How to use the Social Security and Medicare tax calculator
- Enter your Gross wages — total pay before any deductions for the year.
- Enter the Social Security wage base — the most earnings subject to the 6.2% tax. For 2026 it is $176,100; change it for a later year.
- Enter the Extra Medicare threshold — above this income an extra 0.9% Medicare tax applies ($200,000 single, $250,000 married).
- Read your taxes. Everything updates as you type.
Worked example
On $80,000 of wages, Social Security tax is $4,976 (6.2% of $80,000, under the base), Medicare tax is $1,160 (1.45%), and total FICA is $6,136. At $250,000 of wages, Social Security tax caps at $10,918 (6.2% of the $176,100 base), Medicare is $3,625 (1.45% of $250,000) plus $450 of extra Medicare (0.9% of the $50,000 over $200,000), a total of $14,993.
The formula
SS tax = min(wages, wage base) × 6.2%
Medicare = wages × 1.45% · Extra Medicare = max(0, wages − threshold) × 0.9%
Social Security tax stops at the wage base, so very high earners pay the same dollar amount as someone just over the line. Medicare has no cap, and the extra 0.9% only applies above the threshold.
What this calculator shows
This estimates the employee share of FICA — the amount withheld from your paycheck. Your employer pays a matching amount, so together about 15.3% of your wages is collected on the wage-base portion. If you are self-employed you owe both halves as self-employment tax, though you can deduct the employer portion.
- Social Security is capped. Only earnings up to the wage base are taxed at 6.2%. For 2026 that is $176,100.
- Medicare is not capped. All wages are taxed at 1.45%, plus 0.9% above the threshold.
- This is separate from income tax. FICA funds retirement and hospital insurance; your federal income tax is calculated on top of it.
Why the wage base matters
Because Social Security tax stops at the cap, each extra dollar of wages is worth less to you the closer you are to the base — you still pay Medicare and income tax, but not the 6.2%. Above the base, only Medicare and income tax apply.