Earnings Test Simulator
See how much of your Social Security SSA holds back if you claim before full retirement age and keep working, how much comes back as a larger benefit later, and whether waiting to claim does better.
Work and claiming
Withheld before full retirement age
$71,040
40 months of checks
Benefit from full retirement age
$2,311
Up from $1,820, as if claimed at 65 and 4 mo
Waiting to claim at 66
+$15,498
Expected lifetime difference; ahead from 74
Claiming while working
Year by year until full retirement age
| Age | Earnings counted | Limit | Over the limit | Benefits due | Withheld | Months held | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | $60,000 | $24,480 | $35,520 | $21,840 | $17,760 | 10 | $4,080 |
| 63 | $60,000 | $24,480 | $35,520 | $21,840 | $17,760 | 10 | $4,080 |
| 64 | $60,000 | $24,480 | $35,520 | $21,840 | $17,760 | 10 | $4,080 |
| 65 | $60,000 | $24,480 | $35,520 | $21,840 | $17,760 | 10 | $4,080 |
| 66 | $0 | $24,480 | $0 | $21,840 | $0 | 0 | $21,840 |
Total collected by age
How it works›
The limits. In 2026, SSA withholds $1 for every $2 earned over $24,480 in years before the one you reach full retirement age, and $1 for every $3 over $65,160 of earnings in the months before full retirement age that year. From full retirement age on, there is no limit.
How it's withheld. SSA holds back whole monthly checks, starting in January, until it has covered the amount owed, then pays any excess back. The table shows the amount owed and the whole months it takes.
Getting it back. At full retirement age SSA recomputes the benefit as if you had claimed later by the number of months it withheld, so withheld months raise every check after that.
Simplifications. Plan years run birthday to birthday, as if born in January. Earnings and limits stay in today's dollars. The first-year monthly test for months with no work isn't modeled.