what you need to know about social security benefits and taxes

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When it comes to social security benefits and taxes, there are a few key things you should know. First, the amount of money you receive in social security benefits is based on your earnings over your working life. This means that if you have worked for many years and earned a higher salary, then you will likely receive more in social security benefits than someone who has not worked as long or earned less.

Second, when it comes to taxes, the amount of tax you pay on your social security benefits depends on how much income you have from other sources such as wages or investments. If your total income is above a certain threshold (which varies depending on filing status), then up to 85% of your Social Security benefit may be subject to federal income tax. It's important to note that this does not mean that all of your Social Security benefit will be taxed; only the portion above the threshold will be taxed at ordinary income rates.

Thirdly, if you are married and both spouses receive Social Security benefits, then each spouse must report half of their combined benefit as taxable income regardless of whether they file jointly or separately. This means that even if one spouse earns significantly more than the other spouse in terms of Social Security benefits, they must still report half their combined benefit as taxable income when filing taxes together or separately.

Finally – though this isn't related directly to taxes – it's important to remember that once you reach full retirement age (currently 66 for those born between 1943-1954) any earnings from work can reduce or eliminate some or all of your Social Security payments until full retirement age is reached again after 12 months without earning any additional wages from work outside self-employment activities like consulting services etc.. So while working after reaching full retirement age won't affect how much tax is paid on Social Security Benefits directly; it could potentially reduce them overall due to these rules about earnings reducing payments until full retirement age is reached again after 12 months without earning any additional wages from work outside self-employment activities like consulting services etc.
 
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