What is the maximum social security withholding for 2022

Taxes under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) are composed of the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance taxes, also known as social security taxes, and the hospital insurance tax, also known as Medicare taxes. Different rates apply for these taxes.

Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates

The current tax rate for social security is 6.2% for the employer and 6.2% for the employee, or 12.4% total. The current rate for Medicare is 1.45% for the employer and 1.45% for the employee, or 2.9% total. Refer to Publication 15, (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide for more information; or Publication 51, (Circular A), Agricultural Employer’s Tax Guide for agricultural employers. Refer to Notice 2020-65PDF and Notice 2021-11PDF for information allowing employers to defer withholding and payment of the employee's share of Social Security taxes of certain employees.

Additional Medicare Tax Withholding Rate

Additional Medicare Tax applies to an individual's Medicare wages that exceed a threshold amount based on the taxpayer's filing status. Employers are responsible for withholding the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on an individual's wages paid in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year, without regard to filing status. An employer is required to begin withholding Additional Medicare Tax in the pay period in which it pays wages in excess of $200,000 to an employee and continue to withhold it each pay period until the end of the calendar year. There's no employer match for Additional Medicare Tax. For more information, see the Instructions for Form 8959 and Questions and Answers for the Additional Medicare Tax.

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 2022, this base is $147,000. Refer to "What's New" in Publication 15 for the current wage limit for social security wages; or Publication 51 for agricultural employers.

There's no wage base limit for Medicare tax. All covered wages are subject to Medicare tax.

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Typically, when considering U.S. taxes, the higher your salary, the more taxes you’ll be expected to pay. That’s because the tax rate, called your tax bracket, increases as your income rises. Each dollar earned within a particular bracket is taxed at the relative rate. But one notable exception to this rule relates to payroll taxes used to fund Social Security’s Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program.

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Unlike many other tax cap limits, this stands as an individual limit. If a couple is married, each person would have a $147,000 limit.

The OASDI tax rate for wages in 2022 is 6.2% each for employers and employees. That means an employee earning $147,000 or more would pay a maximum of $9,114 into OASDI. Self-employed people are responsible for covering both the employer and employee share of OASDI contributions, so an independent contractor with income, after deductible expenses, totaling $147,000 or more would pay double that amount, or $18,228.

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SSA.gov also reports that there is no taxable maximum for Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (HI) program in 2022. The tax rates for HI funding are 1.45% each for employees and employers, and 2.9% for self-employed people or independent contractors.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: What Is the Social Security Tax Limit for 2022?

To stay compliant with payroll taxes, you need to be operating with the right data. This article has been updated with the correct payroll tax figures for 2022. We’ve also included a table to show how the Social Security taxable wage base limit has increased over time.

Social Security Taxable Wage Base Increases

Both employees and employers must pay social security tax and split the total amount due for each employee. In 2022, the social security tax withholding rate is 6.2% for both employees and employers. For those self-employed, the rate is 12.4% because they have no employer to split the tax with.

However, the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program sets a limit on how much of an employee’s income can be taxed each year. This limit changes annually and is based on the average wage index.

The Social Security Wage Base is the maximum gross earnings subject to Social Security tax that can be imposed on an employee. 

What is the Social Security Limit?

The Social Security limit is $147,000 for 2022, meaning any income you make over $147,000 will not be subject to social security tax. Given these factors, the maximum amount an employee and employer would have to pay is $9,114 each ($18,228 for self-employed).

There is no wage limit for Medicare tax, which is currently 1.45% and applied to all covered wages paid. Both employees and employers have to pay this rate—the self-employed owe all 2.9%.

What is the Medicare Tax Limit?

There is no wage limit for Medicare tax, which is currently 1.45% and applied to all covered wages paid. Both employees and employers must pay this rate—the self-employed owe all 2.9%.

Keep in mind, if you’re considered a highly compensated employee, your income is subject to an additional 0.9% Medicare tax (employers do not have to pay this additional tax). The added tax is applied in these circumstances:

  • Married filing jointly and earn wages more than $250,000/year
  • Married filing separately and earns wages more than $125,000
  • Single and earn wages more than $200,000
  • Head of household (with qualifying person) and earn more than $200,000
  • Qualifying widow(er) with dependent child earning more than $200,000

What is the FICA Tax?

Short for Federal Insurance Contributions Act, FICA is a combination of the Social Security tax and Medicare tax. On a pay stub, it may appear as FICA (OASDI). For 2022, the total amount of FICA tax withheld totals 15.3%, again with most employees paying half, splitting the amount with their employer (unless you have self-employment income, then you have to pay the entire 15.3%).

What is the maximum social security withholding for 2022

Social Security Changes for 2022

People turning 62 in 2022 will have to wait two months longer to claim full retirement benefits; full retirement age has increased from 66 years and 10 months to 67 years. Of course, you can always claim benefits beginning at age 62, but your lifetime benefits will be reduced by about 30%.

More than 70 million recipients will see their Social Security benefits increase from a hefty 5.9% cost of living adjustment (COLA) in their monthly payments, the largest adjustment since 1982. The bump will compensate for the inflation rate and amount to about $92 per month for the average recipient. The average monthly Social Security payout for 2022 is $1,657 while the maximum monthly benefit for a worker retiring at full retirement age increased $197 to $3,345.

If you work while collecting Social Security, your earnings limit increased for 2022. Prior to reaching full retirement age, you can earn $19,560 before deductions are made from your Social Security payments. After that amount, $1 will be deducted from your Social Security payment for every $2 over that limit. If you reach full retirement age in 2022, you can earn $51,960 before your payments are dinged. For every $3 you earn over that amount, your Social Security payment will be reduced by $1. But… once you reach full retirement age, no benefits will be withheld if you decide to keep working. After age 70, there’s no real benefit to delaying retirement—unless you just want to keep working—because your monthly benefit stops increasing.

If you’re one of the 10 million Americans who qualify for Social Security disability payments, you’ll also see a decent increase of 5.9% in your payment. For those designated as legally blind, payments will increase $70 to $2,260 a month. For the non-blind, monthly benefits increased $40 to a maximum of $1,350.

What is the maximum Social Security wages for 2022?

The maximum Social Security wages, or Social Security wage base, for 2022 is $147,000 for 2022.

Social Security COLA 2022:

How much will benefits increase next year? The Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA) is based on changes in the Consumer Price Index. We don’t yet know what that will be for next year. This year’s increase was 5.9%, the largest since 1982.

How the COLA is calculated:

The Social Security cost of living adjustment is based on the difference between how much the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of the last cost of living increase to the third quarter of the current year. If there is no increase, there will be no cost of living increase.

What is the FICA rate for 2022?

The FICA rate for 2022 remains unchanged at 7.65% for employers and 7.65% for employees. Earning self-employment income means individuals pay the entire 15.3% themselves.

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What is the maximum Social Security withheld?

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 2022, this base is $147,000.

What is the max Social Security tax for 2023?

Apply 12.4 percent payroll tax rate on earnings above $250,000 starting in 2023, and tax all earnings once the current-law taxable maximum exceeds $250,000.