Social Security benefit statements for tax planning - where to find Medicare and tax withholding breakdowns?
I started receiving Social Security retirement benefits in April, and I'm trying to get organized for next year's taxes. Does SSA mail out any kind of monthly statements showing payment breakdowns? I need to see exactly how much is going to Medicare premiums and tax withholdings each month. I've looked through my MySocialSecurity account but can't find anything that shows these details clearly. My tax advisor wants me to estimate our tax liability before December, and I need documentation showing the exact amounts. Has anyone found a way to get these statements either by mail or online? Any help would be appreciated!
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Heather Tyson
They dont send monthly statements. You'll get a SSA-1099 form in January showing your total benefits for the year. Thats what you need for taxes.
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Paloma Clark
•Thanks for the quick reply. So there's no way to get a breakdown before January? I really need to see those numbers now for tax planning purposes, not after the year ends.
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Raul Neal
You can actually get all the information you need through your MySocialSecurity account. Log in and look for 'Benefits & Payments' section. It shows your payment history with deductions for Medicare and tax withholding. You can even download a benefit verification letter that shows your current benefit amount. For detailed tax planning, look at your payment details for each month - it should show gross amount, Medicare premium, tax withholding, and net payment.
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Paloma Clark
•I must be missing something then. When I go to Benefits & Payments, I only see the total deposit amount. I don't see any breakdown showing Medicare premiums or tax withholdings. Is there a specific tab or link I need to click?
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Jenna Sloan
my husband and i had same problem!! we called the SSA about this last month and they said we have to wait for the SSA-1099 in January. so frustrating!!!
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Christian Burns
•You actually don't need to wait until January. The information is available online, but it can be a bit tricky to find. In your MySocialSecurity account, go to the 'Message Center' and request a 'Benefit Verification Letter.' This letter will show your current benefit amount, Medicare premiums, and any tax withholdings. Another option is to check your bank statements against the gross benefit amount to calculate the deductions. Your Medicare premium should be the same each month unless you have an IRMAA adjustment.
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Sasha Reese
I know what ur looking for. If u click on monthly benefit amount in ur account, it should show the breakdown with Medicare Part B premium and any tax withholding. At least mine does. Hope that helps!
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Paloma Clark
•Found it! You were right - I had to click on the actual payment amount to see the details. Thank you so much!
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Muhammad Hobbs
If you're having trouble viewing this information online, you can also call SSA directly at 1-800-772-1213. However, be prepared for extremely long wait times - sometimes 2+ hours. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to a live SSA agent quickly. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. I used it last month when I needed immediate access to my benefit information for a mortgage application and couldn't wait. Saved me hours of frustration.
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Noland Curtis
•I tried calling the SSA 3 times last week and got disconnected EVERY TIME after waiting over an hour!!! So irritating. Has anyone else actually used this Claimyr thing? Does it actually work or is it just another scam?
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Muhammad Hobbs
•It's definitely not a scam. I was skeptical too but it worked exactly as advertised. Got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of the 2+ hours I spent on my previous attempts. The agent was able to email me a benefit verification letter right away with all the details I needed.
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Christian Burns
Tax planner here. You have several options: 1. MySocialSecurity account - under payment details (click on the actual payment amount as others mentioned) 2. Bank statements - compare deposits to your gross benefit amount 3. Call SSA for a benefit verification letter 4. Request a PEBES (Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement) For tax planning purposes, what you need is: - Gross monthly benefit amount - Medicare Part B premium (standard is $187.50/month in 2025, but may be higher with IRMAA) - Any voluntary tax withholding Remember that up to 85% of your SS benefits may be taxable depending on your combined income. Use Publication 915 or the worksheet in your 1040 instructions to calculate this properly.
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Paloma Clark
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I found the payment details by clicking on the amounts as suggested. You're right - I can see everything I need there. Our tax planner wanted these figures because we're trying to decide whether to convert some traditional IRA money to Roth before year-end, and we needed to know exactly how it would affect the taxation of our Social Security benefits.
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Heather Tyson
Just remember SSA doesn't actually send ANYTHING monthly. They aren't like a utility company sending statements. Online is the way to go now. My parents still get confused about this too
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Paloma Clark
Thank you everyone for your help! I found what I needed by clicking on the actual payment amount in my MySocialSecurity account as several of you suggested. I can now see the breakdown showing my Medicare premium and tax withholding for each month. This will be perfect for our tax planning. I appreciate all the quick responses!
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