FICA
FICA is the payroll tax that funds Social Security and Medicare, split evenly between you and your employer. Your share is 7.65% of wages — 6.2% for Social Security (up to an annual wage cap) and 1.45% for Medicare — and it's withheld from every paycheck separately from income tax.
Self-employed people pay both halves (15.3%) as self-employment tax, though half is deductible. High earners pay an extra 0.9% Medicare surtax above certain thresholds. FICA is why your take-home is lower than income-tax withholding alone would suggest.
Put it to work
Take-Home Pay Calculator
See your actual paycheck after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare, 401(k), health premiums, and state tax — per paycheck and per year (2026 figures).
Salary to Hourly Calculator
Convert an annual salary to hourly, weekly, biweekly, and monthly pay — adjusted for your real hours and weeks worked.