Resource · planning aid
2026 quarterly estimated tax calendar.
Many funded prop traders report funded-payout activity as self-employment/business income, often using Schedule C, depending on their facts and professional advice. Taxpayers with that kind of income generally make four estimated tax payments through the year rather than one lump sum on April 15. This page is general educational information for the 2026 tax year, not tax advice or a determination of your tax treatment. FundedTax can generate a draft estimated-payment worksheet from values you enter when you sign in; you verify it.
Before relying on any date or rule below, confirm the current-year deadline and thresholds on IRS.gov or with a licensed tax professional. Dates and thresholds change between tax years; this is a planning reference only.
Due dates
| Quarter | Covers | Payment due |
|---|---|---|
Q1 2026 | income earned January 1 - March 31, 2026 | April 15, 2026 Wednesday — no weekend/holiday adjustment |
Q2 2026 | income earned April 1 - May 31, 2026 | June 15, 2026 Monday — no weekend/holiday adjustment |
Q3 2026 | income earned June 1 - August 31, 2026 | September 15, 2026 Tuesday — no weekend/holiday adjustment |
Q4 2026 | income earned September 1 - December 31, 2026 | January 15, 2027 Friday — no weekend/holiday adjustment |
Dates adjusted forward to the next business day if a deadline falls on a weekend or federal holiday, per IRS practice. The dates above are the statutory dates for the 2026tax year; the weekday and “no weekend/holiday adjustment” notes are 2026-specific. Confirm against IRS.gov for the current year.
Safe-harbor rules
The IRS does not require you to predict your full-year income perfectly. If you pay one of the safe-harbor amounts below, you avoid the underpayment penalty even if your year-end tax bill is much higher.
Total tax under $1,000
Rule If your total tax for the year, after withholding and credits, is less than $1,000, no estimated-tax penalty applies
Why The threshold safe harbor. Below it, the underpayment penalty does not apply regardless of the rules below.
AGI in prior year < $150K
Rule Pay at least 100% of prior-year total tax across 4 quarterly installments
Why Standard safe-harbor threshold. Meeting it avoids the underpayment penalty regardless of current-year income.
AGI in prior year >= $150K
Rule Pay at least 110% of prior-year total tax across 4 quarterly installments
Why Higher-earner threshold. The 10% buffer compensates for harder-to-predict income tax in higher brackets.
Current-year alternative
Rule Or pay at least 90% of current-year total tax via withholding + estimates
Why Useful when current-year income drops materially below prior year. The lower of the two safe harbors applies.
This summary omits exceptions and special rules, including the less-than-$1,000 threshold detail, the effect of withholding and credits, the annualized-income installment method (useful for seasonal or uneven trader income), state estimated taxes (FundedTax computes federal only), farmers/fishermen rules, and other taxpayer-specific situations. Confirm against IRS Form 1040-ES and a licensed tax professional before relying on any figure.
Filing the estimate — Form 1040-ES
The IRS form for quarterly estimated tax is Form 1040-ES. Each quarter's payment can be made via IRS Direct Pay (free, from a US bank account), EFTPS, or by mailing a check with the voucher from the 1040-ES booklet.
FundedTax generates a draft estimated-payment worksheet from values you enter — including year-to-date net income, prior-year total tax, filing status, and AGI-threshold status — then surfaces it on the dashboard along with a paid/unpaid ledger per quarter. FundedTax does not upload or parse your prior-year tax return; you enter the few prior-year values yourself. You must verify all inputs and outputs before making any payment. The actual payment happens outside FundedTax — we never touch your bank account.
Want this computed automatically?
You manually enter limited prior-year values, such as prior-year total tax and AGI-threshold status, and FundedTax uses those inputs to generate an estimated-payment worksheet, track paid vs unpaid quarters, and surface a projected end-of-year estimate. These are estimates for planning, not a guarantee against underpayment or penalties.