How TaxCadence Works
Five steps from your income to your quarterly payment amounts. No signup, no account, no cost.
Enter Your Income
Input your 1099 self-employment income, any W-2 wages, business expenses, filing status, and state. Takes about 30 seconds.
We Calculate Self-Employment Tax
We compute your SE tax at 15.3% on 92.35% of net earnings. The Social Security portion (12.4%) is capped at $168,600 for 2026. Medicare (2.9%) is uncapped. We also calculate the 50% SE tax deduction that reduces your AGI.
We Apply Federal Brackets
Your Adjusted Gross Income minus the standard deduction gives your taxable income. We run it through the 2026 federal tax brackets for your filing status to get your federal income tax.
We Add State Taxes
We calculate your state income tax based on your state's rates. Nine states have no income tax. Others use flat or graduated rates. We handle all 50 states plus DC.
You Get Quarterly Amounts
We total your federal income tax, SE tax, and state tax, subtract estimated W-2 withholding if applicable, and divide by four. Each quarter gets the same payment amount with the exact IRS due date.