Can I get a refund for excess Social Security tax withheld?

For tax year 2024, you'll have excess Social Security withholdings if the sum of multiple employers' withholdings exceeds $10,453.20 per taxpayer.

You don't need to do anything. We'll automatically add the excess to your federal refund or subtract it from federal taxes you owe, whichever applies.

The excess will appear as a tax credit on Line 11 of your Form 1040, Schedule 3.

Your employer is supposed to withhold 6.2% of your Social Security Wages (the Box 3 amount on your W-2), up to a maximum of $10,453.20 per taxpayer for tax year 2024.

If one employer withheld too much Social Security tax, you won't be able to take a credit for the excess on your tax return.

(TurboTax determines this by looking at your employer's Employer Identification Number [EIN]. In unusual cases where the employer changed their EIN during the tax year, an excess withholding credit can be taken, as explained in the "Multiple employers" section.)

So, if your employer withheld too much, contact them and ask for:

1. A refund for the excess amount, and
2. A corrected W-2 (also called a W-2c), which shows the correct Box 3 and Box 4 amounts

Don't file with excess withholdings on your return, as you may be subjected to penalties and interest.

What if my employer can't—or won't—cooperate?

You can correct the Box 4 amount yourself before filing. Simply multiply the amount in Box 3 by a factor of 0.062 and enter that amount or 10,453.20 (whichever is less) in Box 4.

To get a refund for the extra withholding, fill out IRS Form 843: Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement according to the Form 843 Instructions and mail it in separately. Make a copy to keep with your tax return paperwork.

In some instances, you may have excess withholding on multiple W-2s where the Employer Identification Number (EIN) is the same. This is most common in situations where you work for an employee placement or leasing agency, but there are other scenarios where it may apply. 

If you see the screen It looks like you’re due a refund from your employer, but you have multiple W-2s, follow these steps: 

• Check the box b (Employer Identification Number) and c (Employer name) on your W-2 forms.
• If you have different employer names in box c, with the same number in box b, you’ll need to enter the excess Social Security tax withheld in forms mode directly on Schedule 3. To do this, you will need to prepare your return in TurboTax Desktop or will need to switch to Full Service. If using TurboTax Online, please see the help article How do I switch from TurboTax Online to TurboTax Desktop? for further instructions.
• When using forms mode, you must manually calculate the excess Social Security tax withheld.  You’ll need to add the amounts on the W-2s that appear in Box 4, Social Security tax, and subtract the limit for the tax year. For the 2024 tax year, the limit is $10,453.20 and for the 2025 tax year, the limit is $10,918.20. Enter the excess amount on Schedule 3, line 11.