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Friday, September 20, 2024

What Is FICA on a Paycheck? FICA Tax Defined

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Word that FICA shouldn’t be one deduction – it’s a mixture of Social Safety and Medicare taxes. 

An illustrated mockup of a paycheck outlines where FICA taxes appear on your paycheck.

Social Safety tax 

This tax contributes to the Social Safety program, which acts as a security web on your retirement. It’s like setting apart a portion of your earnings to make sure monetary stability later in life.

Each employers and workers must withhold 6.2% of their gross earnings for this tax, as much as a most wage base restrict (the utmost quantity of your earnings that’s topic to be taxed). This yr, this restrict is $160,200 – that means solely earnings of $160,200 or much less are topic to this tax.¹

Medicare tax

The Medicare tax funds the Medicare program, which supplies important well being care protection for these aged 65 and older. It’s your funding in future medical safety. 

Employers and workers are each required to withhold 1.45% of their earnings for Medicare taxes.¹ Whereas the Social Safety tax has an earnings restrict, there is no such thing as a most wage base for Medicare tax, so all of your earned earnings is topic to this tax.¹ 

Nevertheless, earners who attain a particular earnings threshold (primarily based on submitting standing) must also pay attention to the Further Medicare tax. 

That is an additional tax on prime of the usual Medicare tax price. This yr, the Further Medicare tax price is 0.9% in the event you earn greater than $200,000 as a single filer or $250,000 for joint filers.¹

Worker pays: Employer pays: 
Social Safety tax 6.2% (for the primary $160,200) 6.2% (for the primary $160,200)
Medicare tax 1.45%  1.45% 
Whole 7.65%  7.65%
Further Medicare tax 0.9% (for earnings over $200,000 for single filers and $250,000 for joint filers)

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