Some payroll taxes are also known as “FICA taxes.” FICA stands for the “Federal Insurance Contributions Act” and includes Social Security and Medicare taxes. Other examples of payroll taxes include additional Medicare tax, self-employment tax, federal income tax withholding, and federal unemployment tax (FUTA). Payroll taxes are levied as a certain percentage of your earnings. Your employer typically pays half this percentage, and you pay the other half through paycheck withholdings. Employers are legally obligated to contribute to these taxes and report the amounts withheld from employees’ pay on Form W-2. Your employer sends the contribution information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to the employee after the tax year has ended. Employers must keep this money in a dedicated account and deposit these amounts with the federal government on a monthly or semiweekly schedule. Unemployment taxes must be paid quarterly if you owe more than $500. Employers are responsible for paying all the unemployment tax.
Types of Payroll Taxes
There are four payroll taxes: Social Security, Medicare, Additional Medicare Tax, and Federal Unemployment Tax.
Social Security Tax
This payroll tax is levied at 12.4%, split evenly between employer and employee. Of this 12.4%, 10.6% goes to an OASI fund for retirement benefits and survivors, and the other 1.8% goes to disability insurance. The Social Security tax is payable only on annual earnings up to $147,000 in 2022 and $160,200 in 2023. Income over this amount isn’t subject to the Social Security tax, but only for the remainder of the year. You pay this tax on earnings up to this amount, with the earnings counter resetting on Jan. 1 of the new year.
Medicare Tax
Medicare taxes fund the nation’s hospital insurance (HI) program. This payroll tax pays for hospital stays, some home health care, and hospice care for qualifying individuals. Also known as “MEDFICA,” Medicare payroll tax contributes to Part A Medicare benefits for senior taxpayers and those with certain illnesses or impairments. Other parts of Medicare aren’t covered. The tax is 2.9%, and the employee and employer pay 1.45% each. This tax was capped at a certain amount of annual earnings, but the cap was eliminated from the federal code in 1994. Social Security and Medicare tax rates are the same for self-employed taxpayers. The only difference is that they have to pay the total percentage, not just half.
Additional Medicare Tax
The Additional Medicare Tax is 0.9%, and employers are obligated to withhold this from a worker’s paycheck as well, but the employer does not also have to match this tax. It’s only payable on earnings of more than $200,000 for single taxpayers, or $250,000 for those who are married and filing jointly. The income threshold drops to just $125,000 if you’re married and filing separately.
Unemployment Tax
States pay unemployment compensation to workers who’ve lost their jobs. States partner with the federal government to provide for this program. Unemployment taxes collected from employers are placed in a federal trust fund. Employees don’t have to contribute to this payroll tax. The unemployment tax rate is 6% of earnings paid up to $7,000, but the federal government provides tax credits that can bring this down to just 0.6%. Unemployment tax is payable at the state level as well.
Disadvantages of Payroll Taxes
All these taxes add up to a large amount of money, which has led to much debate over the years. It’s been argued that employers effectively pass on their share of Social Security and Medicare taxes by paying workers 7.65% less than they would have otherwise (half of that 15.3% total) to compensate for having to pay their own half of these taxes. Their payroll tax obligation could result in lower wages, and employees still have to pay their 7.65% share. Lower-income workers also pay that Social Security tax on all their earnings, while high earners don’t have to once they reach the wage-based threshold. But high earners are at a bit of a disadvantage because of the Additional Medicare tax. They’re paying more into the Medicare system, but the services they’re eligible for are the same as those for taxpayers who contribute less. Then again, high earners don’t pay Social Security taxes on income above the threshold, but they’re eligible to collect Social Security when the time comes.
