2027 Social Security Earnings Test Limits
How much you can earn in 2027 while collecting Social Security before benefits are withheld — and why this one is not a CPI figure.
Not yet announced No 2027 figure exists yet, from anyone. These amounts track the national average wage index, not a consumer price index. We publish a C-CPI-U projection for IRS figures because the determining price prints are already public; no comparable AWI print for the determining year is published before SSA announces, so projecting one would be inventing a wage forecast rather than applying a formula. SSA announces alongside the COLA in mid-October. (SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, retirement earnings test exempt amounts, retrieved 2026-09-19) The 2026 figures below are official and stand until the announcement.
| Item | 2026 | 2027 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under full retirement age all year$1 of benefits withheld for every $2 earned above the limit | $24,480 | Not yet announced | Not yet announced |
| Year you reach full retirement age (months before the birthday month)$1 of benefits withheld for every $3 earned above the limit | $65,160 | Not yet announced | Not yet announced |
| From the month you reach full retirement ageNo limit — earnings no longer reduce benefits | No limit | No limit | Unchanged by statute |
2026 figures as published by SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, retirement earnings test exempt amounts — source, retrieved 2026-09-19. Every figure on this page is read from a dataset at build time; none is typed into the page.
Withheld benefits are not lost — they are recomputed at full retirement age, which changes the claiming maths. QuantCalc runs your whole retirement — withdrawals, taxes, Medicare surcharges — year by year, on 2026 and 2027 figures.
Run the free tax-aware simulation →How this figure is set
Set under 42 U.S.C. §403(f)(8). Indexed to National Average Wage Index (AWI) — NOT the CPI series used for the COLA. Rounded to the nearest multiple of $120 (so the monthly figure is a whole dollar). (SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, retirement earnings test exempt amounts, retrieved 2026-09-19)
Why we publish no 2027 projection here: These amounts track the national average wage index, not a consumer price index. We publish a C-CPI-U projection for IRS figures because the determining price prints are already public; no comparable AWI print for the determining year is published before SSA announces, so projecting one would be inventing a wage forecast rather than applying a formula. SSA announces alongside the COLA in mid-October. (SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, retirement earnings test exempt amounts, retrieved 2026-09-19)
Common questions
Are the 2027 social security retirement earnings test exempt amounts figures final?
There is no 2027 figure to be final about yet. These amounts track the national average wage index, not a consumer price index. We publish a C-CPI-U projection for IRS figures because the determining price prints are already public; no comparable AWI print for the determining year is published before SSA announces, so projecting one would be inventing a wage forecast rather than applying a formula. SSA announces alongside the COLA in mid-October. (SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, retirement earnings test exempt amounts, retrieved 2026-09-19)
What sets these numbers?
They are set under 42 U.S.C. §403(f)(8). Indexed to National Average Wage Index (AWI) — NOT the CPI series used for the COLA. Rounded to the nearest multiple of $120 (so the monthly figure is a whole dollar). The 2026 figures are taken from the agency's own publication (SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, retirement earnings test exempt amounts, retrieved 2026-09-19).
What changed from 2026?
The table shows both years side by side so the change is readable directly. Where a row says unchanged, that is a statutory result, not an omission.
Related
2027 Social Security COLA → Claiming-age calculator →
Every figure here with its status and source: JSON. QuantCalc is calculation software, not tax advice.