Confused about Social Security earnings record - does it include Medicare taxes?
I'm trying to figure out if the earnings record that Social Security keeps tracks both the Social Security AND Medicare tax portions, or just the Social Security portion. I was looking at my statement online and the earnings numbers seem higher than I expected. My husband says that the earnings record only reflects what I paid Social Security tax on (up to the annual limit), not including the Medicare portion which has no cap. But my friend insists the earnings record shows our total earnings subject to FICA taxes (both SS and Medicare combined). Does anyone know for sure what exactly is reflected in the Social Security earnings record? This is important for me to understand as I'm trying to calculate my future benefits.
12 comments
Join the conversation
Ellie Lopez
Your husband is correct. The Social Security earnings record shows only the wages that were subject to Social Security tax, up to the annual taxable maximum (which is $168,600 for 2025). It does not include the Medicare portion. The earnings shown on your Social Security Statement are specifically what counts toward your future Social Security benefit calculation. Medicare taxes are tracked separately and don't affect your Social Security benefit amount. If your earnings seem higher than expected, it might be because: 1. You're looking at years where your earnings were below the annual SS tax limit 2. You had multiple employers in a year who each withheld SS taxes 3. There could be an error in your record (which does happen occasionally
0 coins
Lauren Wood
•Thank you so much for clearing that up! I think I was confused because I have two W-2 jobs, and I didn't realize both employers report to Social Security separately. That explains why my earnings look higher than I expected for some years. I thought once I hit the annual limit across both jobs, it would stop counting, but I guess the reporting doesn't work that way?
0 coins
Chad Winthrope
To add to what was already said, if you had earnings above the Social Security wage base limit from multiple employers, you might be eligible for a refund when you file your tax return. The IRS will give you credit for any excess Social Security taxes withheld. But Medicare taxes don't have this adjustment since they apply to all earnings without a cap. You can request a correction to your earnings record if there are mistakes. It's important to check periodically because SSA generally only allows corrections going back 3 years, 3 months, and 15 days from when you discover the error.
0 coins
Paige Cantoni
•wait what? i think i might have overpaid then! i had 2 jobs last year and made about $190k total. both places took out SS taxes on everything. how do i get that money back???
0 coins
Kylo Ren
On your Social Security Statement, there's a section called "Your Earnings Record" that lists your taxed Social Security earnings year by year. Those numbers should ONLY be the portion of your income that was subject to SS tax, not Medicare. Medicare taxed earnings aren't even shown on your statement because they don't affect your future benefits at all.
0 coins
Lauren Wood
•Yes, I'm looking at that section right now! That makes sense. So the earnings listed there are just what was subject to the 6.2% Social Security tax, not the additional 1.45% Medicare tax. No wonder I was confused.
0 coins
Nina Fitzgerald
This is such a confusing system! I spent TWO HOURS on hold with Social Security last month trying to get this exact question answered and they kept transferring me around. I finally got someone who explained that the earnings record is ONLY what you paid Social Security tax on, NOT Medicare. But getting through to them was a NIGHTMARE!
0 coins
Jason Brewer
•If you ever need to reach Social Security again, I had a great experience using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They got me connected to an SSA agent in about 20 minutes when I was dealing with some earnings record discrepancies. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me hours of hold time frustration. I was able to get my earnings record questions answered right away instead of waiting on hold all day.
0 coins
Kiara Fisherman
my dad worked for the railroad and his earnings record was totally different because of some special system they have. something about RRB instead of SSA? anyone know how that works with the earnings record stuff?
0 coins
Ellie Lopez
•Yes, railroad employees are covered under the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) system, which is separate from Social Security. Railroad workers pay Railroad Retirement taxes instead of Social Security taxes. Their earnings records are maintained by the RRB, not SSA. However, if your dad also had non-railroad jobs where he paid into Social Security, those earnings would be on his Social Security record. The two systems do coordinate benefits when someone has worked under both systems.
0 coins
Paige Cantoni
does this mean if i earn over the limit ($168,600 this year i think??) then the extra money doesnt help my future SS payment at all??? that seems really unfair for high earners!
0 coins
Chad Winthrope
•That's correct. Social Security benefits are calculated based only on earnings up to the annual taxable maximum. Earnings above that don't increase your future benefit. This is why Social Security has always been designed as a progressive system - it replaces a higher percentage of pre-retirement income for lower earners than for higher earners. The flip side is that you also don't pay Social Security tax on earnings above that limit. The current maximum monthly benefit for someone retiring at full retirement age in 2025 is approximately $3,875, regardless of how much they earned above the cap during their working years.
0 coins