Up to 50% or even 85% of your Social security benefits are taxable if your “provisional” or total income, as defined by tax law, is above a certain base amount. Your Social Security income may not be taxable at all if your total income is below the base amount. If you’re married and filing jointly with your spouse, your combined incomes and social security benefits are used to figure your total income. To
determine when Social Security income is taxable, you’ll first need to calculate your total income. Generally, the formula for total income for this purpose is: your adjusted gross income, including any nontaxable interest, plus half of your Social Security benefits. If you’re married and filing jointly with your spouse, your combined incomes and social security benefits are used to figure your total income. Then you’ll compare your total income with the base amounts for your filing status to find out how much of your Social Security income is taxable, if any. You’ll see that you fall into one of three categories. If your total income is:
How Much of Your Social Security Income is Taxable?Review the list below to determine where your total income falls and how much of your Social Security income is taxable. For:
Are All Kinds of Social Security Income Taxable?All social security benefits are taxable in the same way. This is true whether they’re retirement, survivors, or disability benefits. Take note that Social Security benefits paid to a child under his or her Social Security number (SSN) could be potentially taxable to the child, not the parent. Note: Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, is a non-taxable needs-based federal benefit. It is not part of Social Security benefits and does not figure into the taxable benefit formula. Related TopicsPoints to know
Will you owe taxes on your Social Security benefits?As with most questions about taxes, the answer is "it depends." About 40% of people who get benefits pay income taxes on them, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). That's because their income in retirement exceeds limits set by tax rules and regulations. Generally, if Social Security is your only retirement income, you won't have to pay taxes on it. But if you have at least moderate income, you'll most likely owe the government some money. The good news is that while up to 85% of your benefits may be taxed at ordinary income rates, it's never 100%. That's considered tax-efficient compared with other retirement plans whose distributions may be fully taxable. In addition to the federal tax bite, 13 states also tax Social Security benefits using either the federal provisional income formula or their own.
States that tax your Social Security incomeWhat's the provisional income formula?Whether you'll owe taxes on your benefits is based on a provisional income (PI) formula: your modified adjusted gross income (AGI) plus tax-exempt bond interest plus half of your Social Security benefits. Social Security income limits
FILING STATUS Single; head of household; qualifying widow/widower; married, filing separately (spouses lived apart for all of the tax year) PROVISIONAL INCOME THRESHOLD $0 to $25,000 >$25,000 >$34,000 % OF TAXABLE BENEFITS 0% Up to 50% Up to 85%
Married, filing jointly PROVISIONAL INCOME THRESHOLD $0 to $32,000 >$32,000 >$44,000 % OF TAXABLE BENEFITS 0% Up to 50% Up to 85%
Married, filing separately (spouses lived together at any time during the year) PROVISIONAL INCOME THRESHOLD $0 % OF TAXABLE BENEFITS Up to 85% How it worksThe amount of Social Security income that's taxable is the smallest of the following 3 calculations.
At the end of the year, Social Security will send you a statement of your benefits for you to use when completing your federal income tax return. Did you know?You can ask the government to withhold taxes from your benefit payment, although you're not required to do so. If you'll owe taxes, withholding has 2 advantages: You won't have to pay a lump sum at tax time, and you'll avoid a potential penalty for underpaying your taxes. You could also satisfy your tax bill by having taxes withheld from other income sources, such as IRAs, pensions, or annuities, or by making quarterly payments to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). You may want to consult a tax advisor. Create a tax-efficient Social Security strategyYour decision about when to claim Social Security should include tax efficiency as a factor—that is, how much taxable income you retain after paying applicable income taxes. Generally, your Social Security income will have a more favorable tax treatment than retirement income from accounts such as traditional IRAs or 401(k)s. That's because you'll never pay taxes on 100% of your benefits, whereas you'll pay your ordinary tax rate on income from other retirement accounts unless you've selected a Roth IRA. Learn about traditional & Roth IRAs Taking tax efficiency into account can help you decide whether it's advantageous to delay claiming Social Security benefits and determine the best way to tap into your sources of income to meet your cash flow needs in retirement. Managing how much of your income comes from Social Security versus other sources can make a big difference in your ability to support your long-term retirement plan. Consider these strategiesWhat is the federal tax rate on Social Security?NOTE: The 7.65% tax rate is the combined rate for Social Security and Medicare. The Social Security portion (OASDI) is 6.20% on earnings up to the applicable taxable maximum amount (see below). The Medicare portion (HI) is 1.45% on all earnings.
How do I calculate how much of my Social Security income is taxable?For the 2022 tax year (which you will file in 2023), single filers with a combined income of $25,000 to $34,000 must pay income taxes on up to 50% of their Social Security benefits. If your combined income is more than $34,000, you will pay taxes on up to 85% of your Social Security benefits.
Is Social Security ever 100% taxable?However, regardless of income, no taxpayer has all their Social Security benefits taxed. The top level is 85% of the total benefit.
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