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Social Security Earnings Limit Calculator (2026)

If you claim Social Security before full retirement age and keep working, part of your benefit can be withheld. Enter your earnings and benefit to see how much is held back in 2026, and how many monthly payments that means.

Full retirement age is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later.
Pensions, investment income and other benefits don’t count.
From your benefit statement.

Benefits withheld in 2026

$7,760Withheld this year, about 5 months of payments

Annual earnings limit$24,480
Earnings over the limit$15,520
Withheld ($1 for every $2 over)$7,760
Benefits you still receive this year$13,840

2026 limits: $24,480 if under full retirement age all year ($1 withheld for every $2 above), and $65,160 in the year you reach it ($1 for every $3, counting only earnings before that month). Withheld benefits aren’t lost: your monthly benefit is recalculated upward at full retirement age.

How this calculator works

Under full retirement age for the whole year, the 2026 limit is $24,480. For every $2 you earn above it, Social Security withholds $1 of benefits.

In the year you reach full retirement age, the limit rises to $65,160 and only $1 is withheld for every $3 above it. Only earnings in the months before your birthday month count.

From the month you reach full retirement age, there is no limit at all. You can earn any amount without benefits being withheld.

Only wages and net self-employment income count. Pensions, annuities, investment income, interest and other government benefits don’t.

Social Security usually holds back whole monthly payments rather than reducing each one, so the calculator shows roughly how many months of payments are withheld. Those benefits aren’t lost: at full retirement age your monthly benefit is recalculated to credit the months that were withheld.

Worked example

Age 63, earning $40,000, with an $1,800 monthly benefit

  1. Earnings over the limit: $40,000 − $24,480 = $15,520.
  2. Withheld: $15,520 ÷ 2 = $7,760 for the year.
  3. At $1,800 a month, that is about 5 monthly payments withheld (usually at the start of the year).
  4. Benefits still received in 2026: $21,600 − $7,760 = $13,840.

Questions people ask

What is the Social Security earnings limit for 2026?

$24,480 a year if you are under full retirement age all year, and $65,160 in the year you reach full retirement age, counting only earnings before that month.

What is my full retirement age?

67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. For people born in 1959 it is 66 and 10 months.

Do I get the withheld benefits back?

Effectively, yes. When you reach full retirement age, Social Security recalculates your monthly benefit to account for the months benefits were withheld, so your payments rise from then on.

Is there a special rule for my first year of retirement?

Yes. In the first year you claim, you can get a full benefit for any month in which you earn under a monthly limit and don’t perform substantial self-employment, whatever your annual earnings.

Sources

Last reviewed October 2, 2026