Quarterly Taxes for Self Employed

The hard part of quarterly taxes is rarely the arithmetic — it's having the cash ready four separate times a year when nothing is being withheld for you. Miss one date and the penalty clock starts, even if you pay in full later. A working system fixes that.

Set up my quarterly schedule

Set-aside system + schedule

Direct Pay / EFTPS setup

The Short Version

Quarterly taxes for self employed come due four times a year: April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 of the following year — paid through Form 1040-ES or online via the IRS.
What actually works is skimming a set percentage off every payment as it comes in, so each due date is already covered before it shows up.
Each due date stands on its own. Paying extra later does not erase a quarter you skipped — the goal is to pay something on time, every time.

Those four dates hold most years, but when one falls on a weekend or holiday it rolls forward to the next business day. The quirk worth knowing: the "quarters" are uneven. The second period covers only two months, so don't assume dates are spaced three months apart. IRS quarterly estimated tax dates are the authoritative reference.

This page is about the payment system — the schedule, the set-aside, the channels. For the calculation itself (why the number runs high, the 15.3% self-employment layer, how the deduction brings it down), see self employed quarterly taxes. Already missed a date? Start with missed estimated tax payment.

The Working System

A percentage set aside on the day you're paid, a separate account, and the four dates scheduled once — that's the whole system.

Percentage, Not Fixed Dollar

Set aside a percentage of each payment as it comes in, not a fixed dollar figure. The right percentage depends on your profit and any other income — we set it with you so the quarterly payment is already funded when the date arrives.

Separate Account Beats Willpower

Move the set-aside into an account you do not touch, the day you are paid. The people who never get caught short treat that money as though it was never theirs to spend. This one habit does more than any spreadsheet.

Schedule All Four Dates in One Sitting

EFTPS lets you line up all four payments ahead of time — about as close to set-and-forget as quarterly taxes get. Direct Pay is faster for a single payment. Form 1040-ES vouchers are the paper route if you prefer mail.

Reset When Income Swings

An app reminds you a date is near. A CPA resets the set-aside percentage and the payment schedule when your income changes, so the reminder is always funded. The set-aside and the date move together.

How We Set Up Your Quarterly Schedule

Size the four payments off your income pattern

We look at how you get paid (steady, project-based, seasonal, W-2 + 1099 mix) and build a set-aside percentage that lands the right number in the account by each due date.

Choose the payment channel + schedule all four

EFTPS for set-and-forget, Direct Pay for one-offs, vouchers for paper filers. We schedule the full year in one sitting so a missed date never happens by accident.

Reset mid-year if income shifts

If revenue jumps or drops meaningfully, we recalculate the remaining set-aside and payments so you stay on the harbor. See <a href="https://dimovtax.com/safe-harbor-estimated-taxes/">safe harbor estimated taxes</a> for the penalty-avoidance side of the number.

Why Self-Employed Filers Trust Dimov Tax

An app reminds you a date is near — it does nothing about the money not being there. Our job is to make the set-aside and the date move together, so the payment is funded before it's due.

$1.5B+

in tax savings identified for clients

63%

of clients return year after year

70+

tax and financial services under one roof

15+ yrs

setting up quarterly systems for freelancers and small business owners

What Setting This Up Costs

Setup cost depends on how you get paid, whether your books are current, and whether you want us to run the payments or just build the system. We quote after we see your income pattern.

Reach out if any of these fit: income is uneven and you cannot tell what to set aside; you already missed a date this year and want to stop the bleeding; you have both W-2 and 1099 income and are not sure how they interact.

Set up right, quarterly taxes stop being a deadline you dread. They become a number that's already funded when the date arrives.

What Actually Causes a Missed Payment

Most penalties come down to one thing: the money was not set aside when the date arrived. A reminder that a payment is due does nothing on its own — the calendar alert fires, the account is empty, and the quarter goes late. Three habits that separate people who never miss from people who always do:

Percentage on receipt

Skim the tax percentage the day the money hits — not the week of the date

Separate account

Set-aside sits in an account you don't check. If you can spend it, you will

Schedule once

All four dates set up in EFTPS in one sitting — no manual step at each deadline

Sources: IRS Publication 505; Form 1040-ES; EFTPS.gov

When to Set This Up

A good fit if:

You are new to being self-employed and April was a shock
Your income is uneven month to month and you can't tell what to set aside
You already missed a date this year and want to stop the bleeding
You have both W-2 and 1099 income and are not sure how they interact
You have never scheduled EFTPS payments and want it done once, for all four dates

For the calculation side (how much you actually owe, the 15.3% SE layer, the deduction), see self employed quarterly taxes. Already behind? Missed estimated tax payment is the triage page.

Set Up My Quarterly Schedule

Tell us how you get paid, and we will build the schedule, the set-aside, and the payment method with you. Set up right, quarterly taxes for self employed stop being a deadline you dread and become a number that's already funded.

"Make sure to reach out as soon as you have the question. Don't wait until the questions pile up. Get all your questions answered right away."
— George Dimov, CPA, Founder of Dimov Tax

The date and the money move together. That's the whole system — a CPA sets it up in one sitting.

Reviewed by George Dimov, CPA

Founder of Dimov Tax

15+ years setting up quarterly payment systems for freelancers, contractors, and small business owners.