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The Mandate Monitor

Social Security wage base

Checked November 8, 2026Source: Social Security Administration

Short answer

Employers and employees each pay 6.2% Social Security tax on wages up to the annual wage base, which the Social Security Administration has set at $192,300 for 2027, up from $184,500 in 2026. Medicare tax of 1.45% each applies to all wages with no cap. Employers must also withhold an extra 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax from an employee’s wages above $200,000 in a calendar year, and there is no employer match for it.

Next date: January 1, 2027: Social Security wage base rises to $192,300 for wages paid in 2027.

What changed recently

  1. · Rate announced

    Social Security wage base rises to $192,300 for 2027

    Employers withhold the 6.2% Social Security tax, and pay their matching 6.2%, on each employee’s wages up to $192,300 in 2027, up from $184,500 in 2026. Medicare tax still applies to all wages.

Every change, newest first

The numbers by year

YearTaxRateEmployeeEmployerWage capNote
2027Social Security12.4%6.2%6.2%$192,300Social Security (old-age, survivors and disability insurance): 6.2% from the employee and 6.2% from the employer, 12.4% combined, on wages up to $192,300. Maximum per side: $11,922.60.
2027Medicare2.9%1.45%1.45%n/aMedicare (hospital insurance) on all wages, no cap. Plus 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax withheld from the employee on wages over $200,000; no employer match.
2026Social Security12.4%6.2%6.2%$184,500Social Security: 6.2% from the employee and 6.2% from the employer, 12.4% combined, on wages up to $184,500. Maximum per side: $11,439.
2026Medicare2.9%1.45%1.45%n/aMedicare on all wages, no cap. Plus 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax withheld from the employee on wages over $200,000; no employer match.

Dates

  1. · Federal

    Social Security wage base rises to $192,300 for wages paid in 2027

    The most an employee pays in Social Security tax for the year becomes $11,922.60, and the employer pays the same amount.

Earlier dates (1)
  • January 1, 2026: Social Security wage base rises to $184,500 for wages paid in 2026, up from $176,100 in 2025.

What employers have to do

  1. Stop withholding the employee’s 6.2% Social Security tax, and stop paying your matching 6.2%, once that employee’s wages from you for the year reach the wage base: $184,500 in 2026 and $192,300 in 2027.
  2. Keep withholding and matching the 1.45% Medicare tax on every dollar of wages. Medicare has no wage cap.
  3. Start withholding the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax in the pay period when an employee’s wages from you pass $200,000 for the calendar year, and continue through December. Filing status doesn’t matter, you don’t match it, and you can’t stop because the employee asks.
  4. Update payroll before the first 2027 paycheck. IRS Publication 15 (Circular E) lists the current year’s wage base in its What’s New section.

Questions employers ask

Who has to follow this?

Every employer paying wages subject to Social Security and Medicare tax. The wage base applies per employee, per employer, per calendar year. An employer that buys substantially all of a business and keeps its employees counts the wages the previous owner paid them that year.

All federal employer rules · Deadline calendar

Sources

  1. 26 U.S.C. §§ 3101, 3111 and 3121(a)(1); 42 U.S.C. § 430
  2. Contribution and Benefit Base, 1937–2027 (2027: $192,300; 2026: $184,500; 2025: $176,100), Social Security Administration, Office of the Chief Actuary (read Nov 8, 2026)
  3. 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Fact Sheet: tax rates and maximum taxable earnings for 2026 and 2027, Social Security Administration (read Nov 8, 2026)
  4. COLA 2027: Social Security Announces 3.6 Percent Benefit Increase for 2027 (taxable maximum rises to $192,300), Social Security Administration (read Nov 8, 2026)
  5. Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates (6.2%, 1.45%, 0.9% over $200,000, 2026 wage base), Internal Revenue Service (read Nov 8, 2026)
  6. Questions and answers for the Additional Medicare Tax (employer withholding over $200,000), Internal Revenue Service (read Nov 8, 2026)