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Social Security Earnings Limit Calculator: 2026 & 2027

Working while on Social Security before full retirement age? See what SSA withholds above the 2026 or 2027 earnings limit and which checks it holds.

Tool inputs stay in your browser · optional AI search sends your query

Good to know: Scope: the Social Security retirement earnings test for 2026 and 2027, for someone who gets retirement, spouse or survivor benefits before full retirement age and still works. It uses the exempt amounts published by the Social Security Administration: $24,480 (2026) or $25,560 (2027) if you are under full retirement age all year, with $1 withheld for every $2 earned above it; and $65,160 (2026) or $67,920 (2027) in the year you reach full retirement age, with $1 withheld for every $3 above it, counting only earnings before that month. Only wages from a job and net profit from self-employment count; pensions, annuities, investment income, interest, capital gains, veterans benefits and other government benefits do not. Following SSA’s examples, the tool shows which whole monthly checks are held back from the start of the year and what is paid back the next year. Not included: the special first-year monthly test in detail (shown as a note), self-employment rules for substantial work, disability benefits (they have different work rules), SSI, family members’ benefits that are reduced by your work, taxes on benefits, Medicare premiums and the benefit recalculation at full retirement age. Everything stays in this browser tab; nothing is sent or saved. Independent ToolsKo estimate, not an SSA decision. Sources reviewed November 13, 2026.

How to use it (step by step)

  1. 1Pick the year and whether you are under full retirement age all year or reach it during that year (then pick the month you reach it).
  2. 2Type your expected earnings from work for the year (wages before taxes, or net self-employment profit). In the year you reach full retirement age, count only what you earn before that month. Then type your monthly Social Security benefit and the first month you get it.
  3. 3Read how much SSA would withhold, which checks it would hold back and what comes back later. Tell SSA if your earnings estimate changes so it can adjust.

Words to know

Earnings test (earnings limit)
The Social Security rule that holds back some benefits if you work and earn more than a yearly limit before full retirement age. It stops in the month you reach that age.
Full retirement age
The age when you can get your full Social Security benefit and the earnings limit no longer applies: 66 and some months for people born 1955 to 1959, 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Exempt amount
The yearly amount you can earn without losing any benefits. SSA sets a new one every year.
Withholding
Benefits SSA keeps back because of your earnings. It holds whole monthly checks, and later credits those months when it recalculates your benefit at full retirement age.

Explore tools for Australia, the US & Europe →

Sources & methods

References checked November 11, 2026. Read each tool’s scope and assumptions before relying on its result.

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