Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA)
📄 Taxes
intermediate

Quick Definition

The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) is a U.S. law that mandates a payroll tax on both employees and employers to fund Social Security and Medicare programs.

Examples

  • 1An employee earning $50,000 annually will have a portion of their salary deducted for FICA taxes, contributing to their future Social Security and Medicare benefits.
  • 2A small business owner calculates FICA taxes for their employees each payroll period to ensure proper contributions to federal programs.
  • 3During tax season, individuals review their FICA contributions on their W-2 forms to understand how much was contributed towards Social Security and Medicare.

Tags

FICApayroll taxSocial SecurityMedicaretax deduction
Quick Info
Category:Taxes
Difficulty:intermediate
Last Updated:6/19/2025