2027 Social Security Earnings Test Limits
Updated · 2026 figures official · 2027 figures official
How much you can earn in 2027 while collecting Social Security before benefits are withheld — and why this one is not a CPI figure.
For 2027, the Under full retirement age all year is $25,560; Year you reach full retirement age is $67,920.
Official These are the published 2027 figures, not projections.
| Item | 2026 | 2027 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under full retirement age all year$1 of benefits withheld for every $2 earned above the limit | $24,480 | $25,560 | Official |
| Year you reach full retirement age (months before the birthday month)$1 of benefits withheld for every $3 earned above the limit | $65,160 | $67,920 | Official |
| 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 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Fact Sheet)
Common questions
Are the 2027 social security retirement earnings test exempt amounts figures final?
Yes. These are the published 2027 figures as issued by the responsible agency, not a projection.
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 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Fact Sheet).
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 → Full retirement age chart → 2026 payment schedule → 2026 earnings limit calculator →
Every figure here with its status and source: JSON. QuantCalc is calculation software, not tax advice.