Tax refund coming up in a month or so - do we get any medicare / Social Security tax back?

I was an SA at a BB, made around $17k, but I get so much financial aid (I'm poor) that around $12k of that will be taxable (grants used to cover room + board + personal expenses).

Spent around $2k on medical expenses and $1.6k on our student health plan (I know the medical expenses are deductible, not sure about the health insurance).

So I'm looking at $27k in taxable income. I paid $5k in taxes: $3k fed, $1k NY, $1k Medicare/SS.

Tax refund calculators say I should expect to pay $2.5k in taxes. That doesn't include medicare / social security does it? At first I thought it meant I would get like a $2.5k refund since $5k - $2.5k = $2.5k, but if I don't get any social security / medicare taxes back, then I'm looking at $4k - $2.5k = $1.5k..

Thanks for anyone's help in advance.

3 Comments
 

SS and Medicare are gone forever. No refund. Sorry. Medical is deductible as an itemized deduction, meaning you need to have deductible expenses on schedule A greater than the standard deduction to have any benefit; otherwise the standard deduction is more beneficial. In other words, throw all of your income on the 2010 1040, choose the standard deduction, claim an exemption for yourself if no one else is claiming you as a dependent, do the math, your 2011 tax / refund should be roughly what you calculate off the 2010 forms. good luck.

 
Best Response

Yeah, you don't get that money back. Bear in mind that health expenses have a % AGI (net income before deductions) floor and are an itemized deduction. I think the floor is about 7% and isn't worth taking unless your itemized deductions are greater than $5K, so few people qualify for it unless something disastrous happens.

With $27K of net income and no itemized deductions, your federal tax for this year will probably work out to about $2300 if you can claim yourself as a dependant (otherwise about $3050) just off the top of my head. I think NY tax works out to about 5% at the lower brackets so you owe them ~1400 before your standard deduction. (If you can claim yourself as a dependant, knock off $7500 in tax for the standard deduction and you are down to ~105-1100 in state tax liability).

I'm guessing you had $0 liability for tuition (including money you borrowed to pay for it), but if your parents aren't claiming any sort of credits for paying for your books our tuition, you can also deduct the cost of your required books if those weren't covered by your school. So save that receipt or credit card statement. Also, you may be able to claim a for-AGI deduction for qualified moving expenses (EG Airfare) to work this summer if your employer did not cover it, although I'm a little fuzzy on the exact requirements. So please read up on the instructions before claiming that deduction.

For most practical purposes with the IRS, being able to claim yourself as a dependant means your parents aren't claiming you.

 

Cupiditate sunt reiciendis dolores non sed. Optio tempora earum animi aut. Quisquam rerum harum distinctio est odio nihil dignissimos. Voluptas sequi minima tempora quibusdam provident. Est sit mollitia nihil alias odit et. Nulla et delectus magni.

Animi incidunt totam inventore ullam est ratione. Suscipit voluptas quo consectetur dolores. Dolores officiis doloremque tempore quo. Repellendus excepturi recusandae aut. Nostrum qui quam corrupti incidunt voluptatem id.

Repudiandae labore voluptas ipsum debitis error aut. Qui et qui repellendus culpa vel dolorum. Quia optio occaecati consectetur perspiciatis autem. Aliquid vitae ad nihil voluptate omnis aperiam enim. Hic quidem totam totam. Ratione exercitationem eum dolorem voluptas consequatur expedita sit non.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”