Payroll Tax Calculator
FICA + Medicare tax on wages
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Payroll Tax Calculator is built for FICA + Medicare tax on wages — fast, free, and private. Type Gross Wages ($) into Payroll Tax; each keystroke re-runs the math. Payroll Tax puts the headline number first. Payroll Tax works for one check or many. You can disconnect once Payroll Tax has loaded; the arithmetic runs locally. Payroll Tax sits in the Finance section next to free online payroll tax calculator and payroll tax calculator fica medicare social security. Payroll Tax is designed for real people. Labels stay plain. Start with Payroll Tax; the first number takes seconds.
What the defaults give
$75,000 of wages produces $5,737.50 of payroll tax for the employee: $4,650 Social Security plus $1,087.50 Medicare.
The employer pays the same amount again, so the cost of the wages to the business is $80,737.50.
The formula
Social Security = min(wages, wage base) × 6.2%
Medicare = wages × 1.45%
Total = the two added
Social Security is capped: in 2026 the wage base is $168,600, so anything above it pays nothing toward that part. Medicare has no cap, and the 0.9% additional Medicare tax starts at $200,000 for a single filer — above what this tool’s default reaches, and not included in the total.
Worked examples
$75,000 → $5,737.50
$37,500 → $2,868.75
$150,000 → $11,475.00
Below the wage base the total is a flat 7.65% of wages, which is why halving the salary halves the tax exactly. Above $168,600 the effective rate starts to fall: only the Medicare part continues, so a $250,000 salary pays $10,453.20 plus $3,625 — about 5.6% instead of 7.65%.
Who pays what
The headline 7.65% is the employee half. Employers match it, which is why self-employed people pay 15.3% — both halves — through self-employment tax, with half of it deductible against income tax.
This is separate from federal income tax. A $75,000 salary owes $5,737.50 here plus federal income tax on the same wages, and state tax on top of that. The two together are why a $75,000 offer does not produce $6,250 a month in the bank.
Where the boundary bites
If you change jobs mid-year, each employer withholds Social Security from the first dollar, and the cap is per person rather than per job. Someone who earns $100,000 at one employer and $90,000 at another overpays in the year and recovers it as a credit on the return. The same applies to two part-time roles that together cross the base.
Bonuses, commissions and taxable benefits all count as wages for both parts, so a year-end bonus carries the full 7.65% as well.
Check the result against a payslip rather than a memory. A $75,000 salary paid twice a month shows about $239 of FICA per paycheque before income tax, and the same figure appears on the employer side of a W-2 in box 4 (Social Security) and box 6 (Medicare).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much FICA is taken from a $75,000 salary?
$5,737.50: $4,650 Social Security at 6.2% and $1,087.50 Medicare at 1.45%. The employer pays the same again.
Is there a cap on Social Security tax?
Yes. Only the first $168,600 of wages is taxed in 2026, so $150,000 pays the full 6.2% while $250,000 pays it on the cap only.
Does Medicare have a cap?
No. The 1.45% applies to every dollar, and an extra 0.9% starts at $200,000 of wages for a single filer.
Why do self-employed people pay more?
They pay both halves, 15.3% instead of 7.65%, through self-employment tax. Half of that is deductible for income tax.
Is this the same as income tax?
No. Payroll tax funds Social Security and Medicare and is charged on wages; income tax is charged separately on taxable income after deductions.
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