If I am a teacher in Texas and pay into TRS, why do I owe social security taxes?

[DoninGA]

On a federal tax return you would only owe Social Security and Medicate taxes if you have net income from self-employment and are paying Self-Employment taxes.

Why do you think you owe SS taxes?

Did you enter a W-2 for your income?

[xmasbaby0]

Unless you have some self-employment income in addition to the pay for teaching that is reported on your W-2, you are paying in to TRS instead of paying in to Social Security.  What are you seeing that makes you think you need to pay?

Teachers and Social Security

There are 15 states (AK, CA, CO, CT, IL, LA, MA, ME, MO, NV, OH, TX) in which teachers do not pay in to Social Security, so you will not see Social Security withheld on the teacher’s W-2.  Instead, teachers in those states pay in to a Teacher’s Retirement System, which will show up elsewhere on the W-2 often in box 12 or box 14.

There are three states which have varying degrees of participation in SS for teachers, depending on school districts—GA, KY, and RI.