When you think of double taxation, you might think of dividends. After all, they're paid to you out of the funds that remain after a company has been taxed on its earnings -- and then they typically become taxable income for you. You might also be subject to another kind of double taxation, though -- taxation of your Social Security benefits.
Social Security benefits paid to you are not necessarily taxable, but they can be subject to federal tax if they exceed a certain level. On top of that, a bunch of states tax that income, too. Here's a look at federal taxation of benefits, along with the states that do and don't tax Social Security.
13 states that do tax Social Security benefits
An easy way to see which 37 states don't tax Social Security benefits is to look at a much shorter list -- the 13 states that do: Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia.
37 states that don't tax Social Security benefits
Just to be clear, below are the 37 states that don't currently tax benefits (note that Washington, D.C., doesn't either): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
Social Security benefits paid to you are not necessarily taxable, but they can be subject to federal tax if they exceed a certain level. On top of that, a bunch of states tax that income, too. Here's a look at federal taxation of benefits, along with the states that do and don't tax Social Security.
13 states that do tax Social Security benefits
An easy way to see which 37 states don't tax Social Security benefits is to look at a much shorter list -- the 13 states that do: Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia.
37 states that don't tax Social Security benefits
Just to be clear, below are the 37 states that don't currently tax benefits (note that Washington, D.C., doesn't either): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.