When are quarterly estimated taxes due for freelancers?

For 2025: April 15, June 16, September 15, 2025 and January 15, 2026. For 2026: April 15, June 15, September 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027.

What happens if I miss a quarterly payment?

The IRS charges an underpayment penalty calculated as interest on the shortfall, roughly 7-8% annualized, prorated by how late and how much was underpaid. There is no fixed flat fee.

What is the safe harbor rule?

If you pay at least 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's total tax (110% if prior-year AGI exceeded $150,000), you avoid the underpayment penalty regardless of what you actually owe.

Quarterly Tax Due Dates

If you're self-employed and expect to owe $1,000 or more for the year, the IRS wants four payments, not one. Here are the exact dates and the rule that keeps you out of penalties.

2025 estimated tax deadlines

Payment	Due date	Income period covered
Q1	April 15, 2025	January 1 – March 31
Q2	June 16, 2025	April 1 – May 31
Q3	September 15, 2025	June 1 – August 31
Q4	January 15, 2026	September 1 – December 31

Note the uneven periods — Q2 and Q3 are two-month spans, not three. That catches people off guard.

2026 estimated tax deadlines

Payment	Due date	Income period covered
Q1	April 15, 2026	January 1 – March 31
Q2	June 15, 2026	April 1 – May 31
Q3	September 15, 2026	June 1 – August 31
Q4	January 15, 2027	September 1 – December 31

If a date falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.

The safe harbor rule (the thing that actually matters)

You avoid the underpayment penalty if you pay the smaller of:

90% of your current-year total tax, or
100% of last year's total tax (110% if last year's AGI was over $150,000)

This is the most useful sentence in US estimated tax law. If your income is volatile, paying 100% of last year's liability in four equal installments guarantees no penalty — even if you end up owing a lot more in April.

Practical move: take last year's total tax from line 24 of your 1040, divide by four, pay that each quarter. Adjust up only if you're clearly having a much better year.

If you miss one

It's a penalty, not a fine

Charged as interest on the shortfall, prorated by days late. Currently around 7–8% annualized — painful but not catastrophic.

It's calculated per quarter

Paying late isn't the same as paying nothing. Each installment is judged separately, so a big Q3 payment doesn't fix a missed Q1.

You can still fix it

Pay the shortfall as soon as you notice. The penalty keeps accruing until you do, and there's no benefit to waiting for April.

How much should each payment be?

The honest answer: your total tax for the year ÷ 4 — where total tax includes both self-employment tax (15.3% on 92.35% of net income) and federal income tax.

Most freelancers underestimate because they only think about income tax and forget the SE tax, which is usually the bigger number early on. On $60,000 of net income, SE tax alone is roughly $8,500.

Run the calculator to get your exact quarterly number, or let SoloLedger track it automatically from your transactions.

Questions

Do I need to pay quarterly if I also have a W-2 job?
Possibly. Your employer withholds based on your salary, not your side income. If the side income is large enough that you'd owe $1,000+ at filing, you need estimated payments — or you can raise withholding on the W-2 job.

Can I just pay once a year?
You can, but you'll owe the underpayment penalty even if you pay in full by April 15. It's cheaper to pay quarterly.

Does my state have separate deadlines?
Usually similar dates but not always identical, and some states have no income tax at all. Check your state's revenue department — this page covers federal only.

Never guess the number again

SoloLedger categorizes your transactions and keeps your quarterly tax estimate current, so the deadline is a reminder instead of a panic.

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