Social Security Earnings Test Calculator: the facts

1. Claim before full retirement age and keep working, and Social Security withholds $1 of benefits for every $2 earned above $24,480 in 2026 (20 CFR 404.430(b)). Only wages and self-employment income count; pensions, withdrawals, interest, and dividends do not.
2. In the year you reach full retirement age the limit is $65,160 and the rate is $1 for every $3, counting only earnings in the months before your birthday month (404.430(c)). From that month on there is no test at any earnings.
3. The withholding is taken as whole checks from the start of the year, not as a trim from every check (404.434): $12,760 of excess on a $1,500 benefit means 9 checks held back, then the rest paid.
4. Withheld is not lost. At full retirement age the months withheld are removed from the early-claiming reduction and the benefit is recomputed higher for life (404.412): in the example, $1,500 becomes $1,575 instead of staying at $1,500.
5. A spouse or child paid on your record has their benefit withheld by your excess earnings too, and their own earnings are tested against their own benefits.
6. The exempt amounts index to the national average wage each year and are rounded to $10; the 2026 figures are from the Social Security Administration's annual determinations.

Educational only, not investment, tax, or legal advice. Results are hypothetical estimates that vary with each use and over time and are not guaranteed accurate or complete. Using this tool creates no client relationship with Considerate Capital, and the site that linked here is not affiliated with it. By using it you agree to the tool terms.