Social Security Earnings Limit 2026: How Much You Can Earn While Collecting
How much you can earn in 2026 while collecting Social Security before full retirement age, what is withheld above the limit, and a calculator for your own numbers.
The Social Security earnings limit for 2026 is $24,480 ($2,040 a month) if you are under full retirement age all year: Social Security withholds $1 of benefits for every $2 you earn above it. In the year you reach full retirement age the limit is $65,160 ($5,430 a month), counting only earnings before the month you reach it, and $1 is withheld for every $3 above it. From the month you reach full retirement age there is no limit (SSA, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2026 (Federal Register, 3 November 2025, FR Doc. 2025-19763); 20 CFR §404.434 (how excess earnings are charged)).
Official Every figure on this page is published by the responsible agency; none is a projection.
| Your situation | Yearly limit | Monthly | Benefits withheld |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under full retirement age all of 2026 | $24,480 | $2,040 | $1 for every $2 over the limit |
| Reaching full retirement age in 2026 (earnings before that month) | $65,160 | $5,430 | $1 for every $3 over the limit |
| From the month you reach full retirement age | No limit | No limit | None |
Example: under full retirement age all year and earning $34,480, you are $10,000 over the limit, so $5,000 of benefits is withheld. In the year you reach full retirement age, $74,160 earned before that month is $9,000 over, and $3,000 is withheld. Social Security charges the amount against your full monthly benefit from January until it is used up (20 CFR §404.434 (how excess earnings are charged)).
Only wages and net earnings from self-employment count (20 CFR §404.429 (earnings counted by the test)): a pension, interest, dividends, capital gains or an IRA withdrawal is neither, so it does not count. The limits rise each year with the national average wage index (20 CFR §404.430 (earnings-test exempt amounts; $1 for $2 and $1 for $3)). 2027 earnings limit →
The first year: a monthly limit
In the first year you get benefits, a monthly test can apply instead of the yearly one: any month in which you earn no more than $2,040 (or $5,430 in the year you reach full retirement age) and in which you perform no substantial services in self-employment is paid in full, whatever you earned earlier in the year (20 CFR §404.435 (grace year; non-service months)).
The withheld benefits are not lost
At full retirement age Social Security recalculates your benefit to give you credit for the months in which benefits were withheld, so your monthly payment goes up from then on (42 U.S.C. §402(q)(7) (adjusted reduction period)).
How much of your 2026 benefit is withheld?
Reaching full retirement age this year? Count only what you earn before the month you reach it.
Working while collecting changes more than the earnings test: it changes your tax bracket and your claiming decision. QuantCalc runs your whole retirement — Social Security, withdrawals, taxes, Medicare surcharges — year by year.
Run the free tax-aware simulation →Common questions
What is the Social Security earnings limit for 2026?
$24,480 a year ($2,040 a month) if you are under full retirement age all year, and $65,160 ($5,430 a month) for the months before you reach full retirement age in 2026 (SSA, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2026 (Federal Register, 3 November 2025, FR Doc. 2025-19763)).
How much can you make on Social Security in 2026 without losing benefits?
Up to $24,480 if you are under full retirement age all year. Above it, $1 of benefits is withheld for every $2 you earn; in the year you reach full retirement age, $1 for every $3 above $65,160 (20 CFR §404.430 (earnings-test exempt amounts; $1 for $2 and $1 for $3); 20 CFR §404.434 (how excess earnings are charged)).
Is there an earnings limit after full retirement age?
No. From the month you reach full retirement age you can earn any amount without benefits being withheld (20 CFR §404.434 (how excess earnings are charged)).
What income counts toward the earnings limit?
Wages and net earnings from self-employment, minus any self-employment loss (20 CFR §404.429 (earnings counted by the test)). Pensions, interest, dividends, capital gains and IRA or 401(k) withdrawals are neither, so they do not count.
Do I get the withheld Social Security back?
Yes, as a higher benefit: at full retirement age your benefit is recalculated to credit the months that were withheld (42 U.S.C. §402(q)(7) (adjusted reduction period)).
What is the earnings limit for 2027?
SSA announces it in October with the cost-of-living adjustment. The 2027 earnings limit page shows it once published.
Sources
- SSA, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2026 (Federal Register, 3 November 2025, FR Doc. 2025-19763)
- SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, Retirement earnings test exempt amounts
- 20 CFR §404.429 (earnings counted by the test)
- 20 CFR §404.430 (earnings-test exempt amounts; $1 for $2 and $1 for $3)
- 20 CFR §404.434 (how excess earnings are charged)
- 20 CFR §404.435 (grace year; non-service months)
- 42 U.S.C. §402(q)(7) (adjusted reduction period)
Every figure on this page is read at build time from one dataset and was checked against the text of the documents above on October 11, 2026. Every figure with its source: JSON. QuantCalc is calculation software, not tax, legal or benefits advice.
Related
2027 earnings limit → Claiming-age calculator → 2026 Social Security tax limit → How much of your Social Security is taxable →