Tax season usually brings a refund check for most workers, but if you're retired, you could wind up owing the IRS.

The IRS uses what's called "provisional income" to determine how much of your Social Security benefits are taxable. Your provisional income is calculated using the following formula: Provisional income = Adjusted gross income (AGI) + tax-exempt interest + 50% of your Social Security benefits

Social Security recipients will be happy to hear that most states do not tax benefits. Below are the 41 states (along with Washington, D.C.) that currently do not: Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas are the newcomers to the list, having eliminated their tax in 2024.