“Will my Social Security benefits be taxed?” This is one of the questions we hear most often from our clients once they begin receiving Social Security benefits.
There are many factors that determine if your benefits are going to be taxed. It is important to remember that no one pays federal income tax on more than 85% of his or her Social Security benefits based on the IRS rules.
Let’s look at and highlight the most common reasons that these benefits may be taxed:
- Filing a federal tax return as an individual and your combined income (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + 1/2 of your Social Security benefits) is between $25,000 and $34,000, you may have to pay income tax on up to 50% of your benefits. More than $34,000, up to 85% of your benefits may be taxable.
- Filing a joint return when you and your spouse have a combined income that is between $32,000 and $44,000, you may have to pay income tax on up to 50% of your benefits. More than $44,000, up to 85% of your benefits may be taxable.
- Filing a separate return when you are married will probably result in paying taxes on your benefits.
Each year you should receive a Social Security Benefit Statement (Form SSA-1009) showing the amount of benefits you received in the previous year. You can use this benefit statement when you complete your federal income tax return to find out if your benefits are subject to tax. Another resource is Publication 915, published by the IRS annually. It provided worksheets that you can use to determine your taxable income.
While this is not all of the information, it should give you a starting point when considering the taxation of your Social Security benefits. Please feel free to contact us directly to answer any additional questions you may have about the taxation of Social Security benefits.
Remember the IRS filing deadline this year was April 18, 2016!