Quarterly estimated taxes for freelancers: the four dates and how much to pay
No employer is withholding for you, so the IRS expects four payments a year. The 2026 dates and the safe-harbor rule that avoids penalties.
By Nils Pettigrew
5 min read
If you are self-employed, nobody withholds tax from your income, so the IRS expects you to pay during the year in four installments. Colorado follows the same schedule for state tax.
The 2026 dates
April 15, 2026, June 15, 2026, September 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027. The periods are not equal quarters: the second payment covers only April and May, which catches many first-year freelancers out.
How much to pay
The simplest way to avoid an underpayment penalty is the safe harbor: pay at least 100 percent of last year’s total tax, split into four equal payments, or 110 percent if last year’s adjusted gross income was above $150,000. Alternatively, pay 90 percent of this year’s tax as you go.
When income is uneven
If most of your income arrives late in the year, the annualized method lets you pay less in the early quarters. It takes more paperwork, but it can prevent a penalty when a big contract lands in the fall.
Paying
Federal payments go through IRS Direct Pay or EFTPS; Colorado payments through Revenue Online. Keep the confirmation numbers with your tax records. Clients on our tax package get the four amounts in January and a reminder a week before each date.
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