How to check if Social Security withholds taxes from monthly benefits?

Social Security doesn't automatically withhold taxes unless you specifically requested it by filing Form W-4V. If you look at your benefit verification letter in your MySocialSecurity account, it will show your gross benefit amount. If you're seeing exactly $2,238 deposited, then no taxes are being withheld. About 40% of beneficiaries end up owing taxes on their benefits, especially if you have other income like your part-time job.

You need to look at your benefit verification letter in your MySocialSecurity account. Log in, click on "Benefits & Payments" then "Benefit Verification Letter." This document will show your gross benefit and any deductions, including tax withholding. Since you're working part-time, you likely will owe taxes on up to 85% of your Social Security benefits depending on your combined income. You can request tax withholding by completing Form W-4V and selecting 7%, 10%, 12%, or 22% withholding rate.

My mom had the same issue last year!!! She didn't withhold and got hit with a HUGE tax bill. Her and dad almost couldn't pay it. Social security doesn't make this clear AT ALL when you sign up. It's so frustrating!!

just call them and ask they can tell you right away. but goodluck getting through to them lol

If you're working part-time making $18k plus getting $26,856/yr in SS benefits, you'll almost certainly owe taxes. For individuals, if your combined income (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of SS benefits) exceeds $25,000, up to 50% of benefits are taxable. Above $34,000, up to 85% becomes taxable. With your numbers, you're around $44,000 combined income, so withholding is a good idea. I'd suggest filing that W-4V form for 10% withholding to start.

When I first started collecting in 2024, I was SHOCKED at how difficult it was to reach someone at Social Security to answer these exact questions! After getting disconnected 5 times and waiting on hold for hours, I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me through to a real agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent was able to set up my tax withholding right over the phone and explain exactly how it would appear on my statements. Saved me a ton of headache!

my neighbor said he just sets aside 15% of his SS check each month in a separate savings account for taxes. been doing it for 5 years and says it works better than withholding because sometimes the government takes too much or too little.

anyone else notice how the SS website is ALWAYS down for maintenance when you actually need to use it? so frustrating!!

To directly answer your question about checking - if you get a Form SSA-1099 in January/February, it will show in Box 3 if any federal taxes were withheld during the previous year. Since 2025 just started, you won't have this form yet for your benefits. Going forward, the easiest way to verify withholding is to check your bank deposits against your gross benefit amount. A difference (besides Medicare premiums) would indicate tax withholding.

Good decision on the W-4V form! Just wanted to add that you can also monitor your withholding throughout the year by checking your monthly bank statements. Once the withholding starts, you'll see a smaller deposit amount, and the difference will be your tax withholding. Also, keep in mind that if your part-time income changes significantly during the year, you might want to adjust your withholding percentage accordingly. The SSA allows you to change or stop withholding at any time by submitting a new W-4V form.

As someone who just went through this process myself, I can confirm that checking your MySocialSecurity account is the best first step. Look for the "Benefit Verification Letter" under the Benefits section - it will clearly show if any taxes are being withheld. If your bank deposits match the gross amount shown on that letter (minus Medicare premiums), then no taxes are being taken out. Given your income situation ($18k part-time + $26k+ in SS benefits), you'll likely owe taxes on a significant portion of your benefits. I'd recommend filing the W-4V form sooner rather than later to avoid a large tax bill next year. The 10% withholding rate that others mentioned is a good starting point for your income level.

Welcome to the Social Security community! I see you're getting great advice here. Just wanted to add that once you submit your W-4V form, you should receive a confirmation letter from SSA within a few weeks confirming your tax withholding election. Keep this letter for your records as it shows exactly what percentage you requested and when it should start. Also, don't forget that your state might also tax Social Security benefits depending on where you live - the federal withholding won't cover state taxes if applicable. Most people find that the 10% federal withholding rate works well for situations like yours, but you can always adjust it later if needed. Good luck navigating your first year of benefits!

Great news about Pennsylvania - we're one of the states that doesn't tax Social Security benefits at all! So you only need to worry about federal taxes with your W-4V form. I've been getting SS benefits here in PA for about 3 years now and it definitely makes tax planning simpler. Just make sure when you're calculating your combined income for federal tax purposes, you're using that formula someone mentioned earlier (AGI + nontaxable interest + half of SS benefits). With your part-time income of $18k and SS benefits around $27k annually, you're definitely in the range where federal withholding makes sense. The 10% rate should work well for you!

I'm in a very similar situation - just started receiving my benefits a couple months ago and was completely confused about the tax implications! After reading through all these helpful responses, I want to echo what others have said about filing that W-4V form. I procrastinated on it for weeks thinking I could just save money on my own, but honestly having automatic withholding gives me so much peace of mind. The MySocialSecurity portal can be frustrating to navigate at first, but once you find that Benefit Verification Letter section, it becomes your go-to resource. For anyone else new to this - don't wait like I did. The stories about people getting hit with surprise tax bills are real, and it's so much easier to handle this proactively. Welcome to the club, and thanks to everyone sharing their experiences here!

Just wanted to add one more helpful resource for anyone struggling with this - if you need to estimate how much of your Social Security benefits will be taxable, the IRS has a worksheet in Publication 915 that walks you through the calculation step by step. It's really helpful for figuring out if 10% withholding will be enough or if you might need to go higher. You can also use tax software or online calculators to get a rough estimate before you submit your W-4V form. I wish I had known about this when I first started getting benefits - would have saved me a lot of guesswork! The key is knowing your "provisional income" which is what determines how much of your SS benefits become taxable.

As someone new to this community, I wanted to share a quick tip that helped me understand my Social Security tax situation better. After reading through all these excellent responses, I realized I should mention that you can also use the Social Security Administration's online benefit calculators to estimate your annual benefits and then plug those numbers into tax planning tools. This helped me understand exactly why the 10% withholding rate makes sense for someone with additional income like yours. Also, if you're tech-savvy, there are several free online Social Security tax calculators that can show you different scenarios - really helpful for planning purposes. The key thing I learned is that it's much better to slightly over-withhold and get a refund than to owe money at tax time, especially when you're on a fixed income. Welcome to the community!

As a new community member who's been following this discussion, I want to thank everyone for such detailed and helpful responses! I'm actually in a very similar situation to the original poster - just started receiving benefits and working part-time, but I'm in a different state so the tax implications might vary. This thread has been incredibly educational about the importance of proactive tax planning with Social Security benefits. The step-by-step guidance about checking the Benefit Verification Letter, understanding provisional income calculations, and the practical advice about W-4V withholding rates has been invaluable. It's clear that this community really looks out for newcomers and shares real-world experiences that you just can't find in official government publications. I'll definitely be bookmarking this discussion as a reference and will be sure to contribute my own experiences as I learn more about navigating the Social Security system!