The data
What a Maltese freelancer actually keeps
Not an estimate, not a rule of thumb: the actual arithmetic of Maltese income tax and Class 2 social security on a year of self-employed profit, computed by the same tested engine the Settlano app runs, at five profit levels and for the employed-with-a-side-gig case. Cite it, check it, argue with it.
The full-time picture
A full-time freelancer on €25,000 of net profit keeps €18,400.00: income tax and Class 2 together take 26.4%.
| Net profit | Income tax | Class 2 | You keep | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €15,000 | €450.00 | €2,250.00 | €12,300.00 | 18.0% |
| €25,000 | €2,850.00 | €3,750.00 | €18,400.00 | 26.4% |
| €35,000 | €5,350.00 | €4,362.28 | €25,287.72 | 27.7% |
| €50,000 | €9,100.00 | €4,362.28 | €36,537.72 | 26.9% |
| €70,000 | €15,100.00 | €4,362.28 | €50,537.72 | 27.8% |
The side gig, employed full-time
A full-time employee freelancing on the side pays no Class 2 on the side activity (Class 1 through payroll covers it), so the whole question is income tax, and TA22 changes the answer:
| Salary | Side profit | Standard bands | TA22 flat rate | The cheaper lawful route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €25,000 | €5,000 | €1,250.00 | €500.00 | TA22, saving €750.00 |
| €25,000 | €10,000 | €2,500.00 | €1,000.00 | TA22, saving €1,500.00 |
| €35,000 | €10,000 | €2,500.00 | €1,000.00 | TA22, saving €1,500.00 |
Computed by the Settlano engine, the app's own, compiled for this site, on 2026 rates. Single filer, born 1962 or later, figures on net profit, steady year. Every amount regenerates from the rules config whenever it changes.
What the table is saying
Two patterns matter more than any single row. First, the effective rate climbs steeply at the bottom of the table and then barely moves across the top half. That is Class 2 doing it: the contribution tracks profit only between its weekly floor and ceiling, and once the ceiling is hit, every additional euro of profit faces income tax alone. The system is harder on a modest year than its reputation suggests, and gentler on a strong one.
Second, the side-gig table is really a story about TA22. For an employed person freelancing on the side, the flat rate does not shave the tax on the side income, it transforms it, because the alternative is stacking that income on top of a salary that has already used up the friendly bands. That is also why the comparison must be run on your own figures each year: TA22 is optional, capped and not always the winner.
How to read it honestly
These are planning figures for a deliberately simple case: a single filer, fully self-employed (or employed with a registered part-time side activity in the second table), profit meaning income after allowable expenses, and a steady year. A spouse, children, rental income or an uneven year all move the numbers, which is what the calculator and the app itself are for.
And they are dated. Malta moved its bands for 2025 and again for 2026; a take-home table with no year attached is a rumour. This one regenerates from the dated rules config every time the rules change, and the build fails if the page and the engine ever disagree.
Where do these figures come from?
From the same tax engine the Settlano app computes with, compiled to run on this site, reading a dated rules config checked against published Maltese law. The tables are regenerated from the engine whenever the rules change, and an automated test fails the site's build if the page and the engine ever disagree.
Why is Class 2 social security included? It is not income tax.
Because it leaves your account all the same. Class 2 is charged on your net profit, has a weekly floor and ceiling, and is due in three instalments a year. Take-home computed without it flatters everyone, which is exactly how freelancers end up surprised.
What about expenses and VAT?
The tables start from net profit, so your business expenses are already out of the picture before these figures begin. VAT is excluded deliberately: below the Article 11 threshold you do not charge it, and above it the VAT you charge was never your money, so it belongs in neither column of a take-home table.
Can I reuse these figures?
Yes, with a link to this page as the source. They are dated, engine-computed and regenerated when the rules change, which is precisely what makes them citable, and also why quoting them without the date attached would eventually make them wrong.
Settlano runs this arithmetic on your own figures, live, every time you log a payment.
Join the beta