Social Security tax calculator (2026)
Social Security tax is 6.2% of your wages, up to the 2026 wage base of $184,500. Enter your wages to see your annual and per-paycheck amount.
📅 Updated for the 2026 tax year · built from primary IRS & SSA sources
Social Security tax (2026)
$3,720/yr
≈ $143.08 per biweekly paycheck
- Rate
- 6.2%
- Wage base cap (2026)
- $184,500
- Taxable wages
- $60,000
Your employer pays a matching 6.2%. Self-employed people pay both halves. Estimate only — not tax advice.
How Social Security tax works
Social Security (the "OASDI" portion of FICA) is withheld at 6.2% from every paycheck, and your employer matches it for a combined 12.4%. Unlike Medicare, it has an annual wage base cap: once your 2026 wages pass $184,500, no more Social Security tax is withheld for the rest of the year — so the maximum an employee pays is about $11,439.
Self-employed workers pay both halves (12.4%) as part of SECA, with a deduction for the employer-equivalent portion.