scenarios without committing.
- ▸Quarterly estimated tax amounts aren't computed with safe harbor logic — TurboTax's estimator shows a rough tax number but doesn't compute the IRS safe harbor thresholds (100% of prior year liability or 90% of current year) needed to avoid underpayment penalties.
- ▸QBI deduction (Section 199A) — the 20% pass-through deduction for self-employed individuals — is only surfaced if you start a full TurboTax return, not in any free calculator.
- ▸SE tax split isn't shown — the 15.3% SE tax is the combination of 12.4% Social Security and 2.9% Medicare. TurboTax shows a total; Reise breaks it out and shows the 50% SE tax deduction you can take on AGI.
- ▸No formula transparency — you can't verify the calculation or run hypotheticals without TurboTax guiding you through a full interview flow.
Every Reise calculator has a ShowMath panel — expand it and you see the exact formula with your actual numbers substituted in. Not just a result. Not a black box. The full derivation, step by step.
TurboTax is excellent at filing your taxes after the fact. Reise Tools is for planning — understanding your SE tax burden before Q4, setting aside the right quarterly amounts, and knowing your QBI deduction before you talk to a CPA. Different jobs. Both free to try, but only one shows the formula.
Your marginal bracket isn't what you actually pay. See your combined effective rate across federal, SE/FICA, and state — for W-2 or 1099 income. Bracket breakdown, take-home pay, and income scenario table.
Same gross pay, wildly different take-home. See exactly how W-2 and 1099 offers compare after self-employment tax, FICA, and employer benefits — then get the break-even number that tells you exactly what to negotiate.
100+ free calculators. Every result shows the formula. No account required.