---
title: Is Your Social Security Taxable? Where Your State and Income Put You
description: "Whether your Social Security benefits are federally taxed —\_and by how much —\_primarily depends on your combined income. State taxes vary."
authors:
  - name: Marc Guberti
    url: https://money.com/author/marc-guberti/
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published: '2026-10-29T15:00:48.000Z'
section: Retirement
word_count: 478
canonical: https://money.com/social-security-benefits-taxable/
type: Article
source: structured-blocks
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![Illustration of the 2021 federal stimulus check from the IRS with cash and social security card](https://img.money.com/2026/10/Explainer-Social-Security-Taxable-Question.jpg)

Social Security can be a significant income source for many people in retirement. But it’s important to understand whether — and how much — taxes will chip away at your benefits.

Your location and income play key roles in determining how much you’ll have to pay, if you even get taxed at all. Here’s how to figure out whether your benefits will be taxed and how to determine which rate to expect.

## How federal taxes are determined

The combined-income formula is the federal test that determines if your benefits are eligible for taxation. It requires adding up your modified adjusted gross income, tax-exempt interest and one-half of your Social Security benefits.

For single filers, if your combined income is below $25,000, you don’t pay federal taxes on your benefits. If you are in the $25,000 to $34,000 range, up to 50% of your benefits may be eligible for taxation. Finally, you may be eligible for up to 85% of your benefits being taxed if your combined income exceeds $34,000.

The math works differently for married couples. If their combined income is under $32,000, none of their benefits are taxed. The $32,000 to $44,000 threshold results in up to 50% of your benefit being taxed, and earning more than $44,000 in combined income results in up to 85% of your benefits being eligible for taxation.

## How state taxes are determined

Most states do not tax benefits, including Washington, D.C. Only [eight states tax benefits](https://money.com/states-that-tax-social-security-benefits/), and most of them have income-based exemptions.

Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont are the only states that tax Social Security, but you may be exempt depending on your age and income.

## What else to know about the taxes on Social Security

While up to 85% of your benefit may be eligible for taxation if you are in the highest threshold, that doesn’t equate to a 85% tax rate. Any amount of your benefit that is eligible for taxation goes through the same tax rates as ordinary income.

Couples and single filers can file Form W-4V to withhold a portion of every Social Security check for taxes. While it results in less income right now, it also prevents an April surprise in the form of a big tax bill.

People who do not withhold any of their benefits over time risk a large tax bill that they may not be able to pay. Anticipating your tax rate and withholding some of your Social Security makes it easier to plan around taxes when April arrives.

And remember, you don’t have to guess how much you’ll owe in taxes on your Social Security benefits. You can put last year’s numbers into the IRS Publication 915 worksheet to see how much you will owe. It offers a valuable snapshot of what you can expect to pay so that you can be better prepared.

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