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Social Security Earnings Limit Calculator
If you take Social Security before full retirement age and keep working, some benefits may be withheld once your earnings pass a yearly limit. Enter your benefit and expected earnings to see how much is held back, how many checks are affected and what you keep.
Last updated:
Your situation this year
$
Before withholding (your own or spousal benefit).
$
Gross wages + net self-employment income. Pensions, investment income and annuities don't count.
January if you received benefits all year.
Only earnings before this month count.
Limits (2026, editable)
$
2026: $24,480 ($1 withheld per $2 over).
$
2026: $65,160 ($1 withheld per $3 over).
months
Months you earned no more than the limit ÷ 12 and did not do substantial self-employment.
Enter your values to see the result.
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How to use the Social Security Earnings Limit Calculator
Pick your situation: under full retirement age all year, reaching it this year, or already there.
Enter your monthly benefit before withholding.
Enter expected earnings from wages and net self-employment.
Choose your first benefit month or the month you reach full retirement age.
Read the amount withheld, the checks affected and the table of other earnings levels.
How the Social Security earnings test works
The retirement earnings test applies only to people who start benefits before their full retirement age (FRA) and keep working. It does not reduce what you are owed; it delays part of it.
Before the FRA year: withheld = (earnings − $24,480) ÷ 2 In the FRA year: withheld = (earnings before the FRA month − $65,160) ÷ 3
Example: you are 63, receive $1,600 a month and expect to earn $35,000 in 2026. You are $10,520 over the limit, so $5,260 is withheld. SSA holds back the first four checks ($6,400) and repays the extra $1,140 the following year. You still receive $12,800 in checks this year (plus the $1,140 refund later), and those four months are credited back at full retirement age.
Earnings test limits by year
Year
Under FRA all year ($1 per $2)
Year you reach FRA ($1 per $3)
2024
$22,320
$59,520
2025
$23,400
$62,160
2026
$24,480
$65,160
The limits rise each year with national average wages and are announced by the Social Security Administration each October. You can type a different year's limits into the calculator.
Tips if you plan to work and claim early
Estimate earnings when you apply. SSA uses your estimate to set withholding; update it if your pay changes to avoid a large overpayment later.
Compare with waiting. If most of your benefit would be withheld anyway, delaying your claim may be simpler and avoids the paperwork.
Bonuses count when earned. Wages count in the year you earn them, and self-employment income counts in the year it is earned, not necessarily when paid.
Spousal and family benefits paid on your record can also be reduced by your excess earnings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Social Security earnings limit for 2026?
For 2026, if you are under full retirement age all year the limit is $24,480 ($2,040 a month) and $1 of benefits is withheld for every $2 above it. In the calendar year you reach full retirement age the limit is $65,160 ($5,430 a month), counting only earnings before that month, with $1 withheld for every $3 above it.
Is withheld Social Security money lost?
Not permanently. When you reach full retirement age, Social Security recalculates your benefit as if you had not claimed during the months benefits were withheld, so your monthly check goes up for the rest of your life.
What income counts toward the earnings limit?
Gross wages from a job and net earnings from self-employment count. Pensions, annuities, investment income, interest, capital gains, and government or military retirement benefits do not.
How does Social Security withhold the money?
SSA usually holds back entire monthly checks from the start of the year until the yearly amount is covered. If that withholds slightly more than required, the extra is paid back after the year's earnings are reported.
What is the special monthly rule in the first year?
In the first year you have a month of retirement, you get a full check for any month your wages are at or below the monthly limit ($2,040 in 2026 before your full-retirement-age year) and you are not doing substantial self-employment, no matter how much you earned earlier in the year.
Does the earnings test apply after full retirement age?
No. From the month you reach full retirement age you can earn any amount without benefits being withheld. Earnings can still make part of your benefits taxable, which is a separate rule.
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