Additional 0.9% for the part in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year. Employee only.
When does Additional Medicare Tax start?
Additional Medicare Tax applies to wages and compensation above a threshold amount received after December 31, 2012 and to self-employment income above a threshold amount received in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012.
What is the rate of Additional Medicare Tax?
The rate is 0.9 percent.
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When must an employer withhold Additional Medicare Tax?
The statute requires an employer to withhold Additional Medicare Tax on wages it pays to an employee in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year, beginning January 1, 2013. An employer has this withholding obligation even though an employee may not be liable for Additional Medicare Tax because, for example, the employee's wages together with that of his or her spouse do not exceed the $250,000 threshold for joint return filers. Any withheld Additional Medicare Tax will be credited against the total tax liability shown on the individual's income tax return (Form 1040).
Is an employer liable for Additional Medicare Tax even if it does not withhold it from an employee's wages?
An employer that does not deduct and withhold Additional Medicare Tax as required is liable for the tax unless the tax that it failed to withhold from the employee's wages is paid by the employee. Even if not liable for the tax, an employer that does not meet its withholding, deposit, reporting, and payment responsibilities for Additional Medicare Tax may be subject to all applicable penalties.
Is an employer required to notify an employee when it begins withholding Additional Medicare Tax?
No. There is no requirement that an employer notify its employee.
Is there an "employer match" for Additional Medicare Tax (as there is with the regular Medicare tax)?
No. There is no employer match for Additional Medicare Tax.
May an employee request additional withholding specifically for Additional Medicare Tax?
No. However, an employee who anticipates liability for Additional Medicare Tax may request that his or her employer withhold an additional amount of income tax withholding on Form W-4. This additional income tax withholding will be applied against all taxes shown on the individual's income tax return (Form 1040), including any Additional Medicare Tax liability.
If an employee's annual Medicare wages are expected to be over $200,000, will an employer withhold Additional Medicare Tax from the beginning of the year or only after Medicare wages are actually paid in excess of $200,000 year-to-date?
An employer is required to begin withholding Additional Medicare Tax in the pay period in which it pays wages in excess of $200,000 to an employee.
If a single payment of wages to an employee exceeds the $200,000 withholding threshold, will an employer withhold Additional Medicare Tax on the entire payment?
No. Additional Medicare Tax withholding applies only to wages paid to an employee that are in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year. Withholding rules for this tax are different than the income tax withholding rules for supplemental wages in excess of $1,000,000 as explained in Publication 15, section 7.
Example: M received $180,000 in wages through November 30, 2013. On December 1, 2013, M's employer paid her a bonus of $50,000. M's employer is required to withhold Additional Medicare Tax on $30,000 of the $50,000 bonus and may not withhold Additional Medicare Tax on the other $20,000. M's employer also must withhold Additional Medicare Tax on any other wages paid in December 2013.
I have two employees who are married to each other. Each earns $150,000, so I know that their combined wages will exceed the threshold applicable to married couples that file jointly. Do I need to withhold Additional Medicare tax?
No. An employer should not combine wages it pays to two employees to determine whether to withhold Additional Medicare Tax. An employer is required to withhold Additional Medicare Tax only when it pays wages in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year to an employee.
What should an employer do if an employee receives wages that are not paid in cash, such as taxable fringe benefits, from which Additional Medicare Tax cannot be withheld?
If an employee receives wages from an employer in excess of $200,000 and the wages include taxable noncash fringe benefits, the employer calculates wages for purposes of withholding Additional Medicare Tax in the same way that it calculates wages for withholding the existing Medicare tax. The employer is required to withhold Additional Medicare Tax on total wages, including taxable noncash fringe benefits, in excess of $200,000. The value of taxable noncash fringe benefits must be included in wages and the employer must withhold the applicable Additional Medicare Tax and deposit the tax under the rules for employment tax withholding and deposits that apply to taxable noncash fringe benefits. Additional information on how to withhold tax on taxable noncash fringe benefits is available in Publication 15 (Circular E), section 5, and Publication 15-B, section 4.
If an employee receives tips and other wages in excess of $200,000 in the calendar year, how is Additional Medicare Tax paid on the tips?
To the extent that tips and other wages exceed $200,000, an employer applies the same withholding rules for Additional Medicare Tax as it does currently for Medicare tax. An employer withholds Additional Medicare Tax on the employee's reported tips from wages it pays to the employee.
If the employee does not receive enough wages for the employer to withhold all the taxes that the employee owes, including Additional Medicare Tax, the employee may give the employer money to pay the rest of the taxes. If the employee does not give the employer money to pay the taxes, then the employer makes a current period adjustment on Form 941, Employer's QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return (or the employer's applicable employment tax return), to reflect any uncollected employee social security, Medicare, or Additional Medicare Tax on reported tips. However, unlike the uncollected portion of the regular (1.45%) Medicare tax, the uncollected Additional Medicare Tax is not reported in box 12 of Form W-2 with code B.
The employee may need to make estimated tax payments to cover any shortage. More information about this process of giving an employer money for taxes is available in Publication 531, Reporting Tip Income.
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