Estimate the employee FICA (Social Security + Medicare) tax on wages under current federal tax law.
FICA payroll tax under current federal tax law: 6.2% Social Security (capped) + 1.45% Medicare for employees, double those rates if self-employed. The wage base is indexed yearly.
FICA
FICA = SS + Medicare
Approximate — guards and baselines index yearly.
The Social Security wage base (currently ~$168,600) is indexed annually; high earners stop paying SS above it.
Rates are approximate reference values. Local rates, exemptions and rules can differ, so treat the output as a planning figure only.