One year I made around minimum wage (paying myself just barely enough to live during the early stage of a startup) and paid I think around 25% effective just for federal.
I now make a lot more than that with a W2 job as my primary source of income and my effective federal tax rate was about half of what it was that year.
IMO FICA cap should be raised significantly and the rate should be reduced. There are entry-level FAANG employees who aren't paying their full salary into it. But that's an entirely different topic.
