What Is the Yearly Income Limit to Stop Paying Social Security?

On an intermittent basis, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announces a key number that affects the take-home pay of entrepreneurs and employees alike; namely, the Social Security taxable wage base. The wage base – the maximum dollar amount of a person's earnings that's subject to the Social Security tax – rises in response to an increase in overall wage levels. For instance, while the wage base was​ $25,900 ​in 1980, in 2021 it will be ​$142,800​.

Before you get your first 2021 paycheck, it might be worthwhile to consider the effect of this change in the Social Security wage base on your take-home pay.

The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) states that Social Security and Medicare taxes are to be withheld from a company’s payroll and from the income of the self- employed. In 2021, the Social Security tax will account for ​6.2 percent​ of an employee’s earned income up to the annual limit that’s dictated by the SSA according to wage growth. In turn, Medicare taxes amount to ​1.45 percent ​of earned income.

Your employer pays those same amounts on your behalf, which means the total FICA tax that your employer submits to the federal government is equal to the sum of ​12.4 percent​ and ​2.9 percent​ of your salary, or ​15.3 percent​. In contrast, if you’re self-employed, you pay the entire amount; that is, ​12.4 percent​ for Social Security taxes and ​2.9 percent​ for Medicare taxes.

​Read More​: What Are FICA Wages?

The maximum earnings that are subject to the Social Security tax – the taxable wage base – will increase ​3.7 percent​ from ​$137,700 in 2020​ to ​$142,800 in 2021​. According to the latest SSA Population Profile of Taxable Maximum Earners, the wage base increase affects about ​6 percent​ of covered workers, which in 2019 numbered about ​178 million​. Neither you nor your employer are required to pay a Social Security tax on earnings above the maximum taxable amount.

But the increase may be a shock to the self-employed who must pay the maximum Social Security tax per employee in 2021, which is ​12.4 percent of $142,800​, or ​$17,707.20.​ The wage base increase may also surprise the highly-paid employee and their employer, each of whom must pay the maximum tax per employee of ​ 6.2 percent of $142,800​, or ​$8,853.60​.

​Read More:​ Maximum Social Security Retirement Benefits

The wage base also limits the wages that the SSA considers when calculating the amount of your Social Security benefit. The benefit amount is determined by a formula that includes your average earnings during a 35-year period during which you achieved your peak earnings. For any year that you earned more than the wage base, those wages are capped by that year's wage base.

Just as you didn't pay tax on earnings that exceeded the wage base, the earnings that are considered in your benefit calculation are capped by the wage base. For example, if your salary in 2021 is $95,000, that entire amount will be considered when the SSA calculates your average earnings. If, however, you earned $205,000 in 2021, the SSA will consider only $142,800 of your earnings.

The wage base influences both the Social Security taxes you pay and the dollar value of your Social Security benefits when you retire. The amount you pay is determined by that portion of your salary that is less than or equal to the wage base. Likewise, the SSA benefit you receive is determined by the highest salaries you earned during a 35-year period, each of which is capped by the relevant year's wage base.