Medicare Blog

why are social security wages and medicare wages different

by Katelin Swift IV Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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One of the differences between Social Security and Medicare is that Social Security is taxed only on the first $127,200 of taxable wages, or $7,886.40 in taxes. Once you hit that limit, you will no longer be taxed for Social Security in 2017.

The most common questions relate to why W-2 Wages differ from your final pay stub for the year, and why Federal and State Wages per your W-2 differ from Social Security and Medicare Wages per the W-2. The short answer is that the differences relate to what wage amounts are taxable in each case.

Full Answer

What is the difference between wages and Medicare wages?

You can expect to be taxed at the 1.45% rate if you fall under the following categories:

  • For Single Taxpayers: The first $200,000 of your wages
  • For Married Taxpayers Filing Jointly: The first $250,000 of your wages
  • For Married Taxpayers Filing Separately: The first $125,00 of your wages

Why are Medicare wages higher than wages?

The most common reason why medicare wages are higher is due to 401(k) contributions (W2, Box 12, Code D) or other pre-tax retirement plan contributions. They are subject to medicare tax but not to federal or state income tax.

Can Medicare garnish wages from Social Security?

Under the law, Social Security funds are exempt, or protected, from garnishment and other actions taken by debt collectors. However, if your Social Security funds are not direct deposited into your bank account, or if you transfer the funds into another account after they are received, the protection is not automatic.

How to calculate Social Security wages?

Social Security calculators provided by other companies or non-profits ... Social Security benefit rate as long as you still paid Social Security taxes on your earnings. Employers withhold and pay Social Security taxes for covered wage earners, so workers ...

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Are Social Security wages and Medicare wages the same?

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.

Why are Medicare wages higher than wages?

How is that possible? Certain amounts that are taken out of your pay are not subject to federal income tax, so they are not included in box 1, but they are subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes, so they are included in boxes 3 and 5.

Why are my Social Security wages higher than my wages?

Your social security wages can be higher than your wages if you are making contributions to a 401k plan or have other items taken out of your check "pre-tax". You are paying social security tax on these items but not income tax.

Why are my Medicare wages lower than my regular wages?

Medicare wages are reduced by pre-tax deductions such as health/dental/vision insurances, parking and flex spending but not reduced by your contributions to a retirement plan (403b or 457.)

Why is box 1 and 3 different on my W-2?

Some pre-tax deductions reduce your taxable income (box 1) and your social security income (box 3). Other pre-tax deductions only reduce your taxable income (box 1). If you have a deduction that only reduces your taxable income then the amounts in box 1 and box 3 will be different.

Why does my W-2 not have Social Security wages?

Social Security wages should be in box 3 and the Social Security Taxes withheld should be in box 4 of the W-2. Contact your employer for either an explanation of why there are no SS wages or taxes withheld or to get a corrected W-2.

What is the difference between wages and Medicare wages?

Box 1 (Wages, Tips and Other Compensation) represents the amount of compensation taxable for federal income tax purposes while box 3 (Social Security Wages) represents the portion taxable for social security purposes and box 5 (Medicare Wages) represents the portion taxable for Medicare tax purposes.

Why is Box 1 and Box 16 different on my W-2?

If retirement contributions are exempt from state income tax, Boxes 1 and 16 may be the same. If contributions are subject to state income tax, Box 16 may be higher than Box 1. For example, Pennsylvania requires employees to pay state income tax on retirement contributions.

Why is Box 1 and Box 5 different on W-2?

The amount in Box 1 is also going to be subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes, which means it will be included in Boxes 3 and 5. Box 5 includes income subject to federal income tax (Box 1) as well as income that is not subject to federal income tax. This is the amount subject to Medicare tax.

What is the difference between Social Security wages and gross wages?

Gross income is the total of all compensation from which the amount of taxes and other withholdings are calculated. Social Security wages are based on the gross income and have specific inclusions (as listed above) and exclusions (as listed below).

What does Social Security wages mean on a W-2?

Box 3 "Social security wages": Social security wages are calculated as Federal Taxable Gross (Box 1) plus Retirement Deductions (Box 12). The maximum social security wage amount for 2012 is $110,100. Box 4 "Social security tax withheld": This is social security tax withheld from your pay.

Can Medicare wages be lower than wages?

Medicare wages and tips: The total wages, tips and other compensation that are subject to Medicare taxes. There is no limit on the amount of wages that are subject to Medicare taxes.

Your employee earns tips

An employee who earns tips may also have different amounts in Boxes 1, 3, and 5. This is because tips are included in the amounts in boxes 1 and 5. They are separated out in box 3 and box 7 for Social Security.

Your employee is exempt from one or more Federal taxes

There are several types of employees who are not subject to some Federal taxes per IRS rules. Clergy, employees on a work Visa, and some family members of business owners are a few examples.

What to call if your W-2 does not match Social Security?

If you find that after making these adjustments to your Gross Pay YTD per your final pay stub, the result does not match Box 3 Social Security Wages and Box 5 Medicare Wages on your W-2, call Central Payroll, 617-495-8500, option 4 for assistance.

What is the Social Security base for 2019?

The Social Security Wage Base for 2019 was $132,900. To determine Social Security and Medicare taxable wages on your W-2, again begin with the Gross Pay YTD from your final pay stub and make the following adjustments if applicable:

How much tax do you pay on Medicare?

There are no tax limits for Medicare. You will pay taxes at a rate of 1.45% on all of your taxable wages. In addition, employers are required to withhold Additional Medicare tax of 0.9% once taxable wages are over $200,000 for the year.

Why do Medicare and Social Security go hand in hand?

Social Security and Medicare taxes go hand in hand. One reason for this is because the taxable wages for these two taxes are generally the same. The taxable wages for Social Security and Medicare taxes are defined below:

What is the Social Security tax limit for 2017?

Social Security tax limit for 2017 is $7,886.40. One of the differences between Social Security and Medicare is that Social Security is taxed only on the first $127,200 of taxable wages, or $7,886.40 in taxes. Once you hit that limit, you will no longer be taxed for Social Security in 2017.

How much is Bob's semi monthly salary?

Example: Bob is paid semi-monthly. On this paycheck, he earned $8,000 in salary. Bob gets a semi-monthly auto allowance of $1,000. He has a medical deduction of $1,500, and he contributes 10% of his income to his 401k.

Is there a cap on Medicare taxes?

There is no Medicare cap, and employers are required to withhold an additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% for wages over $200,000. Now that we’ve covered Social Security and Medicare taxes, we’ll tackle state taxes in our next segment. Bookmark ( 0) Please login to bookmark. Username or Email Address.

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