Social Security

If you own a growing, unincorporated small business, you may be concerned about high self-employment (SE) tax bills. The SE tax is how Social Security and Medicare taxes are collected from self-employed individuals like you. SE tax basics The maximum 15.3% SE tax rate hits the first $168,600 of your 2024 net SE income. The 15.3% rate is comprised of the 12.4% rate for the Social Security tax component plus the 2.9% rate for the Medicare tax component. For 2025, the maximum 15.3% SE tax rate

As we approach 2025, changes are coming to the Social Security wage base. The Social Security Administration recently announced that the wage base for computing Social Security tax will increase to $176,100 for 2025 (up from $168,600 for 2024). Wages and self-employment income above this amount aren’t subject to Social Security tax. If your business has employees, you may need to budget for additional payroll costs, especially if you have many high earners. Social Security basics The

Many Americans receive disability income. Are you one of them, or will you soon be? If so, you may ask: Is the income taxed and if it is, how? It depends on the type of disability benefit and your overall income. The key issue is: Who paid for the benefit? If the income is paid directly to you by your employer, it’s taxable to you just as your ordinary salary would be. (Taxable benefits are also subject to federal income tax withholding. However, depending on the employer’s disability

The Social Security Administration recently announced that the wage base for computing Social Security tax will increase to $168,600 for 2024 (up from $160,200 for 2023). Wages and self-employment income above this threshold aren’t subject to Social Security tax. Basic details The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) imposes two taxes on employers, employees and self-employed workers — one for Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance, which is commonly known as the Social

Are you getting ready to retire? If so, you’ll soon experience changes in your lifestyle and income sources that may have numerous tax implications. Here’s a brief rundown of four tax and financial issues you may contend with when you retire: Taking required minimum distributions. These are the minimum amounts you must withdraw from your retirement accounts. You generally must start taking withdrawals from your IRA, SEP, SIMPLE and other retirement plan accounts when you reach age

If you’ve successfully filed your 2022 tax return with the IRS, you may think you’re done with taxes for another year. But some questions may still crop up about the return. Here are brief answers to three questions that we’re frequently asked at this time of year. When will your refund arrive? The IRS has an online tool that can tell you the status of your refund. Go to irs.gov and click on “Get Your Refund Status.” You’ll need your Social Security number,

Summer is around the corner so you may be thinking about hiring young people at your small business. At the same time, you may have children looking to earn extra spending money. You can save family income and payroll taxes by putting your child on the payroll. It’s a win-win! Here are four tax advantages. 1. Shifting business earnings You can turn some of your high-taxed income into tax-free or low-taxed income by shifting some business earnings to a child as wages for services performed.

Many people are more concerned about their 2022 tax bills right now than they are about their 2023 tax situations. That’s understandable because your 2022 individual tax return is due to be filed in 10 weeks (unless you file an extension). However, it’s a good time to familiarize yourself with tax amounts that may have changed for 2023. Due to inflation, many amounts have been raised more than in past years. Below are some Q&As about tax limits for this year. Note: Not all tax figures

An array of tax-related limits that affect businesses are indexed annually, and due to high inflation, many have increased more than usual for 2023. Here are some that may be important to you and your business. Social Security tax The amount of employees’ earnings that are subject to Social Security tax is capped for 2023 at $160,200 (up from $147,000 for 2022). Deductions  Section 179 expensing: Limit: $1.16 million (up from $1.08 million) Phaseout: $2.89 million