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Determining Taxable Amount. If your base income exceeds the limit for your filing group, you'll have to pay taxes on some of your Social Security benefits. If you're a single filer and your base income is between $25,000 and $34,000, you'll have to pay tax on up to 50 percent of your Social Security benefits.
Image source: Getty Images. Social Security tax is one part of the Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) tax, and it is assessed at a rate of 12.4%. This is split evenly between the employee and employer, and it applies to earned income up to $118,500 for 2016 -- resulting in a maximum Social Security tax of $14,694. The remainder of FICA tax goes to Medicare.