pay social security or not?

Question

Do I have to pay social security? I work at a church playing organ. It pays $75 a week. I'm 17 years old, and I live in New York State, if that helps.

My dad claims that I have to pay Social Security, so he won't let me spend the money I have saved. I need that money to buy a car.

So, do I have to pay, and please provide a source to back your answer up?

I get paid in a check, biweekly for $150. I thought that because I was under 18, I didn't have to pay taxes on it.

Answer 1

Question: Are they paying you under the table in cash, or they cutting you a check from payroll? If they are paying you in cash and you do not have a business then guess what you can pocket the money. If they are paying you and you have business... then not only do you get to pay SS, but you also have Self Employement Taxes, Income tax, Medicare/Medicaid.

Either way your dad is doing a good thing for you, by showing you what the real world is like, and guess what it only gets worse as you make more money without being a business owner or having any way to offset your income.

My advice would be to go to a tax preparer or a CPA and ask them a few questions regarding how you need to handle this issue in your state. Start with who ever your parents use for their taxes, I'll bet they will give you 15 to 20 minutes of their time right now as things have settled down in their inudstry.

Answer 2

You forget that you pay into the social security system and that you get an amount back based on what you payed in. But I suppose that you believe that people who worked but are now old or disabled should not have phones. The fact that this gentleman was concerned about his bills is a good sign. They are a priority for him. He wants to pay them. I can understand that some people believe that the poor, old, sick, or disabled are not entitled to have any comforts or enjoyment in life. I will never get upset at a disabled person for buying a $5 chocolate cake when he can get by with a $1 package of crackers. That man you saw is hardly living a better life than you are if he is worrying about being able to pay the electric bill. Cell phones cost at most $30/month more than a land line, hardly living the good life. I believe a $350 vacation once a year is acceptable for someone who lives in government housing watching a cheap TV day after day. That's saving $30/ month for a brief period of enjoyment. Do you seriously believe that disabled people should be made to have harder lives so that you can have your taxes lowered 1%? Your disabled friend lacked patience. Did you stop to think that a hard life and living with a disability can affect your mood? Show some compassion for handicapped people in the future. All we need is for the government to come in and tell us how to live our lives.

Answer 3

You need to find out if the church is going to send you a 1099-MISC form for your earnings. It sounds like what they are doing is giving you cash for your services. We all did it, growing up. I pulled weeds and mowed lawns, your dad probably did too. You will have a bigger opportunity to pay in Social Security as you get older. But for now, I think dad, and everyone here, is treating this like they never got cash under the table. And at 17, you'll never see the return of your social security at retirement. If I had my druthers, you'd put that in an IRA. Why? if at 17, you could even fathom $2000 into an IRA, and never ever were to put anything again into it, that would make over a $MILLION. True!!! But for now, I know the car story, it can be a large hole into which you will never see money again.

Answer 4

http://www.hrblock.ca/services/benefits.asp

Try looking up your local H & R Block with the web address I gave above. Call them and ask how you find out how much money you need to pay in for taxes. Your dad is right that you have to pay , but it would only be a small percentage of your money. If you are getting paid by cash, nobody needs to know. Your father is probably just an honest man (which is good). Social Security is all of or parents & grandparents way of survival. Our generation needs to pay our share of
taxes because they use that money for their retirement. It's our way of giving back. Hopefully Social Security will be around when we are old enough to retire.

Answer 5

Yes, you have to pay Social Security. The church should be deducting it from your check along with the other taxes. Your employer pays half of your SS obligation and you pay the other half. When you file your income tax next year, you should get a refund of any over-payments on income tax.

Answer 6

The law requires everyone to pay social security and medicare taxes.

If you are an employee, then you and your employer each pay a 6.2% in social security tax and a 1.45% in Medicare tax.

If you are self employed and you make $400 or more in a year, then you must pay both yours and your employer portion of employment taxes, it's called a self-employment tax and and the total rate is 15.3% (12.4% for social security and 2.9% for Medicare).

Source: Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Answer 7

We all have to pay federal taxes,state taxes & local taxes & pay into social security. It's the law.

Answer 8

social security AND medicare
www.irs.gov

believe it is circular E

sorry luv - welcome to the real world

want to get rid of the IRS? support HR 25 and S 25
now before Congress

Answer 9

I like the answer above on HR 25- go FAIRTAX!

Answer 10

yes