High-Income Taxpayers Paid the Majority of Federal Income Taxes. In 2022, the bottom half of taxpayers earned 11.5 percent of total AGI and paid 3 percent of all federal individual income taxes. The top 1 percent earned 22.4 percent of total AGI and paid 40.4 percent of all federal income taxes.
In 2021, the top 5% of earners — people with incomes $252,840 and above — collectively paid over $1.4 trillion in income taxes, or about 66% of the national total. If you include the top 10% — everyone who made at least $169,800 — that figure rises to $1.7 trillion, or 76% of the total.
Wealthy family buys stocks, bonds, real estate, art, or other high-value assets. It strategically holds on to these assets and allows them to grow in value. The family won't owe income tax on the growth in the assets' value unless it sells them and makes a profit.
The report concluded the rich were less likely to donate in settings with high economic inequality because they were concerned about losing their “privileged position.” A separate study published in Nature Aging found people living in poorer countries are more willing to donate to a hypothetical charity than those in ...
In the United States as a whole, you'd need to earn nearly $788,000 to be in the top 1% of earners, SmartAsset reports. To crack the top 5%, you'd have to take in at least $290,000. The figures are estimates, drawn from IRS data for individual filers in 2021 and adjusted to 2024 dollars.
1950s: The top marginal tax rate was as high as 91% during parts of the 1950s (from 1951 to 1963). However, few people paid this rate due to deductions and exclusions. Today: The top marginal tax rate in the U.S. is 37% as of 2023, plus potential state and local taxes, bringing the effective rate higher in some states.
For those in the top 5%, the figure rises even more. According to the same research, those in the top 5% earned an average of $335,891 in 2021. This is an increase of around $19,000 from the previous year.
You generally don't have to pay taxes if your income is less than the standard deduction or the total of your itemized deductions, if you have a certain number of dependents, if you work abroad and are below the required thresholds, or if you're a qualifying non-profit organization.
In 2021, the average American family in the middle 20% of income earners paid $17,902 in taxes to federal, state, and local governments. This includes direct taxes, such as income taxes, as well as indirect taxes, like payroll taxes. Of all the taxes the middle 20% paid in 2021, $10,391 went to federal income tax.
Elon Musk to pay record-breaking $12 billion tax bill. CNBC's Robert Frank reports on Elon Musk's tax bill which is the largest in history. Musk will pay a total of $12 billion for 2021.
Which country has the highest income tax rate in the world? While many countries have high income tax rates, Ivory Coast currently holds the record for the highest top marginal income tax rate in the world, at a staggering 60%.
According to Forbes, there are more billionaires than ever before (141 more than last year and 26 more than the 2021 record), with their collective worth reaching $14.2 trillion. Swift's inclusion comes after Forbes declared the singer a billionaire in October 2023 and reported her net worth at $1.1 billion.
Eight men own the same wealth as the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity, according to a new report published by Oxfam today ahead of the annual meeting of political and business leaders in Davos, Switzerland.
Giving by income level
Middle-class Americans donate a little less. But the lower-income population surprises by giving more than the middle—and in some measures even more than the top. (As a percentage of available income, that is. In absolute dollars, those in higher income groups give much, much more money.)
Tax Shares in Tax Year 2022
The newest data reveals that the top 1% of earners, defined as those with incomes over $663,164, paid nearly 40.43% of all income taxes—marking a significant drop from the previous tax year, as the economy improved in the wake of the pandemic and economic shutdown.
In fact, many wealthy people can and do "live off the interest." That is, they put a chunk of their fortune in a relatively safe collection of income-generating assets and live off of that—allowing them to be more adventurous with the rest.
Others will object to taxing the wealthy unless they actually use their gains, but many of the wealthiest actually do use their gains through the borrowing loophole: They get rich, borrow against those gains, consume the borrowing, and do not pay any tax.
Key takeaways
If you're earning $200,000 per year, you've reached elite status in this country. That's more than double the median income of American households, which per the latest U.S. Census data is $80,610.
About 40% of people who get Social Security must pay federal income taxes on their benefits. This usually happens if you have other substantial income in addition to your benefits.
Here's how the numbers break down: California: Good news—California doesn't tax lottery winnings at the state level, but you'll still owe federal taxes. New Hampshire and Tennessee: These states don't have general income tax, but that won't save you from paying federal taxes. Other States: Many states will take a cut.