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A detailed step-by-step guide for calculating self-employment tax using Schedule SE.
This walkthrough is designed for self-employed Americans abroad who want a clearer operational understanding of how Schedule SE works, where the numbers come from, and how the final amounts move through the rest of the tax return.
This page is part of the premium walkthrough system. It is intended for detailed, step-by-step filing support after a user already understands the general Schedule SE pathway.
Do not start Schedule SE until you have completed Schedule C or at least calculated your net business profit.
Before starting Schedule SE, you should already have:
Schedule SE depends heavily on the net profit calculated from Schedule C. If Schedule C is wrong, Schedule SE will also be wrong.
You generally must file Schedule SE if you had $400 or more in net earnings from self-employment.
This may apply if:
Schedule SE is used to calculate self-employment tax owed to the IRS.
This walkthrough focuses on the common nonfarm self-employed expat situation: income from freelance, consulting, contractor, or solo business activity.
Schedule SE does not operate by itself. It sits in the middle of your tax return and depends on numbers calculated elsewhere.
The order matters. Schedule C comes before Schedule SE because Schedule SE needs the net profit number from Schedule C.
Schedule SE calculates self-employment tax on adjusted net earnings from self-employment.
In general, self-employment tax is 15.3%. This is made up of:
When you are an employee, Social Security and Medicare taxes are generally split between you and your employer. When you are self-employed, you are responsible for both sides yourself.
This is why self-employment tax can feel surprisingly high. It includes both the employee and employer portions.
Another important detail: Schedule SE does not usually calculate tax on 100% of your Schedule C profit. It generally first multiplies net earnings by 92.35%.
This adjusted amount becomes the base used to calculate self-employment tax.
One of the biggest areas of confusion for Americans abroad is the relationship between the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and self-employment tax.
The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion may reduce regular income tax, but it does not automatically eliminate self-employment tax.
This means a self-employed expat may still owe self-employment tax even if Form 2555 excludes some or all foreign earned income from regular income tax.
This is one of the most important reasons Schedule SE should not be skipped just because you are using Form 2555.
Think of this as the basic flow:
If you get lost, return to this sequence. Schedule SE is not the starting point. Schedule C is.
This section walks through the main calculation flow of Schedule SE. Always compare this walkthrough with the current IRS Schedule SE form and instructions for the filing year you are preparing.
Most self-employed freelancers, contractors, and consultants will work through Part I. The optional method sections later in the form are more specialized and are not the usual starting point for a simple self-employed expat return.
Use this line only if you have farm income.
Most freelancers, consultants, contractors, and remote workers will leave this blank unless they operate a farming business.
If your self-employment income comes from consulting, freelance work, digital services, writing, coaching, design, online business, or similar work, this is probably not your line.
This line is for certain Conservation Reserve Program payments.
Most self-employed expats will leave this blank.
This is where most self-employed expats begin the actual Schedule SE calculation.
Enter your net profit from Schedule C, Line 31.
This is not your total business income. It is your profit after business expenses.
Do not use gross income here. Schedule SE starts with net profit from Schedule C, not total deposits, invoices, or sales.
Add the amounts from the applicable earlier lines.
For many freelancers and consultants, this line will simply repeat the amount from Line 2 because there is no farm income or other special income included.
This line is basically asking: after combining your self-employment income sources, what is the total amount before the Schedule SE adjustment?
This line adjusts your net self-employment earnings before calculating the tax.
Multiply the amount on Line 3 by 92.35%.
Example:
In this example, $55,410 is the adjusted amount used for the self-employment tax calculation.
This is the step many people miss. Self-employment tax is generally not calculated directly on 100% of your Schedule C net profit.
This line applies if you elect one or both optional methods later in Schedule SE.
Many simple freelance or consulting situations will not use this line.
If you are not using an optional method, this line will usually be blank or zero.
Combine the applicable amounts from Lines 4a and 4b.
This line shows your adjusted net earnings from self-employment.
If this amount is less than $400, you generally do not owe self-employment tax.
This is where the $400 threshold matters. If Line 4c is below $400, the form may tell you to stop unless a special exception applies.
This line applies to certain church employee income reported on Form W-2.
Most self-employed freelancers, consultants, and remote workers will leave this blank unless they specifically have this type of income.
This line adjusts church employee income if Line 5a applies.
If you do not have church employee income, this line will generally not apply to you.
This combines your adjusted self-employment earnings with any applicable adjusted church employee income.
For many self-employed expats without church employee income, this will simply repeat Line 4c.
This line deals with the annual Social Security wage base limit.
Social Security tax applies only up to an annual limit. That limit can change each year.
This is one reason you should always check the current-year Schedule SE instructions. The Social Security wage base limit changes over time.
If you also had wages from an employer, this line helps account for Social Security tax already applied to those wages.
This matters because the Social Security portion of SE tax has an annual cap.
If you had no W-2 wages subject to Social Security tax, this line may be zero.
These lines handle specific types of wages and tips that may affect the Social Security calculation.
Many simple self-employed expat returns will not use these lines, but you should review them carefully if you had W-2 wages, railroad retirement compensation, or unreported tips.
This line determines how much of your self-employment earnings may still be subject to the Social Security portion of SE tax.
If you had no other wages, this line may simply preserve most or all of the Social Security wage base for your self-employment calculation.
This line calculates the Social Security portion of your self-employment tax.
The Social Security portion is generally 12.4%, applied only up to the annual wage base limit.
This line calculates the Medicare portion of your self-employment tax.
The Medicare portion is generally 2.9%.
Unlike Social Security tax, Medicare tax generally does not stop at the Social Security wage base limit.
Add the Social Security and Medicare portions.
This line gives the total self-employment tax.
This amount generally flows to Schedule 2 and then into Form 1040.
This is the number many expats are surprised by. FEIE may reduce income tax, but Schedule SE may still produce self-employment tax.
This line calculates the deductible portion of your self-employment tax.
This deduction generally flows to Schedule 1 as an adjustment to income.
It does not reduce the self-employment tax itself. Instead, it reduces income for regular income tax purposes.
Think of Line 12 as the SE tax you owe, and Line 13 as the related deduction that moves elsewhere in the return.
Example:
Schedule SE does not simply calculate 15.3% on the full $60,000.
First, the net profit is generally multiplied by 92.35%:
The adjusted net earnings amount is then used to calculate the Social Security and Medicare portions of self-employment tax.
This example is simplified for learning purposes. Always compare your numbers with the current Schedule SE form and instructions.
After completing Schedule SE: