Why did my FED OASDI/EE and FED MED/EE taxes disappear from my paycheck after changing withholding?

This definitely doesn't sound right. FED OASDI/EE (Social Security) and FED MED/EE (Medicare) are separate from your federal income tax withholding. When you increased your withholding, you were likely only adjusting your federal income tax, not these payroll taxes. For 2025, employees should be paying 6.2% of wages for Social Security (up to the wage base limit) and 1.45% for Medicare (no wage limit). These are mandatory payroll taxes that should be showing up on every paycheck - you can't adjust these by changing your W-4. I'd recommend taking your paystub to your HR or payroll department ASAP. There might be a system error or some other issue that needs to be fixed. Not having these taxes withheld could potentially cause problems later.

I had a similar issue last year and discovered that using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) helped me figure out what was going on with my weird paycheck deductions. I uploaded my paystubs to the system and it actually highlighted the missing FICA taxes right away. The tool basically analyzes all your tax documents and explains everything in simple terms. In my case, it turned out my employer had accidentally miscategorized me as an independent contractor instead of an employee after a payroll system update. Once I had the clear explanation from taxr.ai, I was able to take that info to HR and get it fixed before it caused bigger problems at tax time.

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai after seeing this thread and it was actually really helpful! I uploaded my last three paystubs and it immediately pointed out that my employer had been using the wrong state tax rate (I moved recently). The analysis showed exactly what should have been withheld vs what was actually taken out. The explanation was super clear and I was able to take screenshots directly to my payroll department. They fixed it right away and even adjusted my next check to make up for the difference. Saved me from having a surprise tax bill next year!

If you need to contact the IRS about this issue (which you might if your employer doesn't fix it), use Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I wasted DAYS trying to get through to the IRS about a similar payroll tax problem last year. Their hold times are insane. With Claimyr, I got a callback from the IRS in about 45 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed that FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) should be withheld from every paycheck for employees. They explained that if these taxes aren't being properly withheld, both you and your employer could face issues later. The agent walked me through exactly what information I needed to gather from my employer to resolve the situation.

I take back what I said about Claimyr. After struggling for THREE WEEKS trying to reach someone at the IRS about my employer's payroll tax mistake, I gave in and tried the service. Got a call back from an actual IRS agent in about an hour. The agent confirmed that my employer had classified me incorrectly in their system which is why my FICA taxes weren't showing up correctly. She gave me specific language to use with HR and the exact form my employer needed to correct. Problem solved in a single day after weeks of frustration. Would have saved myself so much stress if I'd just used the service from the beginning instead of being stubborn about it.

Check if your employer might have classified you as an independent contractor instead of an employee by mistake. If that happened, they wouldn't withhold FICA taxes (OASDI/EE and MED/EE) from your paycheck because independent contractors have to pay their own self-employment tax instead. Easy way to check: did your employer have you fill out a W-9 form instead of a W-4? That would indicate they're treating you as a contractor rather than an employee.

Is it possible you hit the paycheck limit for your pay period? Sometimes if your gross pay is above the upper limit or below the lower limit for FICA taxes in your specific pay period, you might not see FICA withheld. When you increased your withholding did your net pay go down significantly? Just trying to understand the full picture.

This is definitely a payroll system error that needs immediate attention. As others have mentioned, FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) are completely separate from federal income tax withholding and should appear on every single paycheck regardless of any W-4 changes you make. The timing is very suspicious - the fact that these taxes disappeared right after you adjusted your withholding suggests your employer's payroll system may have a bug or configuration issue. When you speak with HR/payroll tomorrow, ask them to: 1. Show you exactly what was changed in the system when you requested increased withholding 2. Verify that you're still classified as a W-2 employee (not a contractor) 3. Run a test calculation to show what your FICA taxes should be based on your salary 4. Provide a timeline for when this will be corrected Don't let them brush this off as "it'll work itself out" - missing FICA contributions can create problems with your Social Security earnings record and potentially cause issues at tax time. If they can't fix it immediately, ask for written documentation of the error and their correction plan. You might also want to keep detailed records of this conversation in case you need to escalate or contact the Department of Labor if your employer doesn't resolve it promptly.

As someone who's dealt with payroll issues before, I'd strongly recommend documenting everything before you meet with HR tomorrow. Take photos of both paystubs (the one with FICA taxes and the one without), and write down exactly what you told them when you requested the withholding change. Also, calculate what your FICA taxes should be so you can verify their explanation. For your $47k salary, you should see roughly 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare taken out of each paycheck. If you're paid bi-weekly, that's about $1,808 per paycheck, so you should see around $112 for Social Security and $26 for Medicare. The fact that these taxes were there initially but disappeared after your withholding change is a clear red flag that something went wrong in their system. Don't let them tell you it's normal or will "fix itself" - this needs to be corrected immediately to avoid bigger problems down the road.

This is definitely a payroll system glitch that needs to be fixed immediately. I've seen similar issues where updating W-4 information accidentally triggers changes to other tax settings in the payroll software. Since your first paycheck correctly showed FICA taxes but they disappeared after your withholding adjustment, this points to a data entry error or system bug rather than a classification issue. The good news is that this should be relatively easy for your payroll department to identify and correct. When you meet with HR tomorrow, ask them to pull up your payroll record on their screen and show you the before/after comparison of your tax settings. Most payroll systems keep an audit trail of changes, so they should be able to see exactly what was modified when you requested the increased withholding. Also request that they process a correction for the missing FICA taxes from your second paycheck - you'll want those contributions properly credited to your Social Security and Medicare accounts. Don't accept "we'll just fix it going forward" - the missing contributions need to be made up. If your HR department seems unsure about how to fix this, suggest they contact their payroll software vendor's technical support. This type of error usually has a standard resolution process.

This sounds like a classic payroll system error that happened when they processed your W-4 change. I work in HR and see this occasionally - sometimes when payroll staff manually update withholding amounts, they accidentally modify the wrong fields in the system or override the automatic FICA calculations. The fact that your first check was correct but the second one (after your withholding change) shows $0 for both Social Security and Medicare taxes is a dead giveaway that someone made an input error. These taxes are calculated automatically based on your gross pay and should never be affected by income tax withholding adjustments. When you meet with payroll tomorrow, ask them to show you your employee tax setup screen. Look for any fields that might have been accidentally zeroed out or changed from "automatic" to "manual override." Most payroll systems have a way to reset FICA calculations back to automatic if they were accidentally set to manual. Also ask for a corrected paystub for your second paycheck - you'll want proper documentation that shows the missing FICA taxes were identified and will be collected. This protects you if there are any questions later about your Social Security earnings record. Don't worry too much - this is fixable, but definitely get it resolved ASAP before it affects more paychecks!

I had almost the exact same situation happen to me last year! FICA taxes disappeared from my paystub right after I adjusted my W-4 withholding. It turned out that whoever processed my withholding change in payroll accidentally cleared the wrong fields in their system. What helped me was bringing both paystubs (before and after) to the meeting and asking them to show me exactly what they changed in their system. Once they saw the side-by-side comparison, they realized immediately what had gone wrong and were able to fix it within a day. Make sure to ask for the missing FICA taxes from your affected paycheck to be made up - they should either add it to your next check or process a separate correction. You don't want gaps in your Social Security earnings record. Also, once they fix it, double-check your next few paystubs to make sure the FICA taxes stay consistent. Sometimes these system glitches can be sticky and need multiple corrections before they're fully resolved. Don't stress too much about it - this is definitely their mistake, not yours, and it's something they should be able to fix pretty quickly once they identify what went wrong in their payroll system.

Just wanted to add another perspective - if your HR department seems confused or unsure about how to fix this when you meet with them tomorrow, don't hesitate to escalate to their manager or the finance department. FICA tax errors are serious business and shouldn't be treated as "just a payroll glitch we'll get to eventually." I've seen cases where front-line HR staff didn't fully understand the implications of missing FICA contributions and tried to downplay the urgency. But these taxes fund your future Social Security and Medicare benefits, and gaps in your earnings record can potentially affect your benefit calculations decades from now. If they can't resolve it within a few business days, you might want to contact your state's Department of Labor or file a complaint with the IRS. Employers are legally required to withhold and remit these taxes properly, and there can be penalties for both you and the company if it's not corrected promptly. Also, keep copies of all your documentation (paystubs, emails, meeting notes) in case you need to prove later that you identified and reported the problem immediately. This protects you if there are any questions about whether the missing contributions were employee error vs. employer error. Hope your meeting goes smoothly and they get this sorted out quickly!

This is definitely a payroll system error that needs immediate attention. The fact that FICA taxes showed up correctly on your first paycheck but disappeared after you changed your W-4 withholding strongly suggests someone made an input error when processing your request. FICA taxes (Social Security at 6.2% and Medicare at 1.45%) are completely separate from federal income tax withholding and should never be affected by W-4 changes. These are mandatory payroll taxes that must be withheld from every paycheck regardless of your other tax elections. When you meet with HR/payroll, bring both paystubs for comparison and ask them to: - Show you exactly what was changed in their system when you requested increased withholding - Verify you're still classified as a W-2 employee - Calculate what your FICA taxes should be (roughly $112 for Social Security and $26 for Medicare per bi-weekly check on a $47k salary) - Correct the missing FICA taxes from your second paycheck, not just fix it going forward - Provide written documentation of the error and correction Don't let them dismiss this as something that will "work itself out." Missing FICA contributions can affect your Social Security earnings record and create tax complications. This should be resolved within a few business days at most. If they seem uncertain about how to fix it or don't treat it with appropriate urgency, don't hesitate to escalate to their manager or contact your state Department of Labor. Keep detailed records of all conversations and documentation in case you need them later.

This is definitely not normal and you're right to be concerned! FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) should appear on every single paycheck regardless of any changes you make to your federal income tax withholding on your W-4. The timing here is very telling - the fact that these taxes were correctly withheld on your first paycheck but disappeared right after you increased your withholding strongly suggests a payroll system error or data entry mistake when they processed your W-4 change. Here's what I'd recommend for your meeting with payroll/HR: 1. Bring both paystubs for side-by-side comparison 2. Ask them to show you exactly what was changed in their system when you requested increased withholding 3. Request they calculate what your FICA taxes should be (on a $47k salary, you should see about 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare each pay period) 4. Insist they correct the missing FICA taxes from your affected paycheck, not just fix future ones 5. Get written documentation of the error and their correction plan Don't let them brush this off as "it'll fix itself" - missing FICA contributions can create gaps in your Social Security earnings record and potentially cause tax issues later. This should be resolved within a few business days at most. If they seem uncertain or don't treat this with appropriate urgency, don't hesitate to escalate to their manager. You're absolutely doing the right thing by catching this early and pushing for a quick resolution!

This is a clear payroll system error that needs immediate correction. As everyone else has pointed out, FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) are mandatory payroll deductions that should appear on every paycheck regardless of any W-4 withholding changes you make. The timeline you've described - FICA taxes present on your first check but missing after your withholding adjustment - is a textbook example of a data entry error or system glitch that occurred when payroll processed your W-4 update. When you meet with HR tomorrow, I'd recommend taking a screenshot or photo of this entire thread on your phone. The advice here is spot-on, and having multiple perspectives from people who've dealt with similar issues could be helpful if your HR department seems uncertain about how to proceed. Key things to emphasize: - This is legally required withholding, not optional - The missing contributions need to be made up, not just corrected going forward - You need written documentation of both the error and the correction plan - This should be resolved within days, not weeks You caught this early, which is great. Most people don't pay close attention to their paystubs, so the fact that you noticed the change immediately puts you in a much better position to get it resolved quickly. Don't let anyone make you feel like you're being overly concerned about this - missing FICA taxes is a serious payroll error that requires prompt attention.

This is definitely a payroll system error that needs to be fixed immediately. FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) are completely separate from federal income tax withholding and should never disappear when you adjust your W-4. Since these taxes showed up correctly on your first paycheck but vanished after your withholding change, this screams "data entry error" when someone processed your request. Most likely, whoever updated your withholding accidentally modified the wrong fields in the payroll system. For your meeting tomorrow, bring both paystubs and ask them to show you exactly what changed in their system. On your $47k salary, you should see roughly 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare taken out each pay period. Don't let them just "fix it going forward" - you need the missing FICA taxes from your second paycheck to be corrected too, since those contributions count toward your Social Security earnings record. This should be resolved within a few business days. If they seem uncertain or try to downplay it, don't hesitate to escalate - missing FICA contributions is a serious issue that employers are legally required to handle properly. You did the right thing catching this early!

This is definitely a payroll system error that needs immediate attention! As someone who works in accounting, I can tell you that FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) are calculated automatically based on your gross pay and should never be affected by W-4 withholding changes. The fact that these taxes appeared correctly on your first paycheck but disappeared right after you increased your withholding is a classic sign that someone made a data entry error when processing your W-4 update. They likely accidentally cleared or modified the wrong fields in the payroll system. For tomorrow's meeting, I'd suggest: - Bringing both paystubs to show the before/after comparison - Asking them to walk through exactly what they changed in their system - Requesting they calculate what your FICA should be (about $138 total per paycheck on $47k salary) - Insisting they correct the missing taxes from your second check, not just fix future ones - Getting written confirmation of the error and correction timeline Don't let them dismiss this as "no big deal" - missing FICA contributions can create gaps in your Social Security earnings record that could affect your benefits decades from now. This should be resolved within 2-3 business days maximum. You caught this early, which is excellent! Most people don't scrutinize their paystubs this closely, so you're already ahead of the game in managing your finances properly.

This is absolutely a payroll system error that needs to be fixed ASAP! As others have mentioned, FICA taxes are mandatory and completely separate from your federal income tax withholding. The timing is a dead giveaway - having them show up correctly on your first check but disappear right after your W-4 change means someone definitely made an input error. I'd add one more thing to the excellent advice already given: when you meet with HR tomorrow, ask them to print out a "payroll register" or "earnings statement detail" that shows all the tax calculations for both paychecks. This will give you a line-by-line breakdown of how everything was calculated and make it crystal clear where the error occurred. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions if their explanation doesn't make sense. You're not being difficult - you're protecting your financial future. Missing FICA contributions this early in your career could add up to real money in lost Social Security benefits over time. The fact that you caught this so quickly shows you're already developing good financial awareness habits. Keep being diligent about reviewing your paystubs - it's one of the best ways to catch errors before they become bigger problems!