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Severance Taxation

Severance tax calculator

What the IRS, FICA, and your state actually take from a severance check — and why the take-home is usually 30 to 40 percent less than the headline number.

How severance is taxed

The IRS treats severance pay as supplemental wages, which means the employer applies a flat 22% federal income tax withholding to payments up to $1 million in a calendar year, and a 37% rate to anything above that threshold. The 22% figure is a withholding convention, not your actual tax rate — if your marginal bracket is lower, you get the difference back at tax time; if it is higher, you owe more in April. People who receive a large mid-year severance after a high-income year often discover the 22% under-withheld and plan estimated payments accordingly.

FICA: the second hit

Severance is subject to Federal Insurance Contributions Act withholding the same way a paycheck is. The Social Security portion is 6.2% on wages up to the annual wage base (it climbs each year with inflation), so high earners who have already crossed the base for the year owe nothing further on the Social Security side. The Medicare portion is 1.45% on every dollar with no cap, plus an Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on wages above $200,000 in a calendar year. For a typical mid-career employee, FICA adds roughly 7 to 8 percentage points to the total withholding picture.

State income tax

Nine states do not tax wage income at all: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming. Everywhere else, the state applies its own income tax to severance. Top marginal rates run from low single digits in states like Pennsylvania and North Dakota up to roughly 13.3% in California, 10.9% in New York (plus New York City’s additional 3.876% if you live in the five boroughs), and 11% in Hawaii. State withholding on supplemental wages is sometimes a flat rate distinct from the marginal table — California, for example, withholds 6.6% on most supplemental wages and 10.23% on bonuses and stock compensation.

Why effective rates land at 30 to 40 percent

Stack the pieces and the typical bite on a severance check looks like this: 22% federal supplemental withholding, 7.65% combined FICA (assuming you have not crossed the Social Security base), and somewhere between 0% and 10% state, depending on where you live. That puts the effective hit between roughly 30% on the low end and 40% on the high end, before any voluntary deductions or 401k contributions. The tax breakdown card in the calculator below applies these rules to the inputs you provide and shows the federal, FICA, and state components separately so you can see exactly where the money goes.

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Step 1 of 3

Tell us about your income.

We use this to estimate your severance and what taxes will take.

Your gross pre-tax salary, not including bonus or equity.

$/ year

Time at your current employer. Decimals OK (e.g. 4.5).

Estimates based on public data and industry benchmarks. Not legal advice.

Severance tax questions

Is severance taxed at a higher rate?
Withholding is often higher than your normal paycheck, but the underlying tax owed is the same. Severance is treated as supplemental wages, which employers withhold at a flat 22% federal rate (or 37% on amounts over $1M in a calendar year). That can be lower or higher than your true marginal rate, so the difference settles up when you file your return — either as a refund or as additional tax due.
Can I reduce the tax on my severance?
A handful of legitimate levers exist. If your employer agrees, splitting a payment across two tax years can lower the total federal tax bill when one year is materially lower-income. Contributions to a traditional IRA, an HSA if you have an eligible plan, or a deductible self-employed retirement plan once you start consulting can offset taxable income. Charitable contributions in the year you receive a large severance check can also help. None of these are tax advice for your specific situation — talk to a CPA before relying on them.
What about my 401k contribution?
Whether 401k contributions can be withheld from a severance payment depends entirely on the language of your specific plan document. Many plans exclude severance from compensation eligible for deferral; others allow contributions only on amounts paid before your termination date. If your plan does allow it, contributing the maximum to your 401k from the severance check can defer a meaningful chunk of federal and state income tax — ask the plan administrator before assuming either way.