Dependency status on the FAFSA is different than dependency status on federal income tax returns. It doesnât matter whether or not your parents claim you as a dependent (exemption) on their federal income tax return. Being a dependent on a tax return doesnât affect your dependency status on the FAFSA. The opposite is also true. Being a dependent on the FAFSA doesnât affect your dependency status on your parentsâ tax return.
Ultimate guide to retirement. Medicare is funded by the Social Security Administration. Which means it's funded by taxpayers: We all pay 1.45% of our earnings into FICA - Federal Insurance Contributions Act, if you're into deciphering acronyms - which go toward Medicare. Employers pay another 1.45%, bringing the total to 2.9%.
The Federal Insurance Contributions Act is the federal law that requires you to withhold two separate taxes from the wages you earn. It includes Social Security Tax and Medicare Tax at a flat percentage rate. The Social Security Tax is 6.2% rate of your wages, and the Medicare Tax is 1.45% of your wages. If you earn more than $200,000, you will also be taxed an additional 0.9% Medicare surtax. Youâre not the only one paying for FICA, however. Your employer is also matching the Social Security Tax of 6.2% and the Medicare tax of 1.45% of your wages. This is extremely important to understand if you are an independent contractor, as you will be responsible for paying on your wages earned, and matching that amount, as you are your own employer.