The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced that the Social Security taxable wage base for 2020 will increase to $137,700 from $132,900. This is the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax for 2020.
The Social Security withholding rate is unchanged for 2020 and remains at 6.2 percent, up to the maximum taxable amount. The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax rate — which is the combined total of the Social Security tax rate and the 1.45 percent Medicare tax rate — also remains unchanged at 7.65 percent.
Individuals with earned income of more than $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly) pay an additional 0.9 percent in Medicare taxes. The tax rates above do not include the 0.9 percent.
There is no limit on the amount of wages subject to the Medicare tax.
Katie Culliton, Editor, CalChamber
HRCalifornia members can read more about Standard Deductions: Taxes in the HR Library. Not a member? See how CalChamber can help you.
