2026 FORM 1040-ES

2026 Estimated Tax Worksheet, Line by Line

The Estimated Tax Worksheet in Form 1040-ES works out whether you need to pay quarterly estimated tax for 2026, and how much each payment should be. It runs 15 numbered lines: estimate the year's tax, find the smallest amount that avoids a penalty, subtract withholding, and divide by four.

2026 Form 1040-ESAll 15 lines2026 due dates

WHO PAYS

Who Needs to Fill Out the 2026 Estimated Tax Worksheet

Estimated tax is how income without withholding gets taxed during the year: self-employment profit, rental income, interest, dividends, capital gains, alimony from older divorce agreements. You generally must pay it for 2026 when both of these are true:

You expect to owe at least $1,000 after withholding and refundable credits
Withholding and credits will cover less than 90% of 2026 tax or 100% of 2025 tax, whichever is smaller

You owe nothing for 2026 if you were a US citizen or resident all of 2025 and had no tax liability for that full year. The worksheet tests both conditions for you on lines 14a and 14b.

LINE BY LINE

The 2026 Estimated Tax Worksheet, Every Line

Lines 1–11c estimate your 2026 tax from the top down, the same order as Form 1040. Lines 12a–12c set the minimum you have to prepay. Lines 13–15 subtract withholding and give you the quarterly figure.

Line	What it asks	How to fill it in
1	Adjusted gross income you expect for the year	Wages, business profit, interest, dividends and gains, minus adjustments such as half of self-employment tax.
2a	Deductions	Your standard deduction or estimated itemized deductions. Non-itemizers can add up to $1,000 ($2,000 joint) of cash charitable gifts.
2b	Qualified business income deduction	Usually 20% of qualified business income, limited by taxable income.
2c	Schedule 1-A deductions	The new deductions reported on Schedule 1-A, such as qualified tips and overtime pay.
2d	Add lines 2a, 2b and 2c	Total deductions.
3	Line 1 − line 2d	Estimated taxable income.
4	Tax on line 3	The 2026 Tax Rate Schedules. With qualified dividends or a net capital gain, use Publication 505 Worksheet 2-7 instead.
5	Alternative minimum tax	From Form 6251, if it applies.
6	Line 4 + line 5, plus other taxes that go in Form 1040 line 16	Income tax before credits.
7	Credits	Child tax credit and other nonrefundable credits. Not withholding.
8	Line 6 − line 7, not below 0	Income tax after credits.
9	Self-employment tax	15.3% on 92.35% of net self-employment profit, with Social Security capped at the wage base.
10	Other taxes	Additional Medicare tax, net investment income tax, household employment taxes and similar.
11a	Add lines 8 through 10	Total tax before refundable credits.
11b	Refundable credits	Earned income credit, additional child tax credit, net premium tax credit and others.
11c	Total 2026 estimated tax	Line 11a − line 11b, not below 0.
12a	90% of line 11c	66⅔% if you are a farmer or fisherman.
12b	Required payment based on last year's tax	100% of the tax on your 2025 return, or 110% if 2025 AGI was over $150,000 ($75,000 married filing separately).
12c	Smaller of line 12a or line 12b	Your required annual payment: what you must prepay to avoid a penalty.
13	Withholding	Income tax withheld and expected to be withheld during 2026.
14a	Line 12c − line 13	If zero or less, stop: you don't need to make estimated payments.
14b	Line 11c − line 13	If less than $1,000, stop: you don't need to make estimated payments.
15	Quarterly payment	If your first payment is due April 15, 2026: ¼ of line 14a, minus any 2025 overpayment applied.

Line 4 is where most mistakes happen. Taxing qualified dividends and long-term gains at ordinary rates overstates your estimate. Run them through the Qualified Dividends and Capital Gain Tax Worksheet, which Publication 505 reprints as Worksheet 2-7 for estimated tax. For self-employment tax on line 9, the self-employment tax calculator gives the figure for your profit.

WORKED EXAMPLE

2026 Estimated Tax Worksheet Example: a Freelancer

A single freelancer expects $80,000 of net profit in 2026, has no other income and no withholding, and owed $12,000on last year's return with AGI under $150,000.

Line	What it is	Amount
1	Expected AGI (profit − ½ SE tax)	$74,348
2a	Standard deduction, single	$16,100
2b	QBI deduction	$11,650
2d	Total deductions	$27,750
3	Taxable income	$46,599
4	Tax from the rate schedule	$5,344
8	Tax after credits (none)	$5,344
9	Self-employment tax	$11,304
11c	Total 2026 estimated tax	$16,647
12a	90% of line 11c	$14,983
12b	100% of 2025 tax	$12,000
12c	Required annual payment	$12,000
13	Withholding	$0
14a	Line 12c − line 13	$12,000
14b	Line 11c − line 13	$16,647
15	Each quarterly payment	$3,000

The estimated 2026 tax is $16,647, and 90% of that is $14,983. Last year's $12,000 is smaller, so it becomes the required payment: $3,000 a quarter. That avoids the penalty, but about $4,647 will still be due in April 2027, so it is worth setting aside.

Self-employment tax is 15.3% of 92.35% of profit, with Social Security capped at the $184,500 2026 wage base. The QBI deduction is taken as 20% of qualified business income, limited to 20% of taxable income before the deduction.

DUE DATES

2026 Estimated Tax Due Dates

Payment	Due	Covers income earned
1st	April 15, 2026	January 1 – March 31
2nd	June 15, 2026	April 1 – May 31
3rd	September 15, 2026	June 1 – August 31
4th	January 15, 2027	September 1 – December 31

You can skip the January payment if you file your 2026 return by February 1, 2027and pay the whole balance with it. Paying late or too little triggers an underpayment penalty, figured on Form 2210, which works like interest on each quarter's shortfall. If your income arrives unevenly, the annualized method in Publication 505 (Worksheet 2-9) can lower the early payments.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

2026 Estimated Tax Worksheet FAQ

Do I have to make 2026 estimated tax payments?+

Run lines 14a and 14b and the worksheet answers it. If line 14a is zero or less, or line 14b is under $1,000, you don't need to pay. Otherwise you do, unless you owed no tax at all for a full 12-month 2025.

What are the 2026 estimated tax due dates?+

April 15, June 15 and September 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027. You can skip the January payment if you file your 2026 return by February 1, 2027 and pay the full balance with it.

What is the 110% rule?+

If your 2025 adjusted gross income was more than $150,000 ($75,000 if married filing separately in 2026), the prior-year safe harbor on line 12b is 110% of your 2025 tax instead of 100%. It does not apply if at least two-thirds of your gross income comes from farming or fishing.

Which is better, paying 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's?+

Whichever is smaller is all you need to prepay to avoid a penalty, which is why line 12c takes the smaller. Last year's tax is fixed and known, so it is the safer target when your income is rising. You still owe any remaining balance when you file.

How do I figure line 4 if I have qualified dividends or capital gains?+

Don't use the rate schedules directly. Run your projected taxable income, qualified dividends and long-term gain through Publication 505 Worksheet 2-7, which follows the same 25 steps as the Form 1040 worksheet, and enter its result on line 4.

Can I raise my withholding instead of paying estimated tax?+

Yes. If you also have a job, a new Form W-4 asking your employer to withhold more can cover the tax on your other income. Withholding counts as paid evenly through the year no matter when it happens, which estimated payments don't.

SOURCES

Where these figures come from

Line wording, the safe-harbor percentages and the due dates follow the 2026 Form 1040-ES. Tax rates and the standard deduction are from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32. Worksheet numbers refer to Publication 505 (2026).

Disclaimer: a planning guide, not tax advice. The example ignores state tax, the self-employed health insurance deduction and retirement contributions.

Reviewed by: Paycheck Calculator Editorial Team

Rules current for tax year 2026

2026 TAX WORKSHEETS

Related 2026 tax worksheets

Qualified Dividends and Capital Gain Tax Worksheet 2026All 25 lines, a calculator and a printable copy →2026 Tax Computation WorksheetTax on $100,000 or more, every filing status →Form 1040 Line 16Which method figures your tax →IRS Publication 505 (2026)Withholding, estimated tax and its worksheets →