Calculate Social Security and Medicare payroll tax on wages for 2026 or 2027.
Please do not make financial decisions based on these results.
What is the FICA Tax Calculator?
Calculate Social Security and Medicare payroll tax on wages for 2026 or 2027. To use the FICA Tax Calculator, enter annual wages, employee or employer?, tax year; it returns total fica, social security, medicare, and shows them instantly as you type.
How income is taxed
Federal income tax is progressive, so higher slices of income are taxed at higher rates. Your filing status, deductions and pre-tax contributions determine your taxable income. Start with the income tax calculator and then see the effect on your paycheck with the take-home paycheck calculator.
Pay and filing questions
To compare hourly, weekly and yearly pay, use the salary calculator. If you are married, the marriage tax calculator compares filing together with filing as two single people.
How to use the FICA Tax Calculator
- Enter your numbers. Start with Annual wages ($). Use the tax year and filing status that apply to you, and gross figures unless a field says otherwise. Fields marked optional can stay at zero.
- Choose your options. Employee or employer?, Tax year change how the result is worked out, and the form updates to match your choice.
- Read the result. The highlighted box gives the Total FICA, and the cards below show Social Security, Medicare. Tables and charts break it down further.
- Test other scenarios. Results update as you type. Change one value at a time to see what drives the answer, and press Reset to go back to the defaults.
Formula and how it works
Example with real numbers
Here is the FICA Tax Calculator using the default values shown in the calculator above:
Inputs
| Annual wages ($) | 120,000 |
|---|---|
| Employee or employer? | Employee share |
| Tax year | 2026 |
Results
| Total FICA | $9,180.00 |
|---|---|
| Social Security | $7,440.00 |
| Medicare | $1,740.00 |
With these inputs the calculator returns Total FICA: $9,180.00. Change any value in the calculator to see how the result moves.
What if you change one input?
Sensitivity check: raising Annual wages ($) from 120,000 to 144,000 (about 20% higher) and leaving everything else as in the example above changes the results like this:
| Result | Example | After the change | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total FICA | $9,180.00 | $11,016.00 | +20% |
| Social Security | $7,440.00 | $8,928.00 | +20% |
| Medicare | $1,740.00 | $2,088.00 | +20% |
The input that moves the result most is the one to check twice. Change it in the calculator above to test your own case.
What the results tell you
The results panel of the FICA Tax Calculator reports Total FICA, social security and medicare. Compare these figures while changing one input at a time, and use the related calculators below to look at the same situation from another angle.
Method and limits. This calculator applies the formula in the section above to your inputs, in your browser; nothing you enter is stored on our servers. Tax rules change every year and depend on your full situation (state, filing status, credits), so treat the result as an estimate and confirm it with the IRS or a tax professional. It is for information, not financial, tax or legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Social Security wage base?
Only the first $184,500 of 2026 wages is subject to the 6.2% Social Security tax. SSA announced on October 14, 2026 that the base rises to $192,300 for 2027.
Do these calculators include state income tax?
Federal tax is calculated from the official brackets. For state tax you enter a rate, because state rules vary widely.
Which tax year and rates are used?
US federal brackets and standard deductions for 2026 and 2025, plus FICA. State tax is a rate you enter.
Are the results guaranteed?
No. Results depend entirely on the numbers you enter and the formulas shown on this page. Please do not make financial decisions based on them alone; confirm important figures with a licensed professional.
Related tax & salary calculators
- Estate Tax Calculator
- Child Tax Credit Calculator
- Tax Bracket Calculator
- Illinois Tax Calculator
- Income Tax Calculator
- Lottery Tax Calculator
- State Tax Calculator
- California Tax Calculator
- New York Tax Calculator
- Alabama Tax Calculator
- Texas Tax Calculator
- Florida Sales Tax Calculator
All Tax & Salary calculators →