What Is OASDI on My Pay Stub? Social Security Tax, Rate, and Wage Limit
Written by the ePaystubs Editorial Team · Last updated: June 2026
OASDI on your pay stub is the Social Security tax. It stands for Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance, and it may appear as OASDI or "Fed OASDI/EE." It is withheld at 6.2% of your wages and sent toward Social Security on your behalf. OASDI is one half of FICA, the payroll tax pair, with Medicare being the other half. So when you see OASDI on a stub, you are looking at your Social Security contribution for that pay period.
The short version: OASDI is the Social Security tax. It is 6.2% of your pay, it is part of FICA, and it is separate from Medicare.
This is one of the tax lines in the deductions area of a stub, and it sits beside Medicare as part of FICA. For the full picture of how the two work together, see our guide on FICA on your pay stub. Here we focus on the OASDI line.
What it stands for: Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance.
What it is: the Social Security tax.
Employee rate: 6.2% of your wages.
Where it stops: once your wages for the year reach the Social Security wage base.
What OASDI stands for
OASDI is short for Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance. That is the formal name for the Social Security program, so the OASDI line is your Social Security tax. On a pay stub it can show up a few ways, including OASDI, "Fed OASDI/EE" (the EE means employee), "Social Security," or "SS." The label depends on the payroll system, but the deduction is the same.
Why OASDI is on your pay stub
OASDI funds Social Security, the federal program that pays retirement benefits, benefits to survivors of workers who have died, and disability benefits. The amount withheld from your paycheck goes toward that system, and your years of contributions count toward the benefits you may receive later. It is a required payroll tax, so it appears on almost every employee pay stub.
Is OASDI the same as Social Security?
Yes. OASDI is the official name for the Social Security tax. If your stub lists "Social Security" on one line and another stub lists "OASDI," they are the same deduction. Some stubs even pair the words, such as "OASDI (Social Security)."
OASDI is the Social Security part of FICA
FICA is the pair of payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare. OASDI is the Social Security half, and Medicare is the other half. Together they make up the FICA total you may see on a stub.
| Part of FICA | Employee rate |
|---|---|
| OASDI (Social Security) | 6.2% |
| Medicare | 1.45% |
| Combined FICA | 7.65% |
Your employer pays a matching share, so the full OASDI contribution is 12.4% counting both halves. You can read the official rates from the Social Security Administration.
OASDI vs Medicare on your pay stub
OASDI and Medicare are both FICA, but they are separate lines and they work differently. OASDI is 6.2% and stops once your wages reach the yearly wage base. Medicare is 1.45% and has no wage cap, so it keeps coming out of every paycheck no matter how much you earn, with an extra 0.9% added on wages above a high-income threshold. For the Medicare side on its own, see our guide on the MED line (Medicare).
The OASDI rate and wage base for 2026
OASDI is withheld at 6.2% of your wages up to a yearly limit called the Social Security wage base. Here are the 2026 figures. The wage base changes most years, so the numbers below apply to 2026 specifically.
| Item | 2026 figure |
|---|---|
| Employee OASDI rate | 6.2% |
| Employer OASDI rate | 6.2% |
| Social Security wage base | $184,500 |
| Maximum employee OASDI for the year | $11,439 |
The maximum of $11,439 is simply the employee rate applied to the $184,500 wage base. Once you have paid that much in OASDI for the year, no more comes out. You can check the current Social Security wage base directly from the SSA, since it is adjusted most years.
A sample OASDI line on a pay stub
Here is a short fictional example showing the OASDI line among the deductions. The numbers are made up to illustrate the layout only.
Fictional example, for illustration only
Gross pay$2,000.00
OASDI (Social Security)-$124.00
MED (Medicare)-$29.00
Federal income tax-$210.00
Net pay$1,637.00
The OASDI line here is the Social Security rate applied to the $2,000 gross, which works out to $124. It sits next to Medicare, the other half of FICA. If you want to produce a clean stub that lays out these lines clearly, you can create a pay stub that shows them in order. Any stub you create should reflect real, accurate pay.
Why did OASDI stop coming out of my paycheck?
If OASDI disappears from your stub late in the year, it usually means you reached the Social Security wage base. OASDI only applies to wages up to that yearly limit, which is $184,500 for 2026. Your stub's year-to-date column is what tracks this, so once your year-to-date wages pass the wage base, OASDI withholding stops for the rest of the year, and your take-home goes up until January, when the wage base resets and OASDI starts again. This mostly affects higher earners, since you have to earn past the wage base for it to happen.
Do self-employed people pay OASDI?
Yes. If you are self-employed, you pay both halves of OASDI yourself, the full 12.4%, as part of self-employment tax, because there is no employer to match your share. The same wage base applies, so the 12.4% runs on your net self-employment income up to $184,500 for 2026.
A quick checklist
When you spot OASDI on a stub, a short scan covers the basics.
- The label is OASDI, Fed OASDI/EE, or Social Security
- The amount is about 6.2% of your gross pay
- It is your Social Security contribution
- It is separate from the Medicare line
- It stops once your wages reach the yearly wage base
Once you know OASDI is just the Social Security tax, the line is easy to place: it is 6.2% of your pay, it is one half of FICA, and it sits right next to Medicare on your stub.
Frequently asked questions
What does OASDI mean on my pay stub?
OASDI means Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance, which is the Social Security tax. It may show as OASDI or Fed OASDI/EE.
Is OASDI the same as Social Security?
Yes. OASDI is the formal name for the Social Security tax, so the two refer to the same deduction.
Is OASDI part of FICA?
Yes. FICA is OASDI (Social Security) plus Medicare. OASDI is the larger half, at 6.2% of your wages.
What is the difference between OASDI and Medicare?
Both are FICA. OASDI is Social Security at 6.2% and stops at the yearly wage base. Medicare is 1.45% and is not capped, so it comes out of every paycheck.
What is the OASDI tax rate for 2026?
It is 6.2% for employees, with the employer matching another 6.2%, on wages up to the 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500.
Why did OASDI stop being deducted from my paycheck?
Once your wages for the year reach the wage base, which is $184,500 for 2026, OASDI stops for the rest of the year and your take-home rises until it resets in January.
Is OASDI ever refundable?
Usually no. But if two or more employers together withheld more than the yearly maximum, you can claim the excess on Schedule 3 of Form 1040 when you file.
Do self-employed people pay OASDI?
Yes, the full 12.4% as part of self-employment tax, since there is no employer to match your share.