Senior Aid Finder Guide

Working While Receiving Social Security in 2026: The Earnings Test Explained

Reviewed August 27, 2026 · Independent informational service

You can work and receive Social Security retirement benefits at the same time. The important question is whether you are below full retirement age and how much you earn.

Under full retirement age all year

For 2026, SSA lists an annual earnings limit of $24,480. If you are below full retirement age for the entire year, SSA generally withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 earned above that limit.

The year you reach full retirement age

A different limit applies to earnings before the month you reach full retirement age. For 2026, that limit is $65,160, with $1 withheld for every $3 above the limit. Starting with the month you reach full retirement age, the earnings test no longer reduces benefits regardless of how much you earn.

Withholding is not necessarily a permanent loss

SSA can recalculate benefits at full retirement age to account for months when benefits were withheld under the earnings test. This is one reason to distinguish the earnings test from an ordinary tax.

Report changes

If your expected wages change substantially, update Social Security so withholding is less likely to be far above or below what the rules require.