Tax year 2026 · United States federal
Self-Employed Tax Deadlines
Estimated tax payments
| Due | Covers income earned | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 – Mar 31 | — | |
| Apr 1 – May 31 | — | |
| Jun 1 – Aug 31 | — | |
| Sep 1 – Dec 31 | — |
Two things about these dates
The quarters are not quarters. The second payment covers two months and the third covers three. The June deadline arrives after a shorter earning window than the schedule suggests, which is why people underpay it.
The fourth payment falls in the next calendar year.January carries both the final instalment for 2026 and the start of the following year's obligations.
Other dates worth holding
| Date | What |
|---|---|
| 15 April 2027 | Federal return for 2026, or an extension request |
| 15 April 2027 | Last day to contribute to an IRA for 2026 |
| 15 October 2027 | Extended return deadline, if an extension was filed |
An extension moves the filing deadline, not the paymentone. Tax owed is still due in April, and interest runs from then whether or not you have filed.
If a date falls on a weekend
It moves to the next business day. The dates above already have that shift applied — the same function the calculator uses, so what you see here is what it pays against. Federal holidays are not modelled, and Emancipation Day in DC does occasionally move the April date, so check against the IRS in a year where it matters.
Getting reminded
Missing a payment is almost always an oversight rather than a decision. Reminders before each date ship with the save-result flow in the next phase; for now, the four dates above are the whole list.