Medicare Blog

what percentage of your gross income goes to medicare

by Dr. Dillon Wisoky Sr. Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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The current rate for Medicare is 1.45% for the employer and 1.45% for the employee, or 2.9% total.May 20, 2022

Is Medicare calculated on gross income?

Medicare premiums are based on your modified adjusted gross income, or MAGI. That's your total adjusted gross income plus tax-exempt interest, as gleaned from the most recent tax data Social Security has from the IRS.

What percent of your gross earnings goes toward Medicare and Social Security programs?

NOTE: The 7.65% tax rate is the combined rate for Social Security and Medicare. The Social Security portion (OASDI) is 6.20% on earnings up to the applicable taxable maximum amount (see below). The Medicare portion (HI) is 1.45% on all earnings.

How do you calculate Medicare tax 2021?

In other words, for both 2022 & 2021, the FICA tax rate is 15.30% which is split equally between the employer and employee. So Employer deducts the FICA tax of 7.65%. (6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare) from wages of an employee and deposits, the combined contribution (its own 7.65%) totalling 15.3%.

Does Social Security go by net or gross income?

gross incomeWhen reporting your wages, Social Security requires that you report your gross income — the amount you've earned before any deductions were taken from your paycheck. Social Security looks at gross income to determine whether you're meeting or exceeding substantial gainful activity (SGA).

How much does Medicare take out of Social Security?

In 2021, based on the average social security benefit of $1,514, a beneficiary paid around 9.8 percent of their income for the Part B premium. Next year, that figure will increase to 10.6 percent.

How do I calculate Medicare tax?

For example, if an employee's taxable wages are $700 for the week, their social security contribution would be: $700.00 x 6.2% = $43.40. Their Medicare contribution would be: $700.00 x 1.45%= $10.15.

What percentage is Medicare tax?

2.9%The current tax rate for social security is 6.2% for the employer and 6.2% for the employee, or 12.4% total. The current rate for Medicare is 1.45% for the employer and 1.45% for the employee, or 2.9% total.

How is Medicare tax calculated?

The Medicare withholding rate is gross pay times 1.45 %, with a possible additional 0.9% for highly-paid employees. Your portion as an employer is also 1.45% with no limit, but you (the employer) don't have to pay the additional 0.9% For a total of 7.65% withheld, based on the employee's gross pay.

How Much Will Your Medicare Part B Premium Be?

The tables below show Part B premiums for 2022 by filing status and income level. The IRMAA is based on your reported adjusted gross income from two years ago. For 2022, your Part B premium may be as low as $170.10 or as high as $578.30.

How much extra could you pay for Medicare Part D?

With Part D, the extra amount you pay is determined by Medicare based on your tax-reported income, but your total costs will depend on the Part D plan you have. Part D plans are only provided by private insurance companies, so premium amounts will vary.

Paying for Medicare Premiums Tips: Your HSA and Employer Health Plan

From the above, you can see you may face higher costs for Medicare than you originally thought. That’s why you should consider two things – a health savings account plan (HSA) and if you have employer health coverage.

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Paying More for the Medicare Part B Premium

Most people enrolled in Medicare pay $148.50 in 2021 and $170.10 in 2022 for their Part B premium. That amount is actually only about 25% of the total cost. The government comes in and pays a substantial portion – about 75% – of the total Part B premium.

Paying More for the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan Premium

Medicare Part D is your prescription drug coverage, and the government helps pay a lot of those costs, too. Just like with the Medicare Part B premium, your drug premium will go up depending on your income.

Determining Your Income

The extra amount you pay is based on your income from the most recent federal tax return. In 2022, that means you’d be looking at your 2020 tax return, which was filed in 2019. The IRS will provide this return to Social Security, so if something is incorrect or they have the wrong year, you can call or visit your local Social Security office.

Conclusion

In short, the Medicare Part B premium and Medicare Part D premium are the only two Medicare costs that are based on your income.

Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates

The current tax rate for social security is 6.2% for the employer and 6.2% for the employee, or 12.4% total. The current rate for Medicare is 1.45% for the employer and 1.45% for the employee, or 2.9% total.

Additional Medicare Tax Withholding Rate

Additional Medicare Tax applies to an individual's Medicare wages that exceed a threshold amount based on the taxpayer's filing status. Employers are responsible for withholding the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on an individual's wages paid in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year, without regard to filing status.

Wage Base Limits

Only the social security tax has a wage base limit. The wage base limit is the maximum wage that's subject to the tax for that year. For earnings in 2022, this base is $147,000. Refer to "What's New" in Publication 15 for the current wage limit for social security wages; or Publication 51 for agricultural employers.

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