FICA stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act and consists of a Social Security tax and a Medicare tax. This tax is very important for everyone to understand because so often we only think about federal tax rates and state income tax rates. The FICA tax is a big percentage of your total tax bill, especially for those making under six figures a year.

When I was making big bucks in finance, the tax bill was equally big bucks. The only saving grace was seeing my after tax paycheck increase after the maximum taxable income threshold for Social Security was breached each year. The tax amounts were jolting based on how inefficient the government was and still is with regards to spending our money.

In 2020, employees are required to pay a 6.2% Social Security tax (with their employer matching that payment) on income up to $137,700. Any earnings above that amount are not subject to FICA tax. The FICA maximum income level tends to increase roughly 2% a year due to inflation.

The flip side of this is that as the taxable maximum increases, so does the maximum amount of earnings used by the SSA to calculate retirement benefits.

The maximum monthly Social Security benefit that an individual can receive per month in 2020 is $3,790 for someone who files at age 70. For someone at full retirement age, the maximum amount is $3,011, and for someone aged 62, the maximum amount is $2,265.

Given we have a progressive tax system in America with Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and deduction phaseouts, I’ve calculated that the optimal Adjusted Gross Income is roughly $250,000, +/- $50,000. At $250,000, $112,300 of the earnings is free from the 6.2% FICA tax.

Meanwhile, you still get most of your mortgage interest deduction, and only have to pay a slight amount of AMT, depending on the person. A $250,000 income is also high enough to live relatively comfortably in any part of the world.

Some might argue that the Social Security tax is regressive because it caps out. Why shouldn’t rich people pay more? Here’s the thing people might not understand. Social Security benefits cap out based on the maximum amount of Social Security tax contribution as well.

It’s not like someone who is making $500,000, and not having to pay the 6.2% Social Security tax on $381,500 of his earnings is getting extra benefits based off his $500,000 income. He’s just getting the maximum Social Security payout amount when it comes time for him to collect based on the maximum taxable income amount he contributes.

The $500,000 income earner is already paying the highest marginal federal tax rate of 39.6% plus state taxes, if applicable. 

I used to despise property taxes because the city would raise them even when property prices were collapsing during the financial crisis. It was/and still is up to property owners to fill out a complicated form, find comparable homes that have dropped in price within a certain radius, make sure the comparable sales fit within a certain timeframe, and pay a $60 fee to do so with no guarantee you’ll win!

If you didn’t spend time contesting your property taxes, the city would gleefully raise them despite the obvious declines. The city counts on meek or ignorant people to fill their coffers and pay themselves handsome salaries. It’s just like how members of Congress continued to get paid even when they shut down the government in 2013. Can you imagine losing your job in the recession and having to pay higher property taxes while knowing your neighbor sold his house for 20% less than the city’s assessment?

I fought my property taxes in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 and won for a particular property I bought in the beginning of 2005. I had to fight since the value of my stock and real estate holdings were getting hit and I no longer had a job in 2012. Since 2013, I’ve let the city tax me back to my normal purchase price plus a ~2% a year catch up increase because the economy has thankfully recovered. I don’t mind paying my fair share so long as it’s just.

After paying ~$350,000 in property taxes since 2003, I’ve finally accepted the reality that it’s up to those of us who saved like crazy and took the risk of owning property to pay for our community’s infrastructure, education, public transportation, service men and women, and other public works. We must pay for those who cannot or will not.

What I’ve also realized is that after much debate, my fellow renters absolutely believe they are paying their fair share of property taxes, even if they aren’t cutting a separate check to the city twice a year. With this thought in mind, I now believe it’s logical behavior for renters to keep on voting for increased government spending because they all want better and are willing to pay for it through higher rents.