Q4 2026 Estimated Taxes: What to Pay by January 15, 2027

The Q4 2026 estimated tax payment is due Friday, January 15, 2027. It covers self-employment and other untaxed income you receive from September 1 through December 31, 2026, which makes it the longest of the four estimated tax periods. You can skip it entirely if you file your 2026 return and pay the full balance by February 1, 2027.

What Months Does the Q4 2026 Payment Cover?

The fourth estimated tax period runs from September 1 through December 31, 2026. The IRS periods don't line up with calendar quarters, which is why the September 15 payment covered June through August, and September income rolls into this one. Here's the full 2026 schedule:

For why the periods are uneven, and how the schedule differs for corporations and fiscal-year filers, see our guide to estimated tax payment periods.

What's Specific to Q4 2026

• January 15, 2027 is a Friday. No weekend shift applies, so the deadline is the 15th.
• The February 1 alternative. If you file your 2026 Form 1040 by February 1, 2027 (January 31 falls on a Sunday) and pay the entire balance due with it, you don't need to make the January 15 payment. This works if your books for the year are closed and complete by then. You don't need every 1099 in hand; you can file from accurate records of what you received. For most freelancers, though, closing the books that early is the hard part.
• Earlier shortfalls are accruing at 7%. The IRS kept the individual rate at 7% for October through December 2026, so a short April, June or September payment costs 7% a year through December 31. From January 1, any shortfall still unpaid switches to the Q1 2027 rate, which is set separately. A short January 15 payment also accrues at that Q1 2027 rate, starting after its due date. See the full 2026 underpayment interest rates by quarter.
• The 1099-NEC threshold is $2,000 for 2026. Fewer clients will send you a 1099 for 2026 payments, but every dollar is still taxable. Count income from your own records, not from the forms that arrive in January.

How Much Should You Pay for Q4?

Use the same two methods as the other quarters. Now that you have nearly a full year of numbers, both are easier to get right.

Option 1: The Safe Harbor Method

Add up your 2025 total tax (the "total tax" line on your 2025 Form 1040). Your 2026 target is 100% of that, or 110% if your 2025 AGI was over $150,000 ($75,000 if married filing separately). Subtract everything you've paid so far in 2026, including withholding and the April, June and September estimates. The remainder is your Q4 payment. Our safe harbor rule explainer covers the edge cases, like a zero-tax prior year or a filing status change.

Option 2: The Actual Income Method

1. Total your 2026 self-employment income through November, and add a realistic December estimate.
2. Subtract your business expenses for the year to get net profit.
3. Calculate self-employment tax: net profit × 0.9235 × 15.3%. The 12.4% Social Security part stops at the $184,500 wage base for 2026, and that cap is shared with any W-2 wages, so subtract your wages from $184,500 to find how much self-employment income it still applies to. The 2.9% Medicare part has no cap, and an extra 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax applies to combined wages and self-employment earnings above $200,000 ($250,000 married filing jointly, $125,000 married filing separately).
4. Calculate federal income tax on all the income on your return, not just self-employment profit: W-2 wages, a joint filer's spouse's income, interest, dividends and capital gains too. Subtract the deduction for half of SE tax and your standard or itemized deduction, then apply any credits.
5. Add income tax, SE tax and any other taxes on the return (such as the Additional Medicare Tax) to get your total 2026 tax. Take 90% of it, subtract everything already paid in 2026, including withholding, and pay the difference by January 15.

Catching up late doesn't erase earlier penalties. Both methods assume your April, June and September payments were each on track. If one was short, a bigger January payment stops further penalty from building, but the penalty already charged on the earlier quarter stays, because each installment is judged on its own due date. Two things can still help: W-2 withholding, which counts as paid evenly across the year, and the annualized income installment method on Form 2210, if your income actually arrived later in the year.

A Worked Example

Say your 2025 total tax was $16,000, your 2025 AGI was under $150,000, and you paid $4,000 with each of the April, June and September installments. Your prior-year safe harbor target is $16,000, and you've paid $12,000, so a $4,000 Q4 payment keeps you penalty-free. If your 2026 income came in much higher, you'll still owe the rest in April 2027, but without a penalty on it.

Year-End Moves Before December 31

• Catch up on bookkeeping. Reconcile September through November now, so the Q4 number is based on real figures rather than a guess.
• Time necessary purchases. Business equipment or software you'd buy in January anyway can be bought and put into use by December 31 to reduce your 2026 tax. Don't buy things you don't need just for the deduction.
• Use W-2 withholding if you have it. Withholding is treated as paid evenly across the year, so raising your withholding on a December paycheck (yours or a spouse's, if filing jointly) can cover a shortfall from earlier quarters. See how withholding can fix a missed quarterly payment.
• Plan retirement contributions. Contributions to a SEP-IRA or solo 401(k) can lower your 2026 tax. Deadlines and limits differ by plan type, so talk to our CPA before relying on one.

How to Pay by January 15, 2027

• IRS Direct Pay: a free bank transfer at IRS.gov/payments. Choose "Estimated Tax" and tax year 2026.
• Your IRS Online Account: lets you pay and see the payments you've already made this year.
• EFTPS: free, needs enrollment, and lets you schedule payments in advance.
• Check or money order: mailed with the 2026 Form 1040-ES voucher, postmarked by January 15.

Make sure the payment is applied to tax year 2026, not 2027. A January payment applied to the wrong year is a common mistake and can trigger a penalty notice for 2026. Most states with an income tax also have a January 15 deadline for the final 2026 estimate; check your state's revenue department.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still catching up on the September payment? See our Q3 2026 quarterly tax guide.

Tax information in this post is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute tax or legal advice. Dates, rates and thresholds are current as of publication and can change; consult our CPA for guidance specific to your situation.