FICA Tax Calculator
Total both halves of FICA and compare them with self-employment tax — including why SECA costs less than double the employee share, and what an S-corp split really saves.
FICA Tax Calculator
Results recalculate instantly on every keystroke. Nothing you type is transmitted.
What this result does not account for
- Excludes FUTA, SUTA, workers compensation and benefit loading — employer costs beyond FICA.
- Cannot judge whether an S-corp salary is defensible as reasonable compensation.
- Assumes a single employer; multiple jobs each apply the Social Security cap separately.
- Pre-tax deductions do not reduce FICA wages and are not modelled as if they did.
In short: On $85,000 of wages the employee pays $6,502.50 of FICA at 7.65% and the employer pays an identical $6,502.50, so employing you costs $91,502.50. A self-employed person earning the same profit pays $12,010.12 — $994.88 less than both halves, because SECA is charged on only 92.35% of net earnings.
Formula
Self-employment tax is not simply double the employee share. The 92.35% adjustment exists because an employer can deduct its half as a business expense, and the self-employed are given the equivalent relief before the rate is applied.
Worked Example
- Split FICA into its two components. Social Security at 6.2% on the first $184,500 gives $5,270.00 on an $85,000 salary. Medicare at 1.45% on everything gives $1,232.50.
- Total the employee share. $6,502.50, exactly 7.65% of pay. Below the wage base FICA is perfectly flat — the same percentage at $20,000 as at $180,000.
- Add the employer's identical share. Another $6,502.50, so $13,005.00 enters the system. Your true cost of employment is $91,502.50, a multiplier of 1.0765 before any benefits.
- Compare with self-employment. SECA charges 15.3% on 92.35% of $85,000, which is $78,497.50, giving $12,010.12 — $994.88 less than both FICA halves. The effective rate is 14.13%, not 15.30%.
- Apply the deductible half. $6,005.06 is deductible above the line, worth $1,321.11 at a 22% marginal rate, bringing the net cost to $10,689.00.
The S-corp comparison is the one to treat carefully. Paying a $50,000 salary and taking $35,000 as a distribution costs $7,650.00 of FICA against $12,010.12 of SECA — a $4,360.12 saving, 36.30% lower. That is real, but it depends entirely on the salary being defensible as reasonable compensation. The IRS litigates understated S-corp salaries frequently, and losing means back tax, interest and penalties.
Strengths & Limits Of This Model
Where this engine is strong
- Applies the 92.35% adjustment correctly, which is why SECA is not simply double FICA.
- Shows the employer share and true cost of employment, not just the payslip deduction.
- Values the deductible half at your actual marginal rate rather than quoting it gross.
Where it stops
- The S-corp figure is an upper bound; payroll costs and a separate return reduce it.
- Does not model state payroll taxes, which vary widely and can be significant.
- Treats profit as fully subject to SECA; some partnership and rental income is not.
Practical Use Cases
Understanding your true cost to an employer
Your salary understates it by 7.65% before benefits. When negotiating, the employer is looking at $91,502.50, not $85,000.
Deciding between contract and employment
A contract rate must clear the employer FICA you now carry yourself. Compare the whole position with the Self Employment Tax Calculator.
Evaluating an S-corp election
Model the split, then subtract payroll administration and a separate return. Below roughly $60,000 of profit the compliance cost usually eats the saving.
Budgeting quarterly estimates as a freelancer
SECA is due alongside income tax. Size the payments with the Quarterly Tax Calculator.
Methodology & Editorial Standards
FICA comprises two separate taxes. Social Security is 6.2% on employee and employer each, applied to wages up to the 2026 base of $184,500. Medicare is 1.45% on each side with no cap, plus an employee-only Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% above $200,000 single, $250,000 married filing jointly or $125,000 married filing separately. The combined employee rate is therefore 7.65% below the wage base. Self-employed individuals pay under SECA rather than FICA, at a combined 15.3% applied to 92.35% of net earnings. That adjustment, defined in IRC 1402(a), exists because an employer deducts its share as a business expense, and it means SECA is materially less than twice the employee FICA figure. Half of SECA is deductible above the line under IRC 164(f), which reduces income tax but not the self-employment tax itself. The S-corporation comparison models FICA on a stated salary only, with distributions outside FICA; this is a legitimate structure but requires reasonable compensation for services actually performed, and the engine cannot judge what is reasonable for your role, industry and hours. Federal and state unemployment taxes, workers compensation and benefit loading are employer costs outside FICA and are not included here. The engine implements the standard published formula for this calculation. Inputs are validated for domain and sign before evaluation, and any undefined case returns an em-dash rather than a spurious value.
Computation runs in IEEE-754 double precision at full internal precision; rounding to two decimal places occurs strictly at the display layer, so no cumulative drift enters the result. All monetary outputs use accounting presentation — grouped thousands, two decimals, negatives in parentheses — so figures can be transcribed directly into a model or working paper. Division-by-zero and out-of-domain inputs return an em-dash rather than a misleading number.
This engine was reconciled against an independent reference implementation and hand-verified for the worked example above before release. Our full five-stage review process is published on the About Us page.
Disclaimer. This calculator is provided for informational and modelling purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, medical, or engineering advice. Verify all figures with a qualified professional before acting on them.
FICA Tax Calculator — 20 Expert FAQs
20 analyst-written answers to the questions practitioners actually ask — optimised for voice and answer-engine retrieval.
What is the FICA rate for 2026?
7.65% for the employee — 6.2% Social Security on the first $184,500 plus 1.45% Medicare on everything — and the employer pays the same again.
Why is self-employment tax not just double FICA?
Because SECA applies to 92.35% of net earnings rather than 100%. On $85,000 that saves $994.88 against both FICA halves, giving an effective 14.13%.
What does the 92.35% adjustment represent?
It mirrors the deduction an employer takes for its half of FICA. The self-employed get the equivalent relief by reducing the base before the rate applies.
Can I deduct self-employment tax?
Half of it, above the line under IRC 164(f). At a 22% marginal rate that half is worth $1,321.11 on $85,000 of profit, but it does not reduce the SECA itself.
What does an employee really cost?
Salary plus 7.65% of employer FICA at minimum — $91,502.50 on an $85,000 salary — before unemployment tax, workers compensation and benefits.
How much does an S-corp election save?
On $85,000 of profit with a $50,000 salary, $4,360.12 or 36.30%. But the salary must be reasonable compensation, and payroll compliance costs reduce the net benefit.
When is an S-corp worth it?
Generally above $60,000 to $80,000 of net profit, where the FICA saving exceeds payroll administration, a separate return and any state entity fees.
Is FICA flat?
Below $184,500, yes — exactly 7.65% at every income level. Above the wage base the effective rate falls, reaching 5.56% at $300,000.
Do pre-tax deductions reduce FICA?
401(k) contributions do not. Section 125 cafeteria plan benefits such as health premiums and FSA contributions generally do reduce FICA wages.
What is the difference between FICA and SECA?
FICA splits the tax between employer and employee; SECA charges both halves to the self-employed on an adjusted base. The destination is the same two trust funds.
Do I pay FICA on distributions from my S-corp?
No, only on the salary you pay yourself. That is precisely why the salary must be defensible — the incentive to understate it is obvious to the IRS.
Does FICA apply to bonuses?
Yes. Bonuses are wages for FICA purposes, subject to the same cap on the Social Security portion and no cap on Medicare.
What about the 0.9% surtax?
It applies to the employee only, above $200,000 single or $250,000 jointly, and the employer never matches it. It is included in the employee figure here.
Do partners pay FICA or SECA?
General partners pay SECA on their distributive share. Limited partners are generally exempt on their share, though guaranteed payments for services are not.
Is FUTA part of FICA?
No. Federal unemployment tax is a separate employer-only levy, as is state unemployment tax. Neither is included in the FICA figures here.
Is this fica tax calculator free to use?
Yes. It is free, requires no account, and has no usage limits. ApexConverter is funded by contextual advertising, never by selling user data.
Is my data sent to a server?
No. The engine runs as Vanilla JavaScript inside your browser under our Zero-Server Client-Side Execution model. Your figures are computed locally and are never transmitted, logged, or stored.
How accurate is this calculator?
It applies the standard closed-form formula in IEEE-754 double precision, rounding only at the display layer. The engine is reconciled against an independent reference implementation before release.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The interface is mobile-first with numeric keypad hints and is tested down to a 320-pixel viewport with no horizontal scrolling.
Can I use it offline?
Largely, yes. Because computation is client-side, the page continues to calculate without a network connection once it has loaded.