payroll tax

noun

1
: a tax that is paid by a company and that is based on the amount of money that the company spends paying all of its employees
2
: money that is taken from a person's pay and given directly to the government as income tax

Examples of payroll tax in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The real solution to Social Security’s fiscal sustainability is lifting the payroll tax cap, currently set at $184,500 in wage income, and including investment income in the tax base rather than cutting benefits for workers who have paid into the program their entire careers. Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026 Social Security is financed by a payroll tax paid for by employers and employees. Asher Notheis, The Washington Examiner, 26 Mar. 2026 The think tank has also explored replacing the employer side of the Social Security payroll tax and capping the program's annual cost-of-living adjustments. Lorie Konish, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2026 Employers pared back hiring last year to cope with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves’ payroll tax rises and large increases in the minimum wage. Irina Anghel, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for payroll tax

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“Payroll tax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payroll%20tax. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.

Legal Definition

payroll tax

noun
pay·​roll tax
: a tax that is levied as a percentage of an employee's pay and is usually paid by the employer
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