# Tax Rate on Social Security Benefits **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 28, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-rate-on-social-security-benefits/921746 "2020-09-28T14:49:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-rate-on-social-security-benefits/921746/1 "2020-09-28T14:49:44Z")
This will be rather general. Am I missing something? I want to know the _rate_ at which my benefits will be taxed. I see plenty of sites saying what _percentage_ of my rates will be taxed, but not the former. For the sake of argument, let’s say my monthly benefit is 3,000 (I am no where near that, btw) and it is determined that 100% of that is taxable. Where do I find the rate, so that I know how much I will receive _after_ taxes. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-rate-on-social-security-benefits/921746/2 "2020-09-28T14:54:18Z")
I believe the tax rate for Social Security is the same as the tax rate for other normal income. So it will depend on how much income you make in total. Looks like most (all?) states don’t tax SS income, so it’ll just be the federal rate. Here are the [Federal Tax brackets](https://taxfoundation.org/2020-tax-brackets/#brackets) ---
**Author:** ![ThisIsTheEnd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisistheend/32/4713_2.png) [@ThisIsTheEnd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisIsTheEnd)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-rate-on-social-security-benefits/921746/3 "2020-09-28T14:55:09Z")
Whatever portion is taxable just gets lumped in with your other ordinary income (if any) and gets taxed at the same rate, the same rate as if it was wages. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-rate-on-social-security-benefits/921746/4 "2020-09-28T15:11:49Z")
Okay, that gives me a ballpark idea. Guess I won’t be retiring any time soon…☹ Thanks all. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-rate-on-social-security-benefits/921746/5 "2020-09-28T22:37:56Z")
Worst case is that 80% is taxable unless the rules have recently changed. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-rate-on-social-security-benefits/921746/6 "2020-09-28T23:11:09Z")
Thanks for the info. ---
**Author:** ![Vesicant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/43a26b/32.png) [@Vesicant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vesicant)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-rate-on-social-security-benefits/921746/7 "2020-09-29T00:03:15Z")
If you want a ballpark estimate, fill out the IRS Form 703 worksheet using whatever you think your social security payment is going to be, and then do a dummy 1040 using whatever you think all your retirement income sources are going to be. That’s what I did to estimate how much withholding I need for my future IRA RMDs. > **[About Notice 703, Read This To See If Your Social Security Benefits May Be...](https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-notice-703)** > > Complete this worksheet to see if any of your Social Security and/or SSI (supplemental security income) benefits may be taxable. > > Current Revision > > > Notice 703PDF ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-rate-on-social-security-benefits/921746/8 "2020-09-29T04:54:36Z")
What the others said: if your income is _only_ SS, then it’s easy to figure: check your SS benefit level. If you have other sources of income, that bumps you up the tax brackets and gets just as complex as whatever anyone else’s tax situation is. What’s different in retirement is that some of your sources of income may already have tax levied and won’t be taxed again. After-tax money you stuck in a stock fund? Only the profits will be taxed, the rest has already been taxed. PRE-tax money in a 401k? Both the capital and the profits haven’t been taxed yet, so all of it will be taxed _when you withdraw it_. TL;DR: it’s complex. ---
**Author:** ![Snipe70e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Snipe70e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snipe70e)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-rate-on-social-security-benefits/921746/9 "2020-09-29T05:13:37Z")
If you have income over the limit then It is 85%. In the example of a $3000 a month benifit or $36,000 a year. $30,600 would be taxable income and added the adjusted income. If l the tax payer is in the 20% bracket the tax would be .$6120 additional taxes. But if there was no other taxable income then the SS payment would not be taxed. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tax-rate-on-social-security-benefits/921746/10 "2020-09-29T06:28:43Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > What’s different in retirement is that some of your sources of income may already have tax levied and won’t be taxed again. After-tax money you stuck in a stock fund? Only the profits will be taxed, the rest has already been taxed. PRE-tax money in a 401k? Both the capital and the profits haven’t been taxed yet, so all of it will be taxed _when you withdraw it_ . > > TL;DR: it’s complex. Exactly. This is what I do. The thing is, if you have enough options, you can mix getting money from post-tax investments and your 401K to stay in a low bracket. It is even easier now since they have delayed the time when you have to take withdrawals, which gives you more flexibility to just take out what you need. And you can put your withdrawal in a Roth if you desire to. But every case is different. ETA: The higher standard deduction from the new tax law is useful, since retired people are more likely to have fewer deductions and thus get more benefit from it.