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Income Tax Fundamentals and Calculations - Self-Employment Tax

Self-Employment Tax
The Self-Employment Tax is how someone working within their own business (like a self-employed independent contractor) pays Medicare and Social Security taxes from their pay. By working for yourself,- you act as both the employer and the employee, so a self-employed person pays 15.3% total tax (which is 7.65% as the employer and 7.65% as the employee). The tax is composed of a Social Security tax of 12.4% on the first $106,800 of net self-employment income (for 2009 through 2011) and a Medicare tax of 2.9% on all net self-employment income.

If you work as an employee of another firm or organization, the employer and employee split the cost of these payroll taxes, each paying 7.65% of eligible wages.

*NOTE*
For tax year 2011 only, to help stimulate the economy, the self-employment tax is reduced to 13.3% total. Self-employment persons will pay Social Security tax of 10.4% on the net self-employment income up to the Social Security wage base of $106,800, and 2.9% Medicare tax on their total self-employment income.

In addition, you can take a deduction for the 6.2% employer's share of Social Security along with 1.45% employer's share of Medicare as an above-the-line deduction if you are self-employed.




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