Substantial income includes wages, earnings from self-employment, interest, dividends, and other taxable income that must be reported on your tax return. 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.
What is the current maximum amount of taxable earnings for Social Security? In 2025, the maximum amount of earnings on which you must pay Social Security tax is $176,100. We raise this amount yearly to keep pace with increases in average wages. There is no maximum earnings amount for Medicare tax.
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 ...
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.
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.
“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.
Generally, if Social Security benefits were your only income, your benefits are not taxable and you probably do not need to file a federal income tax return.
The social security wage base limit is $160,200. The Medicare tax rate is 1.45% each for the employee and employer, unchanged from 2022. There is no wage base limit for Medicare tax. Social security and Medicare taxes apply to the wages of household workers you pay $2,600 or more in cash wages in 2023.
In 2024, only the first $168,600 of an employee's annual wages are subject to OASDI taxes. Also known as the Social Security wage base limit, after an employee's annual wages exceed that amount, they're no longer required to pay OASDI taxes for the rest of that year.
For 2023, the maximum limit on earnings for withholding of Social Security (old-age, survivors, and disability insurance) tax is $160,200.00. The Social Security tax rate remains at 6.2 percent. The resulting maximum Social Security tax for 2023 is $9,932.40.
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.
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.
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.
Social Security income is generally taxable at the federal level, but whether you have to pay taxes on your Social Security benefits depends on your income. If you have other sources of retirement income, such as a 401(k) or a part-time job, you should expect to pay some income taxes on your Social Security benefits.
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.
To get the most out of your benefit you need to plan carefully, however, since you could owe income taxes on as much as 85% of your Social Security. $45,864: Maximum Social Security benefit for someone retiring at full retirement age in 2024. 85%: Maximum portion of Social Security benefits subject to income taxes.
As a very general rule of thumb, if your only income is from Social Security benefits, they won't be taxable, and you don't need to file a return. But if you have income from other sources as well, there may be taxes on the total amount.
There are seven federal income tax rates in 2023: 10 percent, 12 percent, 22 percent, 24 percent, 32 percent, 35 percent, and 37 percent. The top marginal income tax rate of 37 percent will hit taxpayers with taxable income.