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Collecting Social Security and Continuing to Work - The Motley Fool
After reaching your full retirement age (FRA), you can work and earn any amount. If you claim Social Security before your FRA, different rules apply.
If you decide to take your benefits before your FRA, you are not only taking a reduction to your Social Security benefit, but you are also restricted on how much you can earn before losing some of your benefits.
For someone born in 1960 or later, your FRA is 67. If you decide to start your benefits before your FRA and continue to work, you are subject to an annual earnings limit. The earnings limit in 2026 is $24,480. If you earn more than this amount, Social Security will withhold $1 for every $2 you exceed the limit. In your first year of receiving benefits, a monthly limit of $2,040 can be used. This means that only your earnings during the months you receive benefits will be included. If you go over the monthly limit by even $1 in any of those months, Social Security will require repayment of that month’s entire benefit. If you have dependents receiving benefits on your record, they will also lose their payments.
The good news is that if you lose some payments due to exceeding the earnings limit, they are not permanently lost. When you reach your FRA, Social Security will recalculate your benefit as if you retired that many months later. For example, if you lose six payments before reaching your FRA, Social Security will recalculate your benefit amount as if you had retired six months later, which would increase your benefit.
If you are earning too much, Social Security will not allow you to start receiving your benefits. In the year you reach your FRA, the earnings limit is almost triple! For 2026, you can earn $65,160 before the month you reach your FRA and the earnings limit ends.
Kailey Hage has written an article about the effect of collecting your Social Security early and continuing to work. To read her full article, click here ….
This posting is presented for informational purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. Any opinions or interpretations presented are either those of the original author or, in the case of articles authored by the AMAC Foundation, are the opinions of AMAC Foundation staff, originally trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA) and certified via the AMAC Foundation. Any links included in the article are valid on the posted date; socialsecurityreport.org cannot guarantee the duration of the links’ validity. NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (https://amacfoundation.org/services/) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org. Because we are a non-profit organization, there is no charge for these services.