# FICA Tax Calculator Calculate FICA taxes: Social Security and Medicare withholding for employees and self-employed. Includes additional Medicare tax. Free FICA calculator. ## What this calculates Calculate your Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes based on your income and employment status. See the breakdown between Social Security, Medicare, and the additional Medicare tax for high earners. Self-employed individuals pay both the employer and employee portions. ## Inputs - **Annual Gross Income** ($) — min 0 — Your total annual gross income from wages. - **Self-Employed?** — Toggle on if you are self-employed (pays both employer and employee shares). ## Outputs - **Social Security Tax** — formatted as currency — Social Security tax (6.2% employee, 12.4% self-employed). - **Medicare Tax** — formatted as currency — Medicare tax (1.45% employee, 2.9% self-employed). - **Additional Medicare Tax** — formatted as currency — Extra 0.9% on income above $200,000 (single). - **Total FICA Tax** — formatted as currency — Total Social Security + Medicare taxes. - **Effective FICA Rate** — formatted as percentage — Total FICA as a percentage of gross income. ## Details FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) taxes fund Social Security and Medicare. Employees pay 7.65% of gross wages (6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare), and employers match this amount for a combined 15.3%. Self-employed individuals pay the full 15.3% as self-employment tax, though they can deduct half of this amount on their income tax return. Social Security tax has a wage base limit -- in 2024, only the first $168,600 of earnings is subject to the 6.2% (or 12.4% for self-employed) Social Security tax. Income above this cap is not taxed for Social Security. Medicare has no wage cap -- all earnings are subject to the 1.45% (or 2.9%) Medicare tax. High earners face an Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on earnings above $200,000 (single filers) or $250,000 (married filing jointly). This additional tax is paid only by the employee -- there is no employer match. Combined with regular Medicare, high earners pay 2.35% (employee) or 3.8% (self-employed) on income above the threshold. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Q: What is FICA tax?** A: FICA stands for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. It includes two taxes: Social Security (6.2% employee share, up to the wage base limit) and Medicare (1.45% with no cap). Together, employees pay 7.65% and employers match it for 15.3% total. FICA funds Social Security retirement/disability benefits and Medicare health coverage for those 65 and older. **Q: What is the Social Security wage base for 2024?** A: The 2024 Social Security wage base is $168,600. Only earnings up to this amount are subject to the 6.2% Social Security tax. Income above $168,600 is not taxed for Social Security purposes. This cap adjusts annually based on average wage increases. For context, in 2023 the cap was $160,200 and in 2022 it was $147,000. **Q: How is self-employment tax different from employee FICA?** A: Self-employed individuals pay both the employee and employer portions of FICA, totaling 15.3% (12.4% Social Security + 2.9% Medicare). However, the IRS allows self-employed workers to deduct half of this amount (the employer-equivalent portion) as an above-the-line deduction on their income tax return, effectively reducing the tax burden. Additionally, self-employment tax is calculated on 92.35% of net self-employment income. **Q: What is the Additional Medicare Tax?** A: The Additional Medicare Tax is an extra 0.9% applied to earnings above $200,000 (single), $250,000 (married filing jointly), or $125,000 (married filing separately). Unlike regular Medicare tax, there is no employer match for this additional tax. Combined with regular Medicare, the total rate on income above the threshold is 2.35% for employees or 3.8% for self-employed individuals. --- Source: https://vastcalc.com/calculators/finance/fica-tax Category: Finance Last updated: 2026-04-21