Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 24
Eight States Still Tax Social Security Benefits, While 42 States and D.C. Exempt Them
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 24

Eight States Still Tax Social Security Benefits, While 42 States and D.C. Exempt Them

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 24

Summary

  • Eight states currently tax Social Security benefits, leaving retirees in Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah and Vermont exposed to state levies.
  • 42 states and the District of Columbia do not tax those benefits, up from 37 states in 2017, showing a broader shift away from taxing retirement income.
  • Income thresholds soften the hit in many of the taxing states: Vermont exempts single filers below $55,000, Colorado waives taxes for many retirees, and New Mexico spares about 86% of seniors.
  • Federal taxes still apply nationwide, with up to 50% of benefits taxable above $25,000 for single filers or $32,000 for joint filers, and up to 85% above $34,000 or $44,000.

Insights

Are retirees who relocate to avoid state taxes losing even more money to hidden federal combined income traps?
Why have federal tax thresholds for Social Security remained frozen since 1984, quietly trapping more retirees every year?
Could eliminating taxes on your Social Security benefits actually trigger a faster collapse of the entire retirement system by 2032?