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Social Security Taxable Benefits

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Use this calculator to estimate how much of your Social Security benefit is subject to income taxes. For modest and low incomes, none of your Social Security benefit is subject to income taxes. However, once your income plus 50% of your Social Security benefit exceeds $32,000 for married couples filing jointly and $25,000 for everyone else, an ever increasing portion of your benefit is subject to income taxes. For higher incomes, up to 85% of your Social Security benefit is subject to incomes taxes and can have a significant impact on your net after-tax benefit.

Social Security Taxable Benefits Definitions

Social Security benefits received
This is the total of all Social Security and equivalent Railroad Retirement benefits you and your spouse (if you are married filing jointly) received in the current year. These benefits are reported to you on forms SSA-1099 for Social Security and RRB-1099 for Railroad Retirement benefits.
Federal Income Tax Rates:
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Filing status
Choose your filing status. The ‘Filing Status’ table summarizes the five possible filing status choices. Your filing status determines the income levels for your Federal tax bracket. It is also important for calculating your standard deduction. Your marital status as of the last day of the year determines your filing status.
Filing Status
Married Filing Jointly If you are married, you are able to file a joint return with your spouse. If your spouse died during the tax year and you did not remarry, you are still able to file a joint return for that year. You may also choose to file separately under the status "Married Filing Separately".
Qualified Surviving Spouse Generally, you qualify for this status if your spouse died during the previous tax year (not the current tax year) and you and your spouse filed a joint tax return in the year immediately prior to their death. You are also required to have at least one dependent child or stepchild for whom you are the primary provider.
Single Use this filing status if you don't qualify for any other filing status. Generally, If you are divorced, legally separated or unmarried as of the last day of the year (and you are not using another filing status) you should use this status.
Head of Household This is the status for unmarried individuals (or individuals considered unmarried) that pay for more than half of the cost to keep up a home for qualifying individuals who live with the taxpayer for more than one-half of the year. (The taxpayer's dependent parent does not have to live with the taxpayer but can still qualify provided you pay over half of the cost of keeping up the parent's home.). This home needs to be the main home for the income tax filer and at least one qualifying relative. You can also choose this status if you are married, but didn't live with your spouse at anytime during the last six months of the year. You also need to provide more than half of the cost to keep up your home and have at least one dependent child living with you.
Married Filing Separately If you are married, you have the choice to file separate returns. The filing status for this option is "Married Filing Separately".
Wages, salaries, tips, etc.
Enter your total of all wages, salaries, tips, etc. For this entry only enter the amount for the primary taxpayer, do not include your spouse. This is normally the amount shown on your W-2 form(s) in box 1 provided by your employer. You should also include any wages received as a household employee not reported on a W-2 (a W-2 may not have been provided if the amount was less than $2,100). It should also include any tips not reported to your employer - including allocated tips that appear on your W-2 form(s) box 8.
Other income
Enter your estimated total other income for the year. All income is treated the same when calculating the percentage of your Social Security benefit that is subject to income tax. For the estimated tax on your benefit, the tool assumes that your income is all normal income and not long-term capital gains or qualified dividends which may reduce your overall tax liability.
Tax-exempt interest
This amount is included in the total income used to calculate taxable Social Security Benefits, even though the tax-exempt interest itself is not subject to income taxes. Enter your (and your spouse's if married filing jointly) total tax-exempt interest reported to you (and your spouse if you are married filing jointly) on form 1099-INT or form 1099-OID. Also include any amounts on 1099-DIV reported as exempt interest dividends. Don't include any interest earned in an IRA, Health Savings Account, MSA or Coverdell education savings account.
Taxable income adjustments for Social Security
This is for a group of income items and benefits normally excluded from your taxable income but included when calculating the amount of Social Security that is taxable. This amount is the total of the following:
  1. Employer-provided adoption benefits excluded from your income (form 8839)
  2. Foreign earned income or housing that was excluded from your income (form 2555)
  3. Any exclusion of income for Bona Fide Residents of American Samoa (form 4563) or Puerto Rico.

Please see IRS Publication 915 for more information.

Taxable Social Security benefits
A portion of your Social Security benefit and equivalent Railroad Retirement benefit is included in your Total Income (and subject to income taxes and any other tax rules that are based on your total income) when your income exceeds certain thresholds. Note that the calculation does not include the impact of a lump-sum election for payments received for prior year's benefits. An overview of the calculation (the detailed worksheet is part of IRS Publication 915) is described below.
  1. Calculate modified total income (MTI): Total Income (without Social Security Benefits) + 50% of your total Social Security benefits + Taxable Social Security income adjustments (Employer-provided Adoption benefits excluded from your income, Foreign earned income or housing excluded from your income, income for bona fide residents of American Samoa (form 4563) or Puerto Rico) + Tax exempt interest.
  2. Calculate modified total adjustments (MTA): Total adjustments minus any amounts for student loan interest deduction, tuition and fees deduction.
  3. Calculate modified adjusted gross income (MAGI): MTI- MTA
  4. If MAGI is less than the 'Base Amount' for your filing status, none of your Social Security benefit is included in your income.
  5. If MAGI is greater than the 'Base Amount' for your filing status, The Taxable Social Security benefit added to your Total Income is the sum of the following two calculations:
    • For each $1 of MAGI over the 'Base Amount' for your filing status $0.50 is Taxable. This total is limited by 1) 50% of your Social Security benefits or 2) 1/2 of the '50% Phaseout' whichever is less.
    • For each $1 of MAGI over the 'Base Amount'+'50% Phaseout' for your filing status $0.85 is Taxable.
  6. Taxable Social Security income is limited to 85% of your Social Security benefits.
Filing Status and Taxable Social Security Benefits
Filing StatusBase Amount50% Phaseout
Married Filing Jointly $32,000 $12,000
Qualified Surviving Spouse $25,000 $9,000
Single $25,000 $9,000
Head of Household $25,000 $9,000
Married Filing Separately* $0 $0
*If you are married and filed separately and lived apart from your spouse for the entire year, you may be able to use the single income thresholds. You may need to contact a tax professional to determine if you qualify.