Skip to content
PayslipIQUSA

FICA (combined SS + Medicare) on your paycheck

Social Security plus Medicare. Combined employee rate 7.65% on most wages.

FICA stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act. It includes Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%). Your employer matches these amounts. FICA is separate from federal income tax.

How it usually appears

Category: mandatory

Tax interaction

  • Reduces federal taxable wages: No
  • Reduces FICA wages: No
  • Reduces state taxable wages: Usually no

Official sources

Related tools

Pay Stub Checker
Walk through every line on your pay stub and flag what to ask payroll.
Paycheck Calculator
Estimate take-home pay from gross wages, W-4 settings, and state.
Salary After Tax
See what an annual salary becomes weekly, biweekly, and monthly.
W-4 Paycheck Guide
Plain-English walkthrough of how a W-4 changes your paycheck.
FICA Explained
Why Social Security and Medicare appear separately on your stub.
Overtime Calculator
Federal FLSA + state daily overtime where it applies.