What that earnings cap means for the Social Security trust fund - The Street
The Social Security tax rate is 6.2 percent, which is withheld from your paycheck; however, it applies only to the first $184,500 of your annual earnings for 2026. If you are self-employed, the Social Security portion of your self-employment tax is 12.4 percent of your net self-employment income, but it only applies to the first $184,500 of that income for 2026. If you earn more than $184,500, the 6.2 percent applies only to the first $184,500, and no further Social Security tax is withheld for the rest of the year. Damilola Esebame, writing for The Street, explains how the Social Security earnings cap works and what that earnings gap means for the Social Security trust fund. Read Mr. Esebame’s article here…
For its part, the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) has been at the forefront trying to strengthen Social Security by developing and proposing its Social Security Guarantee which restores the program to solvency without raising payroll taxes. AMAC believes Social Security must be preserved and modernized to serve future generations. AMAC’s position is that this can be achieved without payroll tax increases through relatively minor program modifications, including changes to the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) process and modifications to the formulas for calculating initial benefits for higher-income beneficiaries. Changes to the age for maximizing benefits are included in AMAC’s position, along with (1) an increase in the thresholds where benefits are subject to income tax; (2) indexing of these thresholds annually to account for inflation; (3) changing the taxable maximum formula to address the unintended loss of revenue; (4) improving survivor benefits, (5) eliminating the reduction in benefits for those choosing to work before full retirement age; and (6) improving savings tools for future retirees, including a savings account that builds estate value. AMAC is resolute in its mission that Social Security be preserved for current and successive generations and has gotten the attention of lawmakers in D.C., meeting with many congressional offices and staff over the past decade. More recently, AMAC has met with the Commissioner of Social Security to discuss Social Security reform. See AMAC’s proposal for Social Security reform here.
This posting is presented for informational purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. Any opinions or interpretations presented are either those of the original author or, in the case of articles authored by the AMAC Foundation, are the opinions of AMAC Foundation staff, originally trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA) and certified via the AMAC Foundation. Any links included in the article are valid on the posted date; socialsecurityreport.org cannot guarantee the duration of the links’ validity. NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (https://amacfoundation.org/services/) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org. Because we are a non-profit organization, there is no charge for these services.