Official Government Website
Social Security Administration
Employers must withhold Social Security and Medicare payments from employee wage and salary payments. For information and forms, see Information for Employers.
Business owners and independent contractors who do not receive a paycheck that includes withholdings pay self-employment tax, which is a form of Social Security, when they file their annual tax return. For information, see the Taxes section of this website. The Internal Revenue Service collects and remits Social Security and Medicare payments to the Social Security Administration.