January 15 estimated tax payment: the fourth 2026 date for 1099 income

Updated October 2026 · Educational, not tax advice

Who this page is for

This page is for freelancers, gig workers, and contractors who received 1099 income in 2026 and want the federal payment date in plain words. The information-return clock, Form 1099-NEC, is a different page: 1099-NEC deadline January 31. How the four periods work, and what four equal amounts means, is a different page: how much should freelancers set aside for quarterly taxes. This page is only the fourth estimated tax payment.

The federal text is the 2026 Form 1040-ES. That form says estimated tax is the method for income that is not subject to withholding, and it names earnings from self-employment, including gig economy work, as an example. Nonresident aliens use Form 1040-ES (NR). A fiscal-year filer uses different dates in the same form. This page is the calendar-year fourth payment.

Who has to pay estimated tax

The 2026 Form 1040-ES says that, in most cases, estimated tax for 2026 applies if both of these are true.

• The expected tax for 2026, after withholding and refundable credits, is at least $1,000.
• Withholding and refundable credits will be less than the smaller of 90% of the tax to be shown on the 2026 return, or 100% of the tax shown on the 2025 return. The 2025 return must cover all 12 months.

There is an exception in the same form. Estimated tax for 2026 is not required if the person was a U.S. citizen or resident alien for all of 2025 and had no tax liability for the full 12-month 2025 tax year. No tax liability means total tax was zero, or no return was required.

Farming and fishing use a different percentage. If at least two-thirds of gross income for 2025 or 2026 is from farming or fishing, the form says to substitute 66 2/3% for 90%. This page does not apply that rule.

Someone who also has wages can have an employer withhold more by filing a new Form W-4. The form says withholding counts toward the required amount. This page does not fill out a Form W-4.

The January 15, 2027 date

The 2026 Form 1040-ES says the estimated tax can be paid all at once by April 15, 2026, or in four equal amounts on these dates.

January 15, 2027 is a Friday. The form prints that date as the fourth payment. For a fiscal-year filer, the same form says a payment date that falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday moves to the next business day, and it points to Publication 509 for the holiday list. This page stays on the calendar-year dates in the table.

The form's footnote on the fourth date: the January 15, 2027 payment is not required if the 2026 tax return is filed by February 1, 2027, and the entire balance due is paid with that return. February 1, 2027 is a Monday.

A mailed payment that is postmarked by the due date is treated as paid on the U.S. postmark date. The same form notes a Postal Service clarification: for that rule, the postmark date is the date the payment is processed at a facility, which can differ from the day it was dropped in a mailbox.

Safe harbor: 90%, 100%, and 110%

The general rule compares two amounts: 90% of this year's tax, and 100% of last year's tax (110% in the higher-income case below). The required annual payment is the smaller amount, not the smaller percentage. Withholding and on-time estimated payments count toward it.

• 90% of 2026. 90% of the tax to be shown on the 2026 return.
• 100% of 2025. 100% of the tax shown on the 2025 return, if that return covered all 12 months.
• 110% of 2025, for higher income. If adjusted gross income for 2025 was more than $150,000 ($75,000 if the 2026 filing status is married filing separately), the form says to substitute 110% for 100%. If at least two-thirds of gross income for 2025 or 2026 is from farming or fishing, the form says this 110% rule does not apply.

The form names where the 2025 tax figure comes from. It starts with 2025 Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 24, then subtracts the items the 2026 Form 1040-ES lists (certain Schedule 2 taxes and certain refundable credits). If the 2025 return was not filed, or the 2025 tax year was shorter than 12 full months, the form says to skip that prior-year line and use the current-year figure instead. This page does not do that subtraction.

The worksheet calls 90% of the 2026 estimated tax line 12a, and the prior-year amount line 12b. Line 12c is the smaller of those two. The form's caution on that line says paying the required annual amount can still leave tax due when the return is filed. Line 11c is the full 2026 estimated tax. This page does not choose between line 11c and line 12c.

Withholding counts toward the required amount. An earlier installment that is less than one-fourth of an amended estimate can still leave a penalty at filing. The form points that case to chapter 2 of Publication 505. Catching up on January 15 does not, by itself, erase a shortfall the IRS figures for an earlier date.

Self-employment tax, from the 2026 worksheet

Self-employment tax is separate from income tax. The 2026 Form 1040-ES worksheet for lines 1 and 9 says to use only 92.35% (0.9235) of net profit from self-employment. Net profit for this purpose is Schedule C (Form 1040), line 31, among the lines the worksheet names.

On that reduced amount, the worksheet does two multiplications, then adds them.

• Medicare portion: 2.9% (0.029). This part is not capped by the wage base.
• Social Security portion: 12.4% (0.124). For 2026, the form says the maximum earned income subject to the Social Security tax is $184,500. Wages already subject to Social Security tax reduce the room under that maximum. If wages already used up the $184,500, the worksheet says to enter zero for the Social Security portion. The Medicare portion still applies.

The same $184,500 wage base, the 12.4% self-employment rate for Social Security, and the 2.9% Hospital Insurance rate for self-employed people are on the Social Security contribution and benefit base page. The IRS self-employment tax page calls the combined rate 15.3% (12.4% plus 2.9%). That page's wage-base example is an older year. The 2026 maximum used here is the $184,500 in the 2026 Form 1040-ES and on SSA.gov.

The IRS page says self-employment tax and Schedule SE generally apply if net earnings from self-employment, excluding church employee income, were $400 or more, or if church employee income was $108.28 or more. This page does not apply that test.

Additional Medicare Tax is a further 0.9% when wages, compensation, or self-employment income are over the threshold for the filing status. The same IRS page lists $250,000 for married filing jointly, $125,000 for married filing separately, and $200,000 for single, head of household, and qualifying surviving spouse. The 2026 Form 1040-ES points the details to the Instructions for Form 8959. This page does not apply the 0.9%.

Half of the self-employment tax is a deduction, not a cut in the tax itself. Worksheet line 11 multiplies the self-employment tax by 50% (0.50). The form says that amount is the expected deduction on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 15, and that it is subtracted when figuring expected AGI. Income tax is then figured on the 2026 Tax Rate Schedules in the same form. This page does not apply a bracket.

A set-aside walk-through

These are the worksheet steps. They are not a payment for any household. A blank in the list is a number this page does not fill in.

Illustration of steps 2 and 3 only, with a made-up $10,000 of net profit and no wages. The base is $10,000 times 0.9235, which is $9,235. The Medicare line is $9,235 times 0.029. The Social Security line is $9,235 times 0.124, because $9,235 is under $184,500. The worksheet adds those two lines. This page stops there. The illustration leaves out income tax, credits, withholding, and any earlier payment. It is not a January 15 amount.

The free 2026 estimate runs the federal worksheet once, in the browser. Nothing typed there is sent anywhere. The workbook below keeps the year.

How to pay

The 2026 Form 1040-ES lists these ways to pay. This page does not take a payment.

• Your Online Account. The form says estimated tax payments can be made at IRS.gov/Account, and the payment page in the form marks that path as no fee.
• IRS Direct Pay. An online transfer from a checking or savings account at no cost. The current page is Direct Pay with bank account. It says Direct Pay is free, needs no sign-in, and takes estimated tax.
• EFTPS. The form says the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System has no fee and requires enrollment. The current IRS EFTPS page says individual taxpayers can no longer create new EFTPS accounts, and that current users can still use EFTPS for now. Most individual taxes go through an online account instead.
• Form 1040-ES voucher. A check or money order can be mailed with the estimated tax payment voucher for that due date. The form says there is a separate voucher for each date, and it says not to mail cash. Card and digital-wallet payments are also listed. The form says those service providers charge a fee. This page does not name a fee amount.

If the payment is short: Form 2210

The 2026 Form 1040-ES, under "When a Penalty Is Applied," says a penalty can apply if estimated tax for the year was not enough, or the payments were not on time or not in the required amount. It says the penalty is imposed on each underpayment for the number of days it remains unpaid. A waiver is possible in some cases. The details are in the Instructions for Form 2210.

Those instructions say the IRS generally figures the penalty and sends a bill. They also say the penalty is figured separately for each installment due date, so a later payment can still leave a penalty for an earlier date. That can be true even when the return shows a refund. The IRS penalty page says the calculation uses the amount of the underpayment, the period it was underpaid, and the published quarterly interest rates. This page does not state a rate, and it does not figure a penalty.

If income arrived unevenly, the form points to the annualized income installment method in chapter 2 of Publication 505. It says a person who uses that method files Form 2210, including Schedule AI, with the 2026 return even if no penalty is owed. This page does not annualize income.

What this page does not do

This page does not figure a payment. It does not say how much to set aside. It does not figure a Form 2210 penalty. It does not file a return. It does not apply the farming and fishing rule, a state tax, or a fiscal-year calendar. Confirm the date, the safe harbor, and any penalty with the 2026 Form 1040-ES, Publication 505, and a CPA or enrolled agent.

Related reading

• All retirement tax guides
• 1099-NEC deadline: what is due by January 31
• How much should freelancers set aside for quarterly taxes in 2026
• Tax Money Kit ($47)
• Free 2026 self-employment tax estimate
• Free January 15 estimated payment worksheet

Common questions

This page does not figure a payment. It does not say how much to set aside. It does not figure a penalty. Confirm the date and the safe harbor with the 2026 Form 1040-ES and a CPA or enrolled agent. Educational only. Not tax, legal, or investment advice. Not a filing service.