Quarterly estimated taxes for freelancers
This is a general guide for planning, not tax advice. Confirm your situation with a tax professional.
Employees never think about this because tax is withheld from every paycheck. Freelancers get paid in full, which feels great until the IRS points out that it still wants its share four times a year — not once.
Who has to pay
The rule of thumb: if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in tax for the year (after any withholding), you’re expected to make quarterly estimated payments using Form 1040-ES. For most full-time freelancers, that’s a yes.
The 2026 deadlines
Four dates, and they aren’t evenly spaced — the second “quarter” is short:
- Q1 — April 15, 2026
- Q2 — June 15, 2026
- Q3 — September 15, 2026
- Q4 — January 15, 2027
A deadline that lands on a weekend or holiday rolls to the next business day. Your state may have its own dates.
How much to send
Two ways to size each payment:
- Pay on actual profit. Take the quarter’s net profit and apply your tax rate — self-employment tax (~14.1% effective) plus your income-tax bracket, plus state. This tracks reality but takes a little math each quarter.
- Use the safe harbor. Pay 100% of last year’s total tax — 110% if your AGI topped $150,000 — divided into four. Do that and the IRS generally won’t hit you with an underpayment penalty, even if you end up owing more at filing.
The safe harbor is the freelancer’s friend: it’s predictable and it removes penalty risk. Just remember it protects you from the penalty, not the bill — a strong year still means a balance due in April.
Make the quarters painless
The whole thing gets easy if the money is already waiting. If you set aside your tax share from every payment, each deadline is just moving money from your tax pot to the IRS. Keel keeps that pot honest for you: its Freeboard sets a tax reserve aside as you earn and surfaces the quarterly dates, so a deadline is a transfer, not a scramble. (An estimate to plan with, not tax advice.)
Quick answers
- Do I have to pay quarterly taxes as a freelancer?
- Generally, if you expect to owe $1,000 or more for the year after withholding, the IRS expects quarterly estimated payments. If your freelancing is a small side income and a day-job withholds enough to cover it, you may not need to — but most full-time freelancers do.
- What are the 2026 estimated tax due dates?
- For tax year 2026 the four federal deadlines are April 15 2026, June 15 2026, September 15 2026, and January 15 2027. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday it moves to the next business day. State deadlines can differ.
- How do I avoid an underpayment penalty?
- Use the safe harbor. If you pay at least 100% of the tax shown on last year's return — 110% if your adjusted gross income was over $150,000 — spread across the four quarters, the IRS generally won't penalize you even if you owe more at filing.
Source: IRS — Estimated Taxes
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