Most of the tax rules that govern freelance life stay the same year to year — but a handful of numbers move every January, and they are exactly the ones you plan around. Here is the short, practical version for 2026, with the caveats that matter. Treat these as headline figures for budgeting; confirm anything that affects a real filing against the IRS or a tax professional, since thresholds get revised.

Self-employment tax

The rate itself did not change: self-employment tax is still 15.3% — 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare — applied to 92.35% of your net profit. What moved is the ceiling on the Social Security piece.

  • Social Security wage base: $184,500 for 2026 (up from $176,100 in 2025). The 12.4% Social Security portion only applies to net earnings up to this cap.
  • Medicare (2.9%) has no ceiling, and an extra 0.9% Medicare surtax still kicks in above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly) — those thresholds are fixed and do not inflate.

Run your own number through the self-employment tax calculator, which uses the 2026 wage base.

Retirement contribution limits

2026 is a good year to save more, because most limits went up. If you have a Solo 401(k) or SEP IRA, these are the ceilings worth knowing.

  • Solo 401(k) / 401(k) employee deferral: $24,500 (up from $23,500), plus an $8,000 catch-up if you are 50 or older.
  • Overall defined-contribution / SEP IRA limit: $72,000 (up from $70,000).
  • SIMPLE IRA: $17,000.
  • Traditional and Roth IRA: $7,500, with a $1,100 catch-up at 50+.

See how much you could shelter with the Solo 401(k) calculator, and for the official figures check the IRS retirement plans for the self-employed page.

Health Savings Accounts

If you carry a high-deductible health plan, the HSA remains one of the best deals in the tax code, and its limits rose too.

  • Individual coverage: $4,400 for 2026.
  • Family coverage: $8,750.
  • Age-55 catch-up: an extra $1,000 (this one is fixed and does not inflate).

Standard mileage rate

Drive for work? The IRS bumped the business rate for 2026.

  • Business: 72.5 cents per mile (up 2.5 cents from 2025).
  • Medical: 20.5 cents per mile.
  • Charitable: 14 cents per mile (set by law, unchanged).

Remember that commuting from home to a regular workplace is personal, not business, mileage.

Quarterly estimated tax deadlines

The dates barely move, but they are never evenly spaced. For the 2026 tax year, plan around these:

  • Q1 — April 15, 2026
  • Q2 — June 15, 2026
  • Q3 — September 15, 2026
  • Q4 — January 15, 2027

If a date lands on a weekend or holiday it shifts to the next business day. Not sure how much to send? The quarterly tax calculator gives you a per-payment estimate.

The one habit that outlasts any year's numbers

Figures change; the discipline does not. Set aside a fixed share of every payment — many freelancers use 25–30% — the moment it lands, and keep it in a separate account. Do that and none of these thresholds will catch you off guard, whatever they are next January.

This is general educational information for 2026, not tax advice. Figures are drawn from official releases but can be revised, and your situation is unique — confirm current numbers with the IRS or a qualified tax professional before filing.