How to Calculate Taxes on Form 1099-Misc

An independent contractor's income is reported on Form 1099-MISC.

When you work for a company as an independent contractor, the person or company you worked for will send you a Form 1099-MISC at the end of the year rather than a Form W-2. Because no federal, state, Social Security or Medicare taxes were withheld from your pay, you are responsible for any taxes due on the income.

Things You'll Need

• Federal tax table
• State tax table

Instructions

1. Find your earned income in Box 7 under non-employee compensation. If you were paid royalties, they will be recorded in Box 2 on the form. Box 3 is for any other income you received, which could include bonuses. If you had any federal or state tax withheld, this will be recorded in Box 4 and Box 16, respectively, but most independent contractors won't have entries in those two boxes.

2. Add the amounts in boxes 7 and 3 to get your total income for the year. If you have more than one 1099-MISC, add all these totals before calculating your tax liability.

3. Calculate any business-related expenses you had during the tax year and subtract them expenses from your total income. For example, if the total income on Form 1099-MISC is $6,891, and there were no expense deductions and no taxes withheld so the recipient is responsible for federal, state and self-employment taxes on income of $6,891. Multiply $6,891 by 92.35 percent (.9235) to calculate the amount subject to self-employment taxes ($6,891 x .9235 = $6,364).

4. Use the amount subject to self-employment tax to find your self-employment tax liability. If the amount is under $400, you do not owe any self-employment tax. If your total income is over $102,000, multiply the amount subject to self-employment tax by 2.9 percent (.029) and add $12,648 to that amount. If your total is under $102,000, multiply the amount by 15.3 percent (.153) to find your self-employment tax. For this example, the total subject to this tax is $6,364. The formula is $6,364 x .153 = $974. Your self-employment tax liability is $974.

5. Figure your federal tax liability on your total income using Publication 15-T for the current tax year (see example in Resources). Keep in mind that your federal tax liability will be reduced by a standard deduction or an itemized deduction and/or the earned income credit if it applies to you. You tax liability also can be reduced by other payments and credits.

6. Calculate how much state tax you owe on the total income (see Resources).

Tips & Warnings

• You can pay estimated taxes during the year to reduce the amount of money you will owe at the end of the year.

References

• IRS.gov

Resources

• Salary.com: State Income Tax Rates
• PDF: IRS Publication 15-T