FICA Calculator: Social Security & Medicare Taxes

Last updated: July 15, 2026

What FICA Actually Is

You earn $80,000. Your paycheck shows $6,120 taken out for something called "FICA"—that's 7.65% of your salary going to Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%). What your paycheck doesn't show: your employer pays another $6,120 on top of your salary. The real cost of these programs is 15.3% of your wages.

Here's the twist: Social Security tax has a cap. In 2026, you only pay the 6.2% on your first $184,500 of wages. Earn $200,000? You max out at $11,439 in Social Security tax, not $12,400. Medicare has no cap. It applies to every dollar, plus an extra 0.9% above $200,000 for single filers.

This calculator breaks down exactly what you pay, what your employer pays, and where the wage base cuts off. Useful for verifying paychecks, understanding high-earner thresholds, and budgeting for the "raise" you get when Social Security withholding stops mid-year.

How FICA Tax Is Calculated

Your employer matches your 6.2% SS and 1.45% Medicare—but not the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax. That's employee-only.

Two Workers, Two FICA Bills

Example 1: Mid-Career Professional ($95,000)

Priya earns $95,000 at a tech company. Her salary is below the Social Security wage base, so every dollar is subject to the full 6.2%.

Priya sees $7,268/year deducted from her paychecks. Her employer also pays $7,268 that she never sees. The true FICA cost is $14,536—15.3% of her salary.

Example 2: High Earner ($240,000)

David earns $240,000 as a director. His salary exceeds both the Social Security wage base and the Additional Medicare Tax threshold.

David crosses the wage base in early October, about 77% of the way through the year ($184,500 ÷ $240,000). His last few paychecks are roughly $572 larger, since the 6.2% stops coming off his $9,231 biweekly gross. His effective FICA rate lands at 6.37% rather than 7.65% because none of his income above $184,500 is subject to Social Security. The 0.9% Additional Medicare still applies to his last $40,000.

When to Use This (and When Not To)

Use It For:

• Verifying paychecks: Check if your FICA withholding matches expectations
• Wage base planning: See when SS withholding stops if you're above $184,500 (2026)
• Multiple-job coordination: Calculate if you'll overwithhold across two employers
• Employer cost estimation: Know the true cost of adding an employee
• High-earner planning: Budget for Additional Medicare Tax above $200K

Don't Rely on It For:

• Self-employment tax: SE tax is similar but calculated differently, so use our 1099 tax calculator
• Pre-tax deduction adjustments: we calculate on gross wages. That's exactly right for 401(k) deferrals, which stay in your FICA wages even though they leave Box 1. It will overstate your FICA if you fund an HSA through payroll or pay Section 125 health premiums, since both come out before FICA. Subtract those from your gross before entering it.
• Household employment: Nanny/caregiver FICA has special rules

How We Calculate This

We apply the FICA rules for the tax year you pick: 6.2% SS capped at that year's wage base, 1.45% Medicare with no cap, and 0.9% Additional Medicare above the threshold for your filing status. The employer share mirrors the employee share for SS and Medicare, but not for Additional Medicare.

What we include: tax years 2024 ($168,600 base), 2025 ($176,100 base), and 2026 ($184,500 base), employee and employer breakdown, Additional Medicare Tax by filing status, and wage base visualization. Every wage base here comes from one place in the code, which is loaded from the SSA Contribution and Benefit Base and re-checked each October when SSA announces the next year.

What we don't include: pre-tax deduction adjustments (we use gross wages, which is correct for 401(k) deferrals but not for HSA or Section 125 premiums), self-employment tax, state disability insurance such as CA SDI, or FUTA and SUTA employer taxes.