Social Security Earnings Limit for 2026
If you claim Social Security before full retirement age and keep working, SSA holds back part of your benefit once your earnings pass the annual limit. These are the 2026 limits.
See how much would be withheld
Enter your expected earnings and monthly benefit in the earnings test calculator to see the benefits withheld in 2026 and when they come back.
Open the earnings test calculator →2026 earnings limits
| Situation | 2025 | 2026 | Above the limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under full retirement age all year | $23,400 | $24,480 | One dollar withheld per $2 over |
| Year you reach full retirement age (months before FRA) | $62,160 | $65,160 | One dollar withheld per $3 over |
| From the month you reach full retirement age | No limit | No limit | Earnings do not count |
Source: SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, Retirement Earnings Test Exempt Amounts. The limits rise each year with the national average wage index.
How the limit works in practice
Only work income counts
Wages (with bonuses and commissions) and net self-employment profit are tested. Pensions, investment income and other benefits are not.
No limit from your FRA month
Starting with the month you reach full retirement age, earnings stop reducing benefits, however much you earn.
Withheld months are credited back
At full retirement age your benefit is recalculated to account for every month that was withheld.
The first year has a monthly test
In the year you retire, any month with wages at or under $2,040 ($5,430 in your FRA year) can be paid in full.
Working while collecting can also make more of your benefit taxable; the Social Security tax calculator shows how much. For the 2026 payroll tax cap on wages, see the Social Security wage base for 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Social Security earnings limit for 2026?
$24,480 a year if you are under full retirement age for all of 2026. If you reach full retirement age during 2026, the limit is $65,160, and only earnings in the months before you reach it count. Once you reach full retirement age there is no limit at all.
How much is withheld if I earn over the limit?
Below full retirement age, SSA withholds one dollar of benefits for every $2 you earn above $24,480. In the year you reach full retirement age, it withholds one dollar for every $3 above $65,160.
Is the money withheld lost for good?
No. When you reach full retirement age, SSA recalculates your benefit to credit the months it withheld, so your monthly payment goes up permanently from then on. The earnings test delays benefits rather than taking them away.
What counts as earnings for the limit?
Wages from a job, including bonuses, commissions and vacation pay, and net profit from self-employment. Pensions, annuities, investment income, interest, veterans benefits and other government or military retirement benefits do not count.
Is there a monthly limit in the first year I retire?
Yes. In your first year of retirement SSA can pay a full benefit for any whole month in which your wages are $2,040 or less ($5,430 or less in the year you reach full retirement age), even if your annual earnings are over the limit. If you are self-employed, the month also must not involve substantial services, which generally means more than 45 hours of work in the business.
What is the earnings limit for 2027?
SSA has announced $25,560 for people under full retirement age all year and $67,920 for the year you reach it. See the 2027 earnings limit page for detail.
Sources
Related Calculators
Social Security Earnings Test
Estimate benefits withheld when working before full retirement age under 2026 limits
Social Security Earnings Limit 2027
Official 2027 retirement earnings test limits announced with the 2027 COLA
Social Security Tax
6.2% on wages up to $184,500 wage base (OASDI)
Social Security Wage Base 2026
$184,500 OASDI limit, maximum withholding for employees and the self-employed, FICA rates, and the wage base for every year since 1990
Social Security COLA 2027
The 2027 COLA and the three CPI-W prints that set it, every COLA since 1975, and the increase priced against your own check