The two pieces
- Social Security (OASDI): 6.2% employee + 6.2% employer, applied up to the annual wage base — $184,500 for 2026.
- Medicare: 1.45% employee + 1.45% employer on all wages, no cap.
- Additional Medicare surtax: 0.9% employee-only on wages above $200,000 single / $250,000 joint.
How FICA hits special pay
Overtime, bonuses, commissions and reported tips are all FICA wages — no supplemental-rate break, no 2026 deduction. One quirk helps late-year bonus recipients: once year-to-date wages pass the Social Security wage base, the 6.2% SS piece stops, so a December bonus may skip SS tax entirely while still paying Medicare.
Self-employment = both halves
Self-employment tax is FICA's sibling at 12.4% + 2.9%, since the self-employed are both employer and employee. A 7.65% deduction for the employer-equivalent half and the quarterly estimated tax system approximate the paycheck experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't the no-tax-on-overtime rule cover FICA?
The 2026 law creates income tax deductions only. Social Security and Medicare financing is separate statute — changing FICA would require different legislation entirely.
Do I get FICA back in a refund?
Never directly. Employer-side over-withholding of SS beyond two employers' combined wage base can be claimed as a credit; employee FICA on wages is otherwise permanent.