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Social Security Tax Calculator

See how much of your Social Security is taxable in 2026 (none, up to 50% or up to 85%), the federal income tax it adds after the senior deduction, and how much to have withheld.

$

A month, before Medicare

$

A year: pensions, IRA withdrawals, wages, interest

More options· Tax-exempt interest
$

From municipal bonds: not taxed, but it counts here

Taxable Social Security

$11,300

47% of your $24,000 of benefits in 2026 counts as taxable income

Tax it adds
$1,225
Your federal tax
$1,810
Tax on your next $1,000
$222

What this means

What decides it is your provisional income: your other income, plus tax-exempt interest, plus half your benefits. Yours is $42,000. That’s over $34,000, so up to 85% of your benefits can be taxed. These thresholds have been the same since the 1980s and 1990s, so more retirees pay each year.

Each extra $1,000 of other income costs you $222 in tax, more than your 12% bracket, because it also makes more of your benefits taxable. Spreading IRA withdrawals over the years, or taking some from a Roth, can lower this.

To cover your federal tax, you could ask Social Security to withhold 10% of your benefits on Form W-4V (the choices are 7%, 10%, 12% and 22%).

Next step

How it’s worked out

Other income$30,000
Half your benefits$12,000
Provisional income$42,000
Thresholds$25,000 / $34,000
Taxable benefits$11,300
Adjusted gross income$41,300
Taxable income$17,150
Federal income tax$1,810

Your benefits

How much is taxed
  • Taxable$11,300
  • Tax-free$12,700
Assumptions in this estimate
  • For 2026, with the standard deduction, the extra deduction at 65 and the $6,000 senior deduction (2025 to 2028), which shrinks above $75,000 of income ($150,000 joint).
  • Benefits are the gross amount in box 5 of your SSA-1099, before Medicare premiums are taken off. Up to 85% of benefits can ever be taxed.
  • Married filing separately assumes you lived with your spouse at some point in the year, so up to 85% is taxable from the first dollar. If you lived apart all year, choose Single.
  • Federal tax only. Most states don’t tax Social Security, but a few do, often with their own exemptions: check your state’s rules.
  • Withdrawals from a Roth IRA, and qualified distributions from an HSA for medical costs, don’t count as income here.
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How the calculator works

  1. Provisional income: your other income (pensions, IRA and 401(k) withdrawals, wages, interest and dividends), plus tax-exempt interest, plus half your Social Security.
  2. Taxable benefits: none if that’s under the first threshold, up to 50% between the two, and up to 85% above the second, using the IRS worksheet in Publication 915.
  3. Federal tax: on your other income plus the taxable part of your benefits, after the standard deduction, the extra deduction at 65 and the senior deduction.
  4. Tax on your benefits: how much more you pay than if your benefits weren’t taxed at all, and what each extra $1,000 of other income would cost.

Examples

A single retiree over 65 with $2,000 a month of Social Security and $30,000 of pension and IRA income has provisional income of $42,000. $11,300 of their $24,000 of benefits (47%) is taxable, and their federal tax is $1,810, of which $1,225 comes from taxing their benefits. Each extra $1,000 they take from their IRA costs them $222 in tax, though they’re in the 12% bracket. Withholding 10% from benefits would cover it.

A married couple, both over 65, with $3,500 a month of Social Security and $40,000 of other income: $20,450 of their benefits is taxable, and they pay $1,295 of federal tax. With only $10,000 of other income, none of their benefits would be taxed.

How much is taxed as your other income rises

A single person over 65 with $2,000 a month of Social Security ($24,000 a year), in 2026:

Other income Benefits taxed Federal tax Of which, from benefits
$10,000 $0 (0%) $0 $0
$20,000 $3,500 (15%) $0 $0
$30,000 $11,300 (47%) $1,810 $1,225
$40,000 $19,800 (83%) $4,030 $2,376
$50,000 $20,400 (85%) $5,302 $2,448
$75,000 $20,400 (85%) $10,656 $4,757
$100,000 $20,400 (85%) $16,486 $4,757

A married couple over 65 with $3,500 a month of Social Security ($42,000 a year), in 2026:

Other income Benefits taxed Federal tax Of which, from benefits
$10,000 $0 (0%) $0 $0
$20,000 $4,500 (11%) $0 $0
$30,000 $11,950 (28%) $0 $0
$40,000 $20,450 (49%) $1,295 $1,295
$50,000 $28,950 (69%) $3,278 $3,028
$75,000 $35,700 (85%) $7,088 $4,284
$100,000 $35,700 (85%) $10,088 $4,284

Between the thresholds, each extra dollar of other income can make up to 85 cents more of your benefits taxable, so your tax rises faster than your bracket suggests. Once 85% of your benefits are taxed, it slows back down to your bracket rate.

The thresholds

Filing status Up to 50% taxable over Up to 85% taxable over
Single, head of household $25,000 $34,000
Married filing jointly $32,000 $44,000
Married filing separately (lived together) $0 $0

The thresholds are set in law and have never been raised for inflation, so more retirees pay tax on their benefits each year.

Learn more

See our Social Security payment schedule, the RMD calculator for required withdrawals, and the Roth conversion calculator: Roth withdrawals don’t count towards provisional income.

Last updated

Frequently asked questions

Is Social Security taxable?

It can be. If your provisional income (your other income, plus tax-exempt interest, plus half your benefits) is over $25,000 ($32,000 if married filing jointly), up to 50% of your benefits counts as taxable income. Over $34,000 ($44,000 joint), up to 85%. No more than 85% is ever taxed.

Did the new law end tax on Social Security?

No. The rules for taxing benefits haven’t changed. What’s new is a $6,000 senior deduction for each person 65 or older, from 2025 to 2028, on top of the larger standard deduction at 65. It means many retirees now pay no federal tax on their benefits, but higher earners still do.

Why does my tax go up so fast when I take more from my IRA?

Each extra dollar of IRA or pension income is taxed, and can also make up to 85 cents more of your Social Security taxable. In the 12% bracket that can mean about 22% tax on each extra dollar, sometimes called the tax torpedo, until 85% of your benefits are taxable.

How do I have tax withheld from Social Security?

Fill in Form W-4V and give it to Social Security. You can choose to have 7%, 10%, 12% or 22% of each payment withheld. Otherwise, pay estimated tax each quarter or have more withheld from a pension or IRA.

Do states tax Social Security?

Most don’t. A few states tax some benefits, usually with exemptions by age or income that leave most retirees untaxed. This calculator works out federal tax only.