MundoKit

2026 estimated tax safe-harbor calculator

Enter tax liabilities from your tax worksheets, expected withholding and payments by period. Compare annual targets and cumulative payment gaps.

Inputs
Use Publication 505 Worksheet 2-1 line 11c; include self-employment and other applicable taxes, before withholding or estimates.
Use Pub. 505 “Total tax for 2025” instructions, not last year’s balance due.
Include a prior-year credit applied to the first installment.
Enter payments made after the previous deadline and by this deadline; do not enter cumulative totals.
Enter payments made after the previous deadline and by this deadline; do not enter cumulative totals.
Enter payments made after the previous deadline and by this deadline; do not enter cumulative totals.

Results

Remaining annual estimated-payment gap
$12,000.00
Annual safe-harbor target before withholding
$16,000.00
90% of current-year tax
$18,000.00
Prior-year target (100%)
$16,000.00
Estimated balance due after entered payments
$16,000.00
Regular installments: cumulative position at each deadline
DeadlineRequired estimates to dateEstimates paid to dateCumulative gap
2026-04-15$3,000.00$0.00$3,000.00
2026-06-15$6,000.00$0.00$6,000.00
2026-09-15$9,000.00$0.00$9,000.00
2027-01-15$12,000.00$0.00$12,000.00
  • The regular method spreads withholding equally and requires four equal installments.
  • Gaps are cumulative: do not add them together. A late payment can close the annual gap without curing an earlier underpayment. This does not calculate penalties.
  • Calendar-year individuals only. Farmers/fishers, nonresident rules, disaster relief, uneven income and annualized installments require separate calculations.

Results update as you type. The share link stores your inputs after the # in the address, which is not sent to our server, but anyone you send it to can read them.

Last checked 2026-11-14. Rules change, sometimes at short notice. We list the date we last checked each official source; confirm with the official government source before you travel, buy or file. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice.

This is a general estimate for information only, not tax, legal or financial advice. Real rules have more conditions than a calculator can show, so check the official source below or a qualified professional for your situation.

How it works

Select current-year-only when the prior-year route is unavailable; no prior-year tax or AGI is needed. Select exempt only if you had no 2025 tax liability, your 2025 tax year covered 12 months, and you were a US citizen or resident throughout 2025. The exemption shows zero required estimates, while the estimated filing balance remains separate.

For the regular method, compare 90% of 2026 tax with 100% of 2025 tax; use 110% when 2025 AGI exceeds $150,000 ($75,000 married filing separately). The prior return must cover 12 months. Subtract annual withholding from the smaller target and divide the remaining requirement into four installments. Under-$1,000 expected tax after withholding or the qualifying prior-year no-tax exception removes the estimated-payment requirement.

For each deadline, subtract cumulative estimates from cumulative required estimates. Displays round to cents; intermediate calculations are unrounded.

Worked examples

Prior-year target controls

2026 tax $20,000, 2025 tax $16,000, AGI $100,000 and withholding $4,000 produce a $16,000 target and $12,000 estimated-payment requirement: $3,000 per period.

Higher-income target

2026 tax $30,000, 2025 tax $20,000, AGI $160,000 and withholding $6,000 produce a $22,000 target and $16,000 estimated-payment requirement.

Frequently asked questions

Does safe harbor mean no balance due?
No. The estimated filing balance is shown separately.
Can a late payment erase an earlier gap?
It can close the annual gap; an earlier underpayment may still matter. This is not a penalty calculation.
How do I enter installments?
Enter each payment once in its deadline period, not as a running total. The table computes cumulative totals.
What if income is uneven?
Use the annualized-income method in Publication 505. This worksheet uses equal regular installments.
Should I add the four displayed gaps?
No. They overlap because each includes all earlier periods.

Sources

Last reviewed 2026-11-14; next review due by 2027-01-15. The method is written out above so you can check our math.