If you are under full retirement age for the entire year, we deduct $1 from your benefit payments for every $2 you earn above the annual limit. For 2025, that limit is $23,400. In the year you reach full retirement age, we deduct $1 in benefits for every $3 you earn above a different limit.
That limit in 2025 is $176,100. Employed individuals pay Social Security taxes through payroll deductions while self-employed individuals are responsible for paying both the employee and employer portions on their own. The Social Security Administration increased the benefit amount paid to recipients by 2.5% for 2025.
In 2025, all beneficiaries will see a 2.5% increase to their Social Security benefit checks, thanks to an annual cost-of-living adjustment. Of note, the 2024 increase was 3.2%. This year's COLA is the lowest increase beneficiaries have seen since a 1.3% increase in 2021, reflecting a decrease in the pace of inflation.
Starting in 2025, tax Social Security benefits in a manner similar to private pension income.
The Social Security wage base has increased from $168,600 to $176,100 for 2025, which increases the maximum individual contribution by 4.45%. The Medicare tax rate for 2025 remains at 1.45% of all covered earnings for employers and employees.
If you will reach full retirement age in 2025, the limit on your earnings for the months before full retirement age is $62,160. Starting with the month you reach full retirement age, you can get your benefits with no limit on your earnings.
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.
The annual deductible for Medicare Part B will increase by $17 in 2025 to $257, while the standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B will increase by $10.30 to $185, CMS announced.
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.
Standard deduction for 2025 tax year
The 2025 tax year standard deduction for married couples filing jointly rises to $30,000 — an $800 increase from $29,200 for the 2024 tax year. For single taxpayers, the standard deduction is $15,000, a $400 increase from the 2024 deduction of $14,600.
PAUL – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig announced new legislation to eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits for seniors. Rep. Craig's You Earned It, You Keep It Act would eliminate all federal taxes on Social Security benefits beginning in 2025 – putting money back into the pockets of retirees.
You can get Social Security retirement or survivors benefits and work at the same time. But, if you're younger than full retirement age, and earn more than certain amounts, your benefits will be reduced. The amount that your benefits are reduced, however, isn't lost.
Each survivor benefit can be up to 100% of your benefit. The amount may be reduced if the women start benefits before their own full retirement age, but they don't have to share — the amount isn't reduced because you've had more than one spouse.
Ninety-five percent of never-beneficiaries are individuals whose earnings histories are insufficient to qualify for benefits. Late-arriving immigrants and infrequent workers comprise the vast majority of these insufficient earners.
Spouses and ex-spouses
Payments start at 71.5% of your spouse's benefit and increase the longer you wait to apply. For example, you might get: Over 75% at age 61.
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.
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for more than 72.5 million Americans will increase 2.5 percent in 2025. Read more about the Social Security Cost-of-Living adjustment for 2025. The maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) will increase to $176,100.
Instead, he added, the agency will limit the clawback to 10% of an overpaid beneficiary's monthly benefit. Additionally, the Social Security Administration will extend repayment plans to 60 months, up from its prior limit of 36 months, giving recipients an additional two years to repay the money.
Social Security tax limit
Also in 2025, the wage cap for Social Security taxes will increase. Social Security caps the amount of income you pay taxes on and get credit for when benefits are calculated. The Social Security tax limit in 2025 is $176,100, up $7,500 from $168,600 in 2024.
Out-of-pocket costs
will be capped at $2,000 in 2025. You'll also have the option to pay out-of-pocket costs in monthly amounts over the plan year, instead of when they happen.