2026 FICA Max set at $184,500

The Social Security Administration issued a press release showing the updated FICA max and Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2026.

The maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security Tax is $184,500 for 2026. The maximum FICA tax imposed will be $11,439 ($184,500 x 6.2%), and there is no cap on the 1.45% Medicare tax. Self-employed taxpayers pay both the employer and employee portion. In 2025, the FICA max was $176,100 and the maximum FICA tax imposed was $10,918.

The COLA for recipients is 2.8% for 2026. It was 2.5% in 2025 and has averaged 3.1% over the last decade.