We look forward to many different days throughout the year, including our birthdays, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Day, etc. The one day we would want to exclude, though, is Tax Day.

Tax Day, however, has an ironic side to it! On April 15—Tax Day—you don’t really pay your annual taxes. In reality, most US workers have already deducted enough money from their paychecks throughout the year by that time to cover their taxes. On Tax Day, when you file your tax return, all you are doing is telling the IRS whether you underpaid or overpaid your taxes. A 1099 tax calculator can help with this. 

To Determine Your Quarterly Tax, Use This Widget:

But what occurs if you don’t have a superior employer who can deduct taxes from your pay? Regardless of whether you work for yourself or as a contractor, you are still required to pay taxes to the government. You may not envy the taxes that come with freelancing, but you may envy the flexibility of having flexible working hours and being your own boss! You must report your taxes to the Internal Revenue Service on your own when no one is available to withhold them for you (IRS). Additionally, you must pay estimated or quarterly taxes if your freelance income exceeds a certain threshold set by the IRS.

Four times a year, the IRS receives payments known as quarterly estimated taxes. Let’s go through quarterly taxes in more depth, including who must pay them and how the quarterly tax payment calculator makes the process easier.

Recognizing Quarterly Taxes:

Whether you work for a company or are self-employed, if you are a US citizen who earns money, you must share some of your earnings as income tax with the federal government.

Regular salary earners don’t need to worry about taxes because their employers have already deducted them from their paychecks based on the W-4 forms submitted by the employees. Those without employers are required to make direct payments to the government in the form of quarterly taxes. When completing their yearly tax return, they don’t have to wait the entire year to pay the large cost. Therefore, self-employed individuals have four tax days per year.

Quarterly Taxes Can Be Divided Into Two Categories:

The self-employment tax

The tax rate for self-employment is 15.3%. 

There are two components to the rate:

4% goes to Social Security (old-age, survivors, and disability insurance)

9% is for Medicare (hospital insurance)

Tax On Income:

It is the total amount of taxes you pay every year at the standard income tax rate.

Since you just estimate the amount each quarter rather than knowing what your final tax bill will be, the quarterly taxes are known as estimated taxes. You can request a refund from the IRS if you complete your tax return and discover that you owe less in taxes than you paid in quarterly payments. Additionally, you will be obliged to refund the IRS the overpayment if you discover that you have underpaid your quarterly taxes.

Who May Submit Quarterly Tax Payments?

Self-employed people must, as was already said, pay estimated taxes. See who is added to the list of self-employed people who must calculate their taxes.

Freelancers: Individuals who work for clients directly without being employed by an organization. A freelancer is someone who receives compensation on an as-needed or as-performed basis, usually for short-term labor. They are free to pick the initiatives they want. For instance, independent journalists may create a report about a topic that interests them personally and then sell it to the highest bidder. Additionally, it comprises independent marketers, designers, etc.

Self-employed individuals: Independent contractors are people who work under a contract with businesses and organizations. Since they are not employees, they are also ineligible for employee benefits. Doctors, dentists, actors, veterinarians, musicians, attorneys, and instructors are a few professionals who offer autonomous services to the public.

Small company proprietors and entrepreneurs who operate independently

Some earnings are regarded as taxable:

  • Rent received
  • Gains in capital
  • Bestow honors
  • Pension revenue
  • Mortgage earnings
  • Shares
  • Earning dividends
  • Lotto Result
  • Authors and musicians who receive royalties for their work

What Day Do Quarterly Taxes Become Due?

Due dates for quarterly taxes are as follows since they must be paid four times a year, spaced out into equal intervals of three months:

Payment Due Date Period:

Jan. 1 through March 31 April 15 April 1 through May 31 June 15 June 1 through August 31 September 15 September 1 through December 31 January 15 of the next year

The date is moved to the following working day if there is a public holiday or if a Saturday or Sunday falls on the 15th of the month in which the payment is due. However, it’s crucial to remember these 1099 due dates because failing to meet deadlines might result in fines and you want to avoid tax penalties.

If you don’t pay enough of the tax debt by the deadline or if you submit an annual tax return and are entitled to a refund, you can even be assessed a penalty.

How should the amount for quarterly taxes be estimated?

It’s not simple to figure out estimated tax. You must first estimate your yearly income for the tax year, apply the tax rate to the overall income, then subtract any allowable expenses as specified by the IRS, and then split the total tax due into four equal payments to pay the anticipated quarterly taxes. The computations must be done carefully, though, since even a tiny mistake might result in a fine. You will also need to account for self employment taxes or SECA taxes. 

Conclusion:

Human error may be avoided in the tax calculating process with the use of automation and technology. The quarterly tax payments allow you to effortlessly manage all of your deductions and compute all of your taxes appropriately. The most accurate and effective calculator for self-employed and independent contractors’ quarterly tax payments is its A.I. tax engine. Connect all of your spending accounts to FlyFin, which streamlines your tax preparation.