The employer’s FICA tip credit aims to give businesses whose employees have received a share of the tip income from a company that receives the tip from the employer. It is a measure that focuses on providing a more streamlined method of reducing payroll tax.
Although the statute’s shorthand title does not specifically address FICA tax rates it does allow employers to determine the total FICA and Medicare taxes paid on tips reported by the employer to claim. The credit reduces the federal income tax for employers by the percentage of employee income tax that the employee pays for part of the reported earnings.