Can I get a FICA refund for excessive withholding like I can with income tax?

The short answer is unfortunately no, you can't get a refund on FICA taxes just because your taxable income was lower than expected. FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) work differently than income tax. They're calculated on your gross wages regardless of your deductions or credits. Every dollar of wages you earn up to the Social Security wage base limit ($168,600 for 2025) is subject to the 6.2% Social Security tax, and all of your wages are subject to the 1.45% Medicare tax without any income limits. Unlike income tax, which is based on your taxable income after deductions and can be adjusted when you file your return, FICA taxes are determined solely by your earnings. The only time you might get a FICA refund is if your employer incorrectly withheld too much - like if you worked multiple jobs and collectively paid Social Security tax on more than the wage base limit.

I dealt with this same issue last year and found out about taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which really helped me understand my withholding situation. I was getting big refunds too and wondering about FICA, but the site explained that while income tax is based on your final taxable income, FICA taxes are based just on your gross wages regardless of deductions. What I found super helpful was that taxr.ai analyzed all my pay stubs and W-2s and showed me exactly what was being withheld and why. They actually pointed out that I was having too much federal tax withheld throughout the year and helped me adjust my W-4 so I wouldn't keep giving the government an interest-free loan every year. Now I get more money in each paycheck instead of a big refund.

Just wanted to follow up on my skepticism about taxr.ai - I decided to try it out and I've gotta say I'm impressed. I uploaded my W-2s from both states and it immediately identified that I had overpaid in one state due to the move. Also confirmed what others were saying about FICA taxes - they're completely separate from income tax and based just on gross wages. The tool actually found a mistake on one of my W-2s where Box 3 (Social Security wages) included some non-taxable benefits that shouldn't have been there. Saved me around $350 that would have just disappeared otherwise! Definitely worth checking out if you're dealing with tax withholding issues.

For anyone still struggling with tax withholding questions or trying to get answers from the IRS - I highly recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent WEEKS trying to reach someone at the IRS about my FICA withholding situation last year, constantly getting disconnected or waiting on hold for hours. Claimyr basically holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an agent is about to pick up. I was super skeptical at first, but you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I finally got through to an IRS agent who explained that while I couldn't get a refund for normal FICA withholding, there was actually an error in how my employer reported my earnings that I needed to address.

OK I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After seeing these comments, I decided to give it a shot with my amended return issue that's been dragging on for months. Got a call back in about 3 hours with an actual IRS agent on the line who could see my file. Turns out they had processed my amended return but there was a hold on it because of a mismatch with my FICA wages reported. The agent was able to release the hold right there on the phone. Regarding the original post about FICA refunds - the agent confirmed what others have said here, that you can't get FICA refunds based on lower taxable income, but you CAN if there was actual overwithholding due to multiple employers or errors.

Small business owner here. One thing no one has mentioned - if you're self-employed, you actually CAN affect how much FICA tax you pay through business deductions. Self-employed people pay both the employer and employee portions of FICA through self-employment tax (15.3% total instead of just the 7.65% employees see). Business deductions directly reduce your self-employment income, which in turn lowers your self-employment tax (the equivalent of FICA). So while W-2 employees are stuck with FICA based on gross wages, self-employed folks can actually reduce their FICA-equivalent taxes through legitimate business deductions.

Has anyone successfully adjusted their W-4 to have less withheld without ending up owing at tax time? I'm tired of getting these huge refunds every year but I'm scared to mess with my withholding.

This is a great question that I think a lot of people wonder about! To add to what others have said, there's one more scenario where you might see FICA-related adjustments - if you're a minister or work for a church. Religious workers sometimes have unique situations where they can elect out of Social Security coverage or have special withholding arrangements. Also, just wanted to emphasize what Sophie mentioned about the wage base limit. For 2024 (the tax year you're filing for), the Social Security wage base was $160,200. So if you had multiple employers and your total wages exceeded that amount, you definitely want to check if you overpaid Social Security tax. This is pretty common for people who switch jobs mid-year or work multiple high-paying positions. One thing that might help for future years - if you're consistently getting large refunds, it means you're essentially giving the government an interest-free loan all year. You could be putting that extra money into a high-yield savings account or investments instead. The IRS withholding calculator that others mentioned is really helpful for getting your withholding closer to what you'll actually owe.