The Social Security tax rate for employees and employers is 6.2% of employee compensation each for a total of 12.4%. The Social Security tax rate for those who are self-employed is 12.4%.
Income Taxes and Your Social Security Benefit (En español)
Between $25,000 and $34,000, you may have to pay income tax on up to 50% of your benefits. More than $34,000, up to 85% of your benefits may be taxable.
Social Security is financed through a dedicated payroll tax. Employers and employees each pay 6.2 percent of wages up to the taxable maximum of $176,100 (in 2025), while the self-employed pay 12.4 percent.
You may be entitled to a refund if you paid both tier 1 RRTA tax and Social Security tax which, combined, exceed the Social Security wage base. If you had more than one employer and too much tier 2 RRTA tax withheld, you may request a refund of the excess tier 2 RRTA tax using Form 843 PDF.
If you work as an employee in the United States, you must pay Social Security and Medicare taxes in most cases. Your payments of these taxes contribute to your coverage under the U.S. Social Security system. Your employer deducts these taxes from each wage payment.
If you paid more through the year than you owe in tax, you may get money back. Even if you didn't pay tax, you may still get a refund if you qualify for a refundable credit. To get your refund, you must file a return. You have 3 years to claim a tax refund.
At what age is Social Security no longer taxable? 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.
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.
At What Age Can You Stop Filing Taxes? Taxes aren't determined by age, so you will never age out of paying taxes. People who are 65 or older at the end of 2024 have to file a return for tax year 2024 (which is due in 2025) if their gross income is $16,550 or higher.
“This is simply a way for Congress to obtain more revenue for the federal government at the expense of seniors who have already paid into Social Security.
You aren't required to pay this tax on any income beyond the Social Security wage base limit. Employees and employers are each required to pay a 6.2% tax on wages. In 2025, the limit is $176,100, which means you'll pay no more than $10,918.20 in Social Security taxes ($176,100 x 6.2%) in 2025.
You can start receiving your Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62. However, you are entitled to full benefits only when you reach your full retirement age. If you delay taking your benefits from your full retirement age up to age 70, your benefit amount will increase.
To receive the maximum Social Security benefit, individuals must earn at least the maximum wage taxable by Social Security for 35 years and delay claiming the benefit until they reach 70. The maximum earnings cap in 2024 is $168,600.
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.
Financial experts generally recommend saving anywhere from $1 million to $2 million for retirement. If you consider an average retirement savings of $426,000 for those in the 65 to 74-year-old range, the numbers obviously don't match up.
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.
They are not part of income tax, no. Also though, you don't pay 22% income tax on every dollar you make. You only pay that on some dollars. So your effective federal income tax withholding is less than 22%, don't worry if you aren't seeing 22% just for federal income tax withheld.
“The best strategy is breaking even, owing the IRS an amount you can easily pay, or getting a small refund,” Clare J. Fazackerley, CPA, CFP, told Finance Buzz. “You don't want to owe more than $1,000 because you'll have an underpayment penalty of 5% interest, which is more than you can make investing the money.