Social Security earnings limit 2026
Two annual amounts, two monthly amounts, and the two withholding rates that go with them.
Figures verified
| Scale | $0 to no limit from your FRA month |
|---|---|
| Filled to | $24,480 |
| under FRA all year | $24,480 |
| the year you reach FRA | $65,160 |
The 2026 figures
| Your situation in 2026 | Exempt amount | A month | Above it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under full retirement age for the whole year | $24,480 | $2,040 | $1 withheld for every $2 over the limit |
| Reaching full retirement age during the year — months before that month only | $65,160 | $5,430 | $1 withheld for every $3 over the limit |
| From the month you reach full retirement age | No limit | No limit | No earnings test from the month you reach full retirement age |
The monthly amounts are the annual figures divided by twelve. They are used only in a grace year — the first year you retire — where a month at or under the monthly limit is paid in full whatever the year’s total. Source: SSA 2026 COLA fact sheet, verified 2026-09-06.
What the limit does not touch
Gross wages and net earnings from self-employment only. The test looks at what you are paid for working, in the year you work — not at what you own, what you saved, or what a pension pays you. Excludes pensions, annuities, investment income, interest, dividends, capital gains, and IRA/401(k) withdrawals.
Withheld is not lost
Withheld benefits are credited back through a permanently higher benefit at full retirement age. Social Security holds whole monthly checks from the start of the year until the withholding is satisfied, then pays normally; at full retirement age the withheld months are taken out of the early-claiming reduction and the monthly benefit rises permanently. Work out your own figures.
Questions
What is the Social Security earnings limit for 2026?
$24,480 if you are under full retirement age for all of 2026, and $65,160 in the year you reach full retirement age. Above the limit, $1 withheld for every $2 over the limit on the lower line and $1 withheld for every $3 over the limit on the higher one. From the month you reach full retirement age there is no limit.
What is the monthly earnings limit, and when does it apply?
$2,040 a month under full retirement age and $5,430 in the year you reach it — one twelfth of the annual figures. The monthly amounts are used only in a grace year, which is the first year you retire: a full benefit is payable for any month you earn at or under the monthly limit, however large the year's total.
Does the limit apply to my whole income?
No. Gross wages and net earnings from self-employment only. Pensions, annuities, interest, dividends, capital gains and IRA or 401(k) withdrawals are not earnings for this test.
Is the money that is withheld gone?
No. Withheld benefits are credited back through a permanently higher benefit at full retirement age. At full retirement age the months in which benefits were withheld are removed from the early-claiming reduction, which raises the monthly payment permanently.
Sources
- SSA 2026 COLA fact sheet — the annual exempt amounts. Verified 2026-09-06.
- SSA — special earnings limit rule — the monthly amounts and the grace-year rule. Verified 2026-09-06.
- SSA — cost-of-living adjustment summary — how and when the next year’s figures are set. Verified 2026-09-06.
- SSA — receiving benefits while working — the test stops at full retirement age. Verified 2026-09-06.
- SSA — program explainer: retirement earnings test — the recomputation at full retirement age. Verified 2026-09-06.
Information, not advice. Confirm your figures with Social Security at ssa.gov or your local office.