The net check, for advisors
How much of the Social Security check lands?
The gross benefit, minus federal tax on the taxable share, minus the Medicare Part B premium. MySSAgent shows that figure beside the gross for every strategy, so the client plans on the check that arrives.
On the sample household in the clip, Richard’s $4,992 benefit lands as $3,856. With $180,000 of other income, 85% of the benefit is taxable, and federal tax at the 22% rate entered plus the Part B premium come to $1,136 a month.
No Social Security number ever enters the platform.
Every monthly claiming age from 62 to 70, computed in code — not generated by a large language model (LLM).
SOC 2 Type I report issued. Type II examination under way.
A Registered Social Security Analyst® available on complex cases.
One-click earnings record with our Chrome extension — live on the Chrome Web Store.
How much of a Social Security benefit is taxable?
Up to 85%, depending on provisional income: the client’s other income, plus tax-exempt interest, plus half the benefit. The thresholds below are for a joint return.
Below $32,000
None of the benefit is taxable.
Below $25,000 for a single filer
$32,000 to $44,000
Up to 50% of the benefit is taxable.
$25,000 to $34,000 for a single filer
Above $44,000
Up to 85% of the benefit is taxable.
Above $34,000 for a single filer
These thresholds are set by statute and are not indexed to inflation. Tax-exempt interest is not taxed itself, yet it counts toward provisional income. The new senior deduction does not change this test: it is taken after adjusted gross income, so it never enters provisional income.
Where does Medicare come in?
Part B is deducted from the Social Security check before it arrives. In 2026 the standard premium is $202.90 a month.
Higher income raises that premium through IRMAA, which is why the net check sits beside the IRMAA view on the client page. The net check uses the standard premium, and the IRMAA view shows which tier the household’s income places it in. How to catch IRMAA before your client pays it →
What does the net check show on the client page?
Four figures, side by side
Gross, the taxable share, tax plus Medicare, and the net check as a share of gross, for the strategy on screen.
One sentence that explains it
At this much other income, this share of the benefit is taxable, and the client banks this much of the check.
Year by year, against spending
What the household banks each year after the earnings test, federal tax and Medicare, against what it spends, and any shortfall to bridge.
What the net check does not do
- It is federal only, at the rate you enter: no brackets, credits or state tax.
- It is not a tax return and not tax advice. Filing questions go to the client’s CPA.
- It uses the standard Part B premium. An IRMAA surcharge would raise it, and the IRMAA view shows the tier.
Questions advisors ask about the net check
How much of a Social Security benefit is taxable?
Up to 85%, depending on provisional income: other income, plus tax-exempt interest, plus half the benefit. Below $32,000 for a joint return, or $25,000 for a single filer, none of it is taxable.
Do those thresholds go up with inflation?
No. They are set by statute and are not indexed, so the same dollar lines apply every year.
Is the Medicare Part B premium taken out of the Social Security check?
For people collecting Social Security and enrolled in Part B, the premium is deducted from the monthly benefit before it is paid. In 2026 the standard premium is $202.90 a month.
Does the new senior deduction change how much of the benefit is taxable?
No. The senior deduction is taken after adjusted gross income, so it does not lower provisional income or the taxable share of the benefit. It can lower the tax itself, which is one reason the net check asks for an effective rate.
Why does the net check ask for a tax rate instead of working out brackets?
The rate that matters is the client’s effective rate on their whole return, which you or their CPA already know. Entering it keeps the figure honest about what it is: the benefit after federal tax at that rate and Part B.