If Social Security is your only source of income, your benefits are typically not taxable.

If you have other income in addition to Social Security, part of your benefits may be taxable.

To find out if you must pay tax on your Social Security benefits, first determine the base amount for your situation.  You can determine your base amount by adding 1/2 of your other income (including tax exempt interest) to your Social Security benefit.  Then, compare your base amount total to the base amounts below.

$25,000–base amount for single, head of household, qualifying widow, widow with a dependent child, married filing separately and lived apart from your spouse for all of 2015

$32,000–base amount for married filing jointly

$0–base amount for married filing separately and lived with your spouse for any part of 2015

If your base amount total is more than the base amount for your situation, some of your Social Security benefits may be taxable.