The Social Security earnings test, in numbers
If you claim a retirement benefit before full retirement age and keep working, SSA holds part of it back. This is what the 2026 figures are, how the withholding is worked out, and what happens to the money.
Figures verified · next scheduled change
2026 · Social Security
| Figure | 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Annual earnings-test exempt amount for 2026 for someone under full retirement age all year. | $24,480 | 1 ↗ |
| Monthly earnings-test exempt amount used only in a grace year — $24,480 ÷ 12. | $2,040 | 2 ↗ |
| Annual earnings-test exempt amount for the year you reach full retirement age; counts only earnings before the FRA month. | $65,160 | 1 ↗ |
| Monthly exempt amount in the FRA year — $65,160 ÷ 12. | $5,430 | 2 ↗ |
| Withholding rate below full retirement age. | $1 withheld for every $2 over the limit | 1 ↗ |
| Withholding rate in the year you reach full retirement age, for months before the FRA month. | $1 withheld for every $3 over the limit | 1 ↗ |
| The retirement earnings test stops applying in the month you reach FRA. | No earnings test from the month you reach full retirement age | 3 ↗ |
| Full retirement age for people born in 1960 or later. | 67 years | 4 ↗ |
| Social Security cost-of-living adjustment applied to benefits from January 2026. | 2.8% | 5 ↗ |
| Maximum earnings subject to Social Security tax in 2026. | $184,500 | 1 ↗ |
The 2027 amounts do not exist yet. SSA announces them with the cost-of-living adjustment, expected mid-October 2026; until then every 2027 figure in circulation is a projection. The announcement is on the calendar →
05Work out your own figure
Social Security earnings test calculatorYour birth date sets your full retirement age; your earnings and benefit set which checks are held back and for how long.Open →In this section
Questions
How much can I earn in 2026 before Social Security holds benefits back?
$24,480 if you are under full retirement age for the whole year, and $65,160 in the year you reach it, counting only the months before the month you reach it. Above that, $1 withheld for every $2 over the limit under full retirement age and $1 withheld for every $3 over the limit in the year you reach it.
Do I lose the benefits that are withheld?
No. Withheld benefits are credited back through a permanently higher benefit at full retirement age. SSA recomputes the benefit once you reach full retirement age to credit the months that were held back.
When are the 2027 amounts published?
With the cost-of-living announcement, expected mid-October 2026. SSA sets them from third-quarter CPI-W data, so no figure exists before then and this site publishes none.
Also
Every 2026 US money limit on one pagethe Social Security rows above, and every other threshold, with sources→ The money calendarwhen the 2027 amounts are announced, and every other dated event→Sources
- SSA 2026 COLA fact sheet · accessed 2026-09-07
- SSA — special earnings limit rule · accessed 2026-09-07
- SSA — receiving benefits while working · accessed 2026-09-07
- SSA — retirement age calculator · accessed 2026-09-07
- SSA press release, 2025-10-24 · accessed 2026-09-07
- SSA — cost-of-living adjustment summary · accessed 2026-09-07
Information, not advice. The earnings test depends on your own record. Confirm your figures with the Social Security Administration at ssa.gov, in your my Social Security account or at your local office before you act on them. SSA blocks automated access to some of its pages, so the amounts above were confirmed from the SSA cost-of-living fact sheet and the SSA planner rather than fetched programmatically.