Do I calculate SS benefit withholding before or after standard tax deduction?

There's actually a misunderstanding here. Social Security doesn't automatically withhold taxes from your benefit payments unless you specifically request it. The standard deduction applies when you file your income tax return, not to what SS withholds from your checks. If you want withholding, you'd file Form W-4V and request either 7%, 10%, 12%, or 22% of your monthly benefit to be withheld for federal taxes. This has nothing to do with standard deductions - those come into play when you actually file your tax return.

They dont take out taxes automatically I learned this last year lol. You gotta ask them to do it with a form or something. Really annoying cause I ended up owing a bunch to the IRS, don't make my mistake!!!

To clarify what others have said: Social Security benefits are potentially taxable depending on your "combined income" (your adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of your Social Security benefits). For individuals, if this total exceeds $25,000, up to 50% of your benefits may be taxable. Above $34,000, up to 85% may be taxable. The standard deduction comes into play when you file your taxes, reducing your taxable income. It doesn't affect the withholding calculation itself. If you choose to have taxes withheld using Form W-4V, you're selecting a flat percentage (7%, 10%, 12%, or 22%) to be withheld from each payment - this withholding is calculated on your gross benefit amount before any deductions. With your benefit amount of $32,500 plus a pension, you'll likely have some portion of your benefits subject to tax. Withholding is optional but can help avoid a surprise tax bill.

Your advisor probably meant that the standard deduction would affect how much tax you actually owe at the end of the year, not how much gets withheld from your SS check each month. Two totally different things!

I've been collecting SS for 3 years now and I just have them withhold 10% from each check. Makes my life SOOO much easier than trying to make quarterly payments or ending up with a big bill in April. The way I look at it, whatever I get back as a refund is just forced savings!

Has anyone here tried reaching SSA to talk to someone about setting up withholding? I called multiple times last month trying to ask questions about this exact topic and kept getting disconnected or stuck on hold for hours. Finally got through using Claimyr (claimyr.com) which let me skip the hold time. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Just FYI since it saved me tons of frustration when I was setting up my tax withholding.

i think ur advisor was probably talking about how when u file taxes the STANDARD DEDUCTION (which is $14,600 for single people in 2025) reduces how much of your social security gets taxed!!!!! but this has NOTHING to do with whats withheld from your monthly checks!!!!

One thing nobody's mentioned - the form W-4V for withholding is super simple. Just one page, check a box for the percentage you want withheld, sign it and send it in. You can even download it from ssa.gov and mail it to your local office. I was overthinking it before I actually saw the form.

Thank you all for the helpful explanations! I think I understand now - I need to file Form W-4V if I want any taxes withheld, and the withholding would be calculated on my full benefit amount. The standard deduction just affects how much I'll actually owe when I file my taxes. I'll probably go with 10% withholding to start and adjust later if needed. This forum has been so much more helpful than my advisor who left me confused!