2027 Social Security wage base: the Trustees project $190,200, up from $184,500 in 2026; SSA sets the final figure in October
The Social Security wage base for 2027 has not been announced yet. As of October 12, 2026, the base in force is $184,500 for wages paid in 2026. The Social Security Trustees' 2026 report projects $190,200 for 2027 under its intermediate assumptions, with $189,900 and $190,500 under its other two sets of assumptions. The Social Security Administration (SSA) sets the final figure from the 2025 national average wage index, which it publishes in October together with the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). We will update this page when SSA publishes it.
- 2026 wage base (in force)
- $184,500
- 2027 wage base, Trustees' projection
- $190,200 (range $189,900 to $190,500)
- 2027 status
- Not announced; SSA publishes it with the 2027 COLA
- Social Security tax rate
- 6.2% employee + 6.2% employer; 12.4% self-employed
- Maximum employee tax, 2026
- $11,439.00 (employer pays the same)
- Maximum employee tax at $190,200
- $11,792.40 (up $353.40)
- Medicare tax
- 1.45% each, no wage base; 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax withheld on wages over $200,000
- BLS September CPI release
- October 14, 2026, 8:30 a.m. ET
Figures above were read from SSA's contribution and benefit base page, the Federal Register notice of November 3, 2025, the 2026 Trustees Report (Table V.C1), IRS Publication 15 (2026) and the BLS release schedule on 2026-10-12. Tax amounts at $190,200 are our arithmetic on the projection. See sources.
What the Trustees project for 2027
The 2026 Trustees Report gives a projected contribution and benefit base (the wage base) for each year under three sets of assumptions. The three 2027 figures are only $600 apart, because the 2025 wage data that decides the 2027 base was mostly in when the report was written.
| Assumptions | 2025 average wage index (estimate) | 2027 wage base | Change from 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-cost | $71,915.14 | $189,900 | +$5,400 |
| Intermediate | $72,025.07 | $190,200 | +$5,700 |
| High-cost | $72,072.27 | $190,500 | +$6,000 |
How SSA sets the 2027 number
The formula is in section 230(b) of the Social Security Act, and SSA shows the arithmetic every year in its Federal Register notice. For 2026, SSA multiplied the 1994 base of $60,600 by the ratio of the 2024 national average wage index ($69,846.57) to the 1992 index ($22,935.42). That produced $184,548.71, which it rounded to $184,500. The notice states the rounding rule: "If the resulting amount is not a multiple of $300, we round it to the nearest multiple of $300." The new base is used only if it is larger than the current one.
For 2027 the same formula uses the 2025 national average wage index, which SSA has not yet published. One more rule can stop the increase: the Trustees Report notes that "The Social Security Act defers any increase in the contribution and benefit base if there is no cost-of-living adjustment effective for December of the preceding year." The Trustees project a 2.7% COLA for December 2026 under the intermediate assumptions, so a freeze is not projected.
Because the formula is fixed, the 2025 wage index alone decides the 2027 base. The table below shows which index produces which base.
| 2027 wage base | 2025 wage index from | to (below) |
|---|---|---|
| $189,600 | $71,701.57 | $71,815.11 |
| $189,900 | $71,815.11 | $71,928.66 |
| $190,200 | $71,928.66 | $72,042.20 |
| $190,500 | $72,042.20 | $72,155.74 |
| $190,800 | $72,155.74 | $72,269.28 |
The wage base since 2017
| Year | Wage base | Change | Employee max (6.2%) | Self-employed max (12.4%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $127,200 | +7.3% | $7,886.40 | $15,772.80 |
| 2018 | $128,400 | +0.9% | $7,960.80 | $15,921.60 |
| 2019 | $132,900 | +3.5% | $8,239.80 | $16,479.60 |
| 2020 | $137,700 | +3.6% | $8,537.40 | $17,074.80 |
| 2021 | $142,800 | +3.7% | $8,853.60 | $17,707.20 |
| 2022 | $147,000 | +2.9% | $9,114.00 | $18,228.00 |
| 2023 | $160,200 | +9.0% | $9,932.40 | $19,864.80 |
| 2024 | $168,600 | +5.2% | $10,453.20 | $20,906.40 |
| 2025 | $176,100 | +4.4% | $10,918.20 | $21,836.40 |
| 2026 | $184,500 | +4.8% | $11,439.00 | $22,878.00 |
| 2027 (projected) | $190,200 | +3.1% | $11,792.40 | $23,584.80 |
The base did not rise in 2010 and 2011 (both $106,800, the same as 2009) or in 2016 ($118,500, the same as 2015). SSA's COLA history lists 0.0% for January 2010, January 2011 and January 2016.
What the wage base does in payroll
IRS Publication 15 (2026) tells employers to "Stop collecting the employee share of social security tax when their wages and tips for tax year 2026 reach $184,500". The employer's 6.2% share also stops at the same point. Medicare tax has no wage base: the 1.45% employee and employer shares apply to all covered wages for the whole year.
A separate threshold applies to the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax. The employer must begin withholding it in the pay period in which an employee's wages for the year go over $200,000, and continue to the end of the calendar year. There is no employer share of Additional Medicare Tax.
| Pay periods | Wages to date | Social Security per period | Medicare per period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 18 | $10,000 to $180,000 | $620.00 | $145.00 |
| 19 | $190,000 | $279.00 | $145.00 |
| 20 | $200,000 | $0 | $145.00 |
| 21 to 24 | $210,000 to $240,000 | $0 | $235.00 |
With a 2027 base of $190,200, the same employee would pay Social Security tax on $5,700 more wages, which is $353.40 more for the employee and $353.40 more for the employer.
More than one employer, and acquired businesses
Each employer applies the wage base on its own, so an employee who works for two unrelated employers in the same year can have Social Security tax withheld on more than the base. IRS Topic 608 says such an employee may be able to claim the excess as a credit against income tax on the individual return. Employers keep withholding normally; the correction happens on the employee's return.
The exception is a successor employer. Publication 15 says that when corporate acquisitions meet certain requirements, wages paid by the predecessor are treated as paid by the successor for applying the Social Security wage base and the $200,000 Additional Medicare Tax withholding threshold. The IRS points to Schedule D (Form 941), Regulations section 31.3121(a)(1)-1(b) and Revenue Procedure 2004-53 for the details.
Self-employed owners
For self-employment income, the Social Security part of self-employment tax is 12.4% (SSA), up to the same base. The Schedule SE instructions for 2025 state that the maximum amount of self-employment income subject to Social Security tax was $176,100 for 2025, the base for that year. Wages that were already subject to Social Security tax count first: the IRS self-employment tax page explains that when wages and tips reach the base, no 12.4% Social Security part is due on any self-employment earnings, while the 2.9% Medicare part still applies. When we read it on 2026-10-12, that page still used the 2024 base of $168,600 in its example.
For other payroll limits that reset each year, see the 2027 state unemployment (SUI) taxable wage bases by state and the FUTA credit reduction states for 2026.
What we could not confirm
- The official 2027 wage base. SSA had not published it on 2026-10-12. We checked SSA's contribution and benefit base page and its COLA page, which still showed the 2026 figures.
- The date SSA will announce it. SSA's COLA page did not give a date. The COLA is tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), and BLS schedules the September 2026 CPI for October 14, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. ET. Last year SSA announced the 2026 figures on Friday, October 24, 2025.
- The 2025 national average wage index. SSA publishes it with the new base; the figures in the tables above are the Trustees' estimates.
Questions
What is the 2027 Social Security wage base?
What is the 2026 Social Security wage limit?
What is the maximum Social Security tax in 2026?
Is there a wage cap for Medicare tax?
What if an employee had two employers and paid too much?
Sources
- Bases 1937-2026, rates and the 2026 maximum tax - SSA Office of the Chief Actuary: Contribution and Benefit Base, read 2026-10-12
- COLA history (0.0% years) - SSA: Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information, read 2026-10-12
- 2026 announcement - SSA press release, October 24, 2025, read 2026-10-12
- 2026 computation and rounding rule - Federal Register: Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2026 (November 3, 2025), read 2026-10-12
- 2027 projections, Table V.C1 - The 2026 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the OASI and DI Trust Funds (House Document 119-163), read 2026-10-12
- September 2026 CPI release date - BLS: Schedule of Releases for the Consumer Price Index, read 2026-10-12
- Withholding rules, successor employers - IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide, read 2026-10-12
- Rates and Medicare - IRS Topic no. 751, read 2026-10-12
- Excess Social Security tax - IRS Topic no. 608, read 2026-10-12
- Additional Medicare Tax - IRS Topic no. 560, read 2026-10-12
- Self-employment tax - IRS: Self-employment tax and Instructions for Schedule SE (2025), read 2026-10-12
Source links are not affiliate links. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Payroll tax rules depend on the facts and the employer.
