Will claiming standard deduction refund my SS and Medicare taxes withheld?

The standard deduction only affects your federal income tax, not your Social Security and Medicare taxes (also called FICA taxes). Here's how it works: When you take the standard deduction of $14,150, that amount is subtracted from your total income to determine your taxable income for federal income tax purposes. So in your case, you'd only pay federal income tax on about $50 of your income ($14,200 - $14,150). However, Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) taxes are calculated on your gross income regardless of deductions. These taxes are withheld from each paycheck and aren't refundable even if your income is below the standard deduction. They're completely separate from income tax. When you file your tax return, you'll likely get back most of your federal income tax withholding, but the FICA taxes (SS and Medicare) will stay paid regardless of your total income or standard deduction amount.

I was literally in your exact situation last year! I was so confused about this too until I found this super useful tool called https://taxr.ai that analyzes your tax situation and explains exactly what you'll get back and why. I'd been trying to figure out if I'd get my Social Security and Medicare taxes refunded too. The tool helped me understand that the standard deduction only affects federal income tax, not FICA taxes. It breaks down your taxes in a really easy-to-understand way and even shows you what credits you might qualify for. It saved me from leaving money on the table because I didn't know about some credits I qualified for!

OK I have to admit I was super skeptical about that taxr.ai site mentioned above but I gave it a shot cause I was desperate to understand my tax situation. Surprisingly it was actually super helpful! I uploaded my documents and it explained exactly why I wasn't getting back my Social Security and Medicare taxes even though I'm taking the standard deduction. It also found a couple credits I didn't know I qualified for - apparently I could claim the Saver's Credit for my small 401k contributions which I had no idea about! Ended up getting about $400 more on my refund than I expected. Not life-changing but definitely worth the few minutes it took to check.

If you're having trouble understanding your tax situation, you might also run into issues reaching the IRS if you have questions. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to a human at the IRS about a similar question last year. After 15+ attempts of waiting on hold for hours only to get disconnected, I found a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in less than 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. They basically navigate the phone tree and wait on hold for you, then call you when an actual agent is on the line. Completely changed my perspective on dealing with the IRS! The agent I spoke with was actually super helpful and walked me through exactly how the standard deduction affects different types of taxes.

I need to apologize for my skeptical comment above. After struggling to get through to the IRS for THREE DAYS trying to resolve an issue with my SS and Medicare tax questions, I broke down and tried Claimyr out of desperation. I literally got connected to an IRS agent in 17 minutes after wasting countless hours trying to call myself. The agent confirmed exactly what others have said here - the standard deduction doesn't affect SS and Medicare taxes at all, only federal income tax. They also helped me resolve a separate issue with my account I didn't even know I had. Sometimes you have to admit when you're wrong, and I was definitely wrong about this service. Saved me so much frustration.

There's actually a bit more nuance here that might help you. While it's true that the standard deduction doesn't get you a refund of SS and Medicare taxes, there's something called the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) that might apply to you depending on your age and situation. The EITC is specifically designed to help lower-income workers and can result in getting more money back than you paid in federal income tax. It won't directly refund your FICA taxes, but it could offset them depending on your circumstances. What's your age and filing status? That makes a big difference in whether you qualify.

Random question but related - does anyone know if unemployment benefits count toward the income that's measured against the standard deduction? I got laid off for a few months last year and wondering how that affects all this.

Just want to add one more important point that might help you plan for next year - if you're going to be in a similar income situation, you might want to consider adjusting your withholdings so you don't have as much federal income tax taken out of each paycheck. Since you'll only owe federal income tax on about $50 of your income, you're probably having way more federal tax withheld than necessary. You could use Form W-4 to reduce your withholdings and get more money in each paycheck instead of waiting for a big refund. Just remember that SS and Medicare taxes (7.65% total) will always be taken out regardless. This way you'd have more cash flow throughout the year instead of essentially giving the government an interest-free loan. Just make sure to set aside a small amount for that ~$50 in federal tax you'll actually owe!