The Bottom Line. When do you stop paying Social Security tax? The answer is almost always "never" as long as you're employed but there are exceptions. Consider consulting with a tax professional if you think any of these situations or exceptions might apply to you.
Wage base limits
Only the Social Security tax has a wage base limit. The wage base limit is the maximum wage that's subject to the tax for that year. For earnings in 2025, this base limit is $176,100. Refer to "What's New" in Publication 15 for the current wage limit for Social Security wages.
If you file your income tax return as an individual with a total income that's less than $25,000, you won't have to pay taxes on your Social Security benefits. Single filers with a combined income of $25,000 to $34,000 must pay income taxes on up to 50% of their Social Security benefits.
The taxable maximum normally increases each year. (For reference, it's set at $168,600 for 2024.) In other words, if you are lucky enough to make $175,000 in 2024, you would pay a 12.4 percent Social Security tax on every dollar earned up to $168,600, but then stop paying the Social Security tax after that.
Starting with the month you reach full retirement age, there is no limit on how much you can earn and still receive your benefits.
The Bottom Line. A few groups are exempt from paying taxes into the Social Security system. Most foreign academics and researchers are exempt if they're nonimmigrant and nonresident aliens. Self-employed workers who make less than $400 annually don't have to pay Social Security taxes, either.
Have you heard about the Social Security $16,728 yearly bonus? There's really no “bonus” that retirees can collect. The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a specific formula based on your lifetime earnings to determine your benefit amount.
If your spouse dies, do you get both Social Security benefits? You cannot claim your deceased spouse's benefits in addition to your own retirement benefits. Social Security only will pay one—survivor or retirement. If you qualify for both survivor and retirement benefits, you will receive whichever amount is higher.
There is no maximum earnings amount for Medicare tax. You must pay Medicare tax on all your earnings. See Retirement Benefits: Maximum Taxable Earnings for more information.
Starting in 2025, tax Social Security benefits in a manner similar to private pension income.
Social Security tax FAQs
Social Security income can be taxable no matter how old you are. It all depends on whether your total combined income exceeds a certain level set for your filing status. You may have heard that Social Security income is not taxed after age 70; this is false.
Taxpayers 65 and older qualify for an additional standard deduction, reducing their taxable income. The extra deduction amount differs based on filing status and whether the taxpayer or spouse is blind. The IRS updates the deduction amounts annually for inflation, impacting tax filings.
You report the taxable portion of your Social Security benefits on line 6b of Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR. Your benefits may be taxable if the total of (1) one-half of your benefits, plus (2) all of your other income, including tax-exempt interest, is greater than the base amount for your filing status.
Taxes aren't determined by age, so you will never age out of paying taxes.
If the sum of half your Social Security plus your adjusted gross income plus your tax-exempt interest and dividends exceeds $25,000 for single filers (or $32,000 if you are Married Filing Jointly), then a portion of your Social Security benefits is included in gross income for taxes, and you might need to file a tax ...
How much can you earn and still get benefits? later, then your full retirement age for retirement insurance benefits is 67. If you work, and are at full retirement age or older, you may keep all of your benefits, no matter how much you earn.
The Social Security 5-year rule refers specifically to disability benefits. It requires that you must have worked five out of the last ten years immediately before your disability onset to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
To qualify to get $144 added back to your Social Security check, you can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that offers a Part B premium reduction or giveback benefit.
Pension payments, annuities, and the interest or dividends from your savings and investments are not earnings for Social Security purposes. You may need to pay income tax, but you do not pay Social Security taxes.
It may have been 70, 72, or even 65. Well, whatever age you've had in mind, it's time to put this Social Security tax myth to rest. The fact is, there is no specific age at which your Social Security benefits automatically become nontaxable.
Background related to enumeration of the Amish and Mennonites (and other religious exempt communities) The Social Security Amendments of 1965 and 1967 provided an exemption from some aspects of coverage for those individuals who are members of religious sects that make provisions for their dependent members.