Which form is used to calculate self-employment tax?

To calculate self-employment tax, Schedule SE is utilized. This form is specifically designed for individuals who are self-employed and need to report their self-employment income in order to calculate the appropriate amount of self-employment tax owed to the IRS. This tax is essentially a combination of Social Security and Medicare taxes for self-employed individuals, similar to the FICA taxes that employees have withheld from their paycheck.

Schedule SE takes the net earnings from self-employment, which can be derived from the profits reported on Schedule C, and converts this amount to determine the self-employment tax liability. By completing Schedule SE, taxpayers can also apply a deduction of half of the self-employment tax when calculating their adjusted gross income on Form 1040.

Other forms listed do not serve the purpose of calculating self-employment tax. Schedule C is used to report income or loss from a business operated or a profession practiced as a sole proprietor, while Schedule D is specifically for reporting capital gains and losses. Schedule A is for itemizing deductions, which is unrelated to self-employment tax.