Updated October 29, 2026. Quick answer: The combined self-employment tax rate for 2026 is 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security on net earnings up to the $184,500 taxable maximum, plus 2.9% for Medicare on all net earnings. The Social Security Administration published the $184,500 base in the Federal Register on November 3, 2025. The 12.4% and 2.9% rates are fixed in the statute. The 2027 base has its own page, the self-employment tax rates for 2027.
More on the 2026 tax figures: the Social Security wage base for 2026.
The 2026 rates and base
| Piece | Rate | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security (OASDI) | 12.4% | Net earnings up to $184,500 in 2026 |
| Medicare (HI) | 2.9% | All net earnings, no ceiling |
| Total self-employment tax | 15.3% (computed: 12.4% plus 2.9%) | Up to $184,500; 2.9% above it |
The rates come from section 1401 of the Internal Revenue Code. Social Security: “a tax equal to 12.4 percent of the amount of the self-employment income for such taxable year.” Medicare: “a tax equal to 2.9 percent of the amount of the self-employment income for such taxable year.” The combined 15.3 percent is the sum of the two statutory rates.
The 2026 taxable maximum
The Administration published the base in the Federal Register: “The Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) contribution and benefit base will be $184,500 for remuneration paid in 2026 and selfemployment income earned in tax years beginning in 2026.”
The base moves with average wages. The Administration printed its arithmetic: “Multiplying the 1994 OASDI contribution and benefit base ($60,600) by the ratio of the national average wage index for 2024 ($69,846.57 as determined above) to that for 1992 ($22,935.42) produces $184,548.71. We round this amount to $184,500.” Recomputed here: $60,600 times $69,846.57 divided by $22,935.42 is $184,548.71 (computed), which rounds to $184,500.
The most Social Security tax in 2026
At the 2026 base, the Social Security part of the tax tops out at 12.4% of $184,500, which is $22,878.00 (computed). The Medicare 2.9% keeps applying to every dollar above the base. High earners can also owe the Additional Medicare Tax, covered on the 2026 Additional Medicare Tax page.
Where the tax is figured
The line-by-line form walk-throughs are Schedule SE lines 5 to 13 and Schedule 2 line 4. The rates and the base on this page are the inputs. What counts as net earnings from self-employment is a separate calculation that this page does not repeat.
Common mistakes
- Applying the combined 15.3% (computed: 12.4% plus 2.9%) to earnings above $184,500. Above the base only the 2.9% Medicare part continues.
- Using a base from another year for 2026 earnings. The 2026 base is $184,500.
- Forgetting the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on high earners. It is a separate tax on top of the 2.9%.
Related: self-employment tax explained, the 2026 Additional Medicare Tax, Schedule 2 line 4, and the self-employment tax rates for 2027.
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Answer againSources
- 26 U.S.C. 1401, Rate of tax (U.S. Code, 2024 edition, U.S. Government Publishing Office): www.govinfo.gov
- Social Security Administration, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2026, 90 Federal Register 49047 (November 3, 2025): www.govinfo.gov
Read from the primary documents linked above on October 29, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer or the IRS itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.