Chicago Cubs beat St. Louis Cardinals 8-6 in NLDS Game 3; Fans celebrate in Wrigleyville.
The amount a person can earn before he has to pay taxes on his social security income depends on how much he grosses. For a single person or a person filing as head as household, the gross amount he can earn before his social security benefits are taxable is $25,000. Married couples have a slightly higher rate. A married couple can earn $32,000 before the couple has to pay taxes on his social security. If he has more than one income, he still has to pay taxes on his base income, provided his base income is above $8000 for an employed person and $600 for a business.
FICA withholding is calculated based upon an established taxation rate. For 2012, the rate of Social Security withholding was 4.2 percent up to a limit of $4,624.20. Medicare withholding was 1.45 percent. The base amount of income taxable for FICA is referred to as the Social Security wage base. For 2012, the base was $110,100, as stated by the Social Security Administration. The increase of average national wages results in an increase of the Social Security wage base.