🧾 Estimate Your Refund (or Balance Due)
Runs entirely in your browser. No income data is sent or stored. Uses official 2026 figures: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 brackets, $16,100/$32,200 standard deduction, 15.3% SE tax on 92.35% of net profit, $184,500 Social Security wage base, and full progressive state brackets for all 41 taxing states + DC.
How the estimate works
A refund is what you paid in during the year minus the tax you turn out to owe. The calculator works out the second number from 2026 law and subtracts it from the first.
- Net profit is 1099 income minus business expenses.
- Self-employment tax is 15.3% of 92.35% of that profit.
- Federal income tax is charged on profit plus any W-2 wages, less half the self-employment tax and the standard deduction.
- State income tax is added for the state you choose.
- Estimated payments and W-2 withholding are subtracted. A positive result is a refund. A negative one is the balance due with your return in April 2027.
A single filer with $60,000 of net profit in a state with no income tax owes $12,989 for 2026. Anyone in that position who paid less than that in estimates has a balance due, and anyone who paid more gets the difference back.
If you have a W-2 job and 1099 income
Enter the wages in the W-2 box and the tax withheld from them in the withholding box. Both kinds of income go on one return and are taxed together, so the side income lands in whatever bracket your wages have already reached, and it carries self-employment tax on top.
| W-2 wages | 1099 net profit | Tax the side income adds | Share of side profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $10,000 | $2,528 | 25.3% |
| $50,000 | $20,000 | $5,265 | 26.3% |
| $70,000 | $10,000 | $3,458 | 34.6% |
| $70,000 | $20,000 | $6,915 | 34.6% |
| $100,000 | $10,000 | $3,458 | 34.6% |
| $100,000 | $30,000 | $10,494 | 35.0% |
Single filer, standard deduction, no state income tax, 2026.
The withholding on your wages was set for the wages alone, so this added tax is what you will owe unless you pay it during the year. There are two ways to do that. You can make quarterly estimated payments, or you can give your employer a new Form W-4 with an extra amount per paycheck in Step 4(c).
Withholding counts as paid evenly through the year no matter when it was taken, so raising it in the autumn can still cover income earned in the spring. Estimated payments do not get that treatment. The guide to W-2 and 1099 income in the same year works through the choice with numbers.
Can a 1099-only freelancer get a refund?
Only by paying in more than the tax comes to. Nothing is withheld from 1099 payments, so a freelancer who made no estimated payments has nothing to be refunded and owes the full amount. Overpaid estimates come back after filing.
Refundable credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and part of the Child Tax Credit can also produce a refund. They depend on family details this calculator does not ask for, so if you qualify your result will be better than shown.
What a balance due costs
Owing money in April is not a penalty by itself. Two separate charges can apply.
- Underpayment of estimated tax. If you owe $1,000 or more at filing and did not meet a safe harbor, the IRS charges interest on each quarter's shortfall from its due date. The safe harbors are 90% of this year's tax, or 100% of last year's (110% if last year's adjusted gross income was above $150,000). The charge is worked out on Form 2210.
- Late payment. Any balance still unpaid after April 15, 2027 accrues a failure-to-pay penalty of 0.5% a month, plus interest. Filing on time and paying what you can keeps this small. The penalty for not filing at all is ten times larger, at 5% a month.
Refund or bill: which to aim for
A large refund means the money sat with the IRS all year earning nothing. A large bill can bring the charges above. The cheap middle is to pay the safe-harbor amount through the year, keep the difference in savings, and settle the rest when you file.
If the calculator shows a wide gap in either direction and the year is not over, change your remaining payments now. The January 15, 2027 payment is the last one that counts toward 2026. The quarterly tax calculator gives the safe-harbor figure.
If you have overpaid, the return lets you take the refund or apply all or part of it to next year's estimated tax. An applied amount counts as paid on April 15, the first-quarter due date, which suits anyone who will owe estimates again.
FAQ
Why do employees get refunds while freelancers usually owe?
Withholding tends to take slightly too much from each paycheck, so most employees overpay and get the difference back. Nothing is withheld from 1099 income. A freelancer only gets a refund after paying more in estimates than the final tax.
I have a W-2 job and 1099 side income. How do I use this?
Enter the 1099 income and expenses, then your wages in the W-2 box and the income tax withheld from them in the withholding box. The result covers both incomes on one return.
How much will I owe on 1099 income if I paid nothing during the year?
The full tax. For a single filer in a state with no income tax in 2026 that is $5,417 on $30,000 of net profit, $10,461 on $50,000 and $17,101 on $75,000, before any underpayment charge.
Does it include the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Child Tax Credit?
No. Credits depend on children, age and filing details the calculator does not collect. If you qualify for them, your refund will be larger or your bill smaller than the estimate.
How long does a refund take?
The IRS says it issues most refunds within 21 days of accepting an e-filed return with direct deposit. Paper returns take longer.
Related calculators
The main 1099 tax calculator shows the full self-employment, federal and state breakdown. The quarterly tax calculator sets your remaining payments, and the deductions calculator shows what your expenses take off the bill.
Estimates only, not tax advice. The QBI deduction, credits and retirement deductions are not included, so your bill may be lower. Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, SSA and state tax agencies. Built and maintained by Rahul B. See the methodology and changelog. Last updated October 7, 2026. Report an issue.