Financial glossary
Estimated Tax Payment
In plain English
A periodic payment toward expected federal tax when withholding does not cover income from self-employment, investments, or other sources.
An estimated tax payment is a periodic payment toward expected tax when employer withholding is not enough. Self-employed income, investment gains, and other non-wage income commonly create the need to estimate.
Related calculators
- Quarterly Estimated Tax CalculatorEstimate quarterly federal tax payments from projected tax, withholding, prior-year tax, and a safe-harbor percentage. Confirm with Form 1040-ES.
- 2026 Self-Employment Tax CalculatorEstimate 2026 self-employment tax on business profit, including Social Security, Medicare, Additional Medicare tax, and the deductible half.