You can get Social Security retirement benefits and work at the same time. However, if you are younger than full retirement age and make more than the yearly earnings limit, we will reduce your benefits. Starting with the month you reach full retirement age, we will not reduce your benefits no matter how much you earn.
However, things change a little bit in the calendar year in which you'll reach your full retirement age. For people who hit their full retirement age in 2023, the earnings limit increases to $56,520. On top of that, your benefits are only reduced by $1 for every $3 you earn above the limit.
Starting with the month you reach full retirement age, there is no limit on how much you can earn and still receive your benefits.
You can get Social Security retirement or survivors benefits and work at the same time. But, if you're younger than full retirement age, and earn more than certain amounts, your benefits will be reduced. The amount that your benefits are reduced, however, isn't lost.
Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)
The SGA amount for persons with disabilities other than blindness is $1,470 per month in 2023. For persons who are blind, the amount of earnings that indicate SGA is $2,460 per month in 2023.
If you start collecting Social Security before full retirement age, you can earn up to $1,860 per month ($22,320 per year) in 2024 before the SSA will start withholding benefits, at the rate of $1 in benefits for every $2 above the limit. In 2023, the maximum exempt earnings were $1,770 per month ($21,240 per year).
During the 36-month extended period of eligibility, you usually can make no more than $1,550 ($2,590 if you are blind) a month in 2024 or your benefits will stop. These amounts are known as Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA).
If you will reach full retirement age in 2024, the limit on your earnings for the months before full retirement age is $59,520. Starting with the month you reach full retirement age, you can get your benefits with no limit on your earnings.
If you're eligible for Social Security, you can start collecting your benefits as early as age 62, and you can also continue to work.
Beneficiaries are currently searching for information on How Do I Receive the $16728 Social Security Bonus? Retirees can't actually receive any kind of “bonus.” Your lifetime earnings are the basis for a calculation that the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses to calculate how much benefits you will receive.
Filing for Social Security at age 62 could also end up making sense financially if you're worried you won't end up living a very long life. While you'll shrink your benefits on a monthly basis, by getting to collect that money sooner, you might end up with a higher amount of lifetime benefits.
No waiting period is required if you were previously entitled to disability benefits or to a period of disability under § 404.320 any time within 5 years of the month you again became disabled.
If you delay taking your benefits from your full retirement age up to age 70, your benefit amount will increase. If you start receiving benefits early, your benefits are reduced a small percent for each month before your full retirement age.
While you may have heard at some point that Social Security is no longer taxable after 70 or some other age, this isn't the case. In reality, Social Security is taxed at any age if your income exceeds a certain level.
People younger than full retirement age (67 for many) who are receiving Social Security retirement benefits can earn up to a certain amount from work before the Social Security Administration reduces their benefits. The limit is $22,320 in 2024. There is no earnings cap after hitting full retirement age.
However, the Social Security Administration reduces benefits by 30% for people who retire at 62, meaning they receive just 70% of their full retirement benefit each month for life. SSA.gov. Starting Your Retirement Benefits Early. Accessed Sep 6, 2023.
The earnings limit for workers who are younger than "full" retirement age (see Full Retirement Age Chart) will increase to $22,320. (We deduct $1 from benefits for each $2 earned over $22,320.) The earnings limit for people reaching their “full” retirement age in 2024 will increase to $59,520.
This means their monthly Social Security benefit will be $1,886. If your work history shows that you had higher earnings in prior years, that could increase your benefit. Your spouse and children may also qualify for disability benefits of $900 a month.
You would not be required to file a tax return. But you might want to file a return, because even though you are not required to pay taxes on your Social Security, you may be able to get a refund of any money withheld from your paycheck for taxes.
Waiting to claim your Social Security benefit will result in a higher benefit. For every year you delay your claim past your FRA, you get an 8% increase in your benefit. That could be at least a 24% higher monthly benefit if you delay claiming until age 70.
About 40% of people who get Social Security must pay federal income taxes on their benefits. This usually happens if you have other substantial income in addition to your benefits.
Some American workers do not qualify for Social Security retirement benefits. Workers who don't accrue the requisite 40 credits (roughly 10 years of employment) are not eligible for Social Security. Some government and railroad employees are not eligible for Social Security.
SSI is generally for individuals who don't earn more than $1,971 from work each month. The income limit increases for couples and when parents apply for children.
Current beneficiaries who exceed the limits are suspended and then terminated from program participation if their savings remain above the limits, and they must repay any benefits paid while they are over the limit. SSI beneficiaries are limited to only $2,000 in assets of any kind.