How to Minimize Impact of Social Security Taxes

Up to 85 percent of your Social Security benefits can be taxed—but smart planning may help you keep more.Social Security taxes depend on your combined income—and there are ways to reduce it. Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock2/26/2026|Updated: 2/26/2026After spending your entire life working hard and contributing to payroll taxes, you may be surprised to find that Uncle Sam could come to take a chunk off your Social Security benefits.In fact, up to 85 percent of your Social Security retirement benefits could be taxed. But don’t fret. There are some key steps you can take in order to reduce the taxes on your Social Security paychecks or avoid them all together.