Most people know what it take to qualify for Social Security, more or less. You work and pay taxes on your income, and in exchange, you're eligible for benefits down the line.
Of course, this is a very simplified explanation. There are certain earnings requirements you need to meet to be entitled to Social Security in retirement. But for the most part, that's the gist of things.
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Because you become eligible for Social Security by paying taxes on your wages, you might assume that the benefits you collect in retirement are yours to enjoy without being taxed. But nope.
Not only are Social Security benefits taxed federally, but the income thresholds at which taxes apply are almost ridiculously low. And that's something a lot of older Americans are quite unhappy about.
How taxes on Social Security benefits work
If your income in retirement is low enough, you may not have to pay taxes on your Social Security benefits. Otherwise, taxes can apply.
To see if they'll apply to you, you have to calculate your combined income, which is the total of your adjusted gross income, 50% of your annual Social Security income, and any non-taxable income you receive (for example, interest payments from municipal bonds, which are always federally tax-exempt).
Now here's where things get frustrating. If you're single with a combined income between $25,000 and $34,000, you may have to pay taxes on up to 50% of your Social Security benefits. If your combined income is exceeds $34,000, you could be looking at taxes on up to 85% of your benefits.
If you're married filing jointly, these thresholds are higher -- but not by much. In that case, if you have a combined income between $32,000 and $44,000, you may have to pay taxes on up to 50% of your Social Security. Beyond $44,000, you may be taxed on up to 85% of your benefits.
Thankfully, though, there is a way to potentially get out of paying taxes on Social Security benefits. It's something you may need to plan for carefully, though.
A Roth IRA could come to your rescue
You may be aware that Roth IRAs, unlike traditional IRAs, don't give you a tax break on the money you contribute. But they offer other big benefits, and one is tax-free withdrawals in retirement.
This is important for a few reasons. First, it's nice to keep your retirement plan withdrawals without having to hand over a portion to the IRS.
But also, Roth IRA withdrawals don't count as income in the combined income formula above. So if your only retirement income sources are Social Security benefits and Roth IRA distributions, you may be able to get out of paying taxes on your Social Security benefits -- even if you're withdrawing a decent chunk of money from your nest egg each year.
Imagine you're single and receive a $3,000 monthly Social Security check, or $36,000 per year. Half of that is $18,000. If you then withdraw $60,000 a year from your Roth IRA, your combined income will still be $18,000. That's below the $25,000 at which taxes on Social Security benefits apply.
But this strategy is one you may need to plan for in advance-especially if you're too high an earner to contribute to a Roth IRA directly. In that case, you have the option to do Roth conversions ahead of retirement. But you'll need to time those carefully.
Roth conversions expose you to a potentially large tax bill. And they could have other implications, such as determining whether you're hit with a surcharge for Medicare coverage. So if you're going to do Roth conversions, you may want to consult a tax or financial professional for some guidance.
All told, many seniors resent having to pay taxes on their Social Security benefits. With careful planning, though, that's something you may be able to avoid.
