# Payroll taxes
IRS Publication 15 (2026), Circular E. Governs the payroll entries (employer and employee FICA). wanderbooks records payroll; the withholding numbers come from the caller.

## IRS Publication 15 (2026)
Source: <https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15>  
Retrieved: 2026-10-13  
SHA-256 of the retrieved file (`p15.txt`): `ddc1260a4b24e4f9a476f6b9485ee9bbba5cc3be545e6014c51c7f65019a1efc`

**Rates**

> For 2026, the social security tax rate is 6.2% (amount withheld) each for the employer and employee (12.4% total). The social security wage base limit is $184,500. The tax rate for Medicare is 1.45% (amount withheld) each for the employee and employer (2.9% total). There is no wage base limit for Medicare tax; all covered wages are subject to Medicare tax.

**Deposits**

> Generally, you must deposit federal income tax withheld and both the employer and employee social security and Medicare taxes.