2027 Social Security Earnings Limit: Projected $25,200 & $67,200 Limits Explained

If you receive Social Security retirement benefits and continue working before reaching full retirement age, there is a limit on how much you can earn before Social Security temporarily withholds part of your benefits.

For 2027, the Social Security Administration has not yet published the final earnings-test limits.

However, the official 2026 Social Security Trustees Report projects the 2027 limits at:

$25,200 if you remain below full retirement age for the entire year

and:

$67,200 if you reach full retirement age during 2027, counting only earnings received before the month you reach full retirement age.

These are government actuarial projections, not final 2027 limits.

For comparison, the official 2026 limits are:

$24,480 for someone under full retirement age throughout the year

and:

$65,160 in the year someone reaches full retirement age.

Once you reach full retirement age, the Social Security retirement earnings test ends completely.

Here is how the projected 2027 limits work, how much Social Security could withhold if you earn too much and why withheld benefits are not necessarily permanently lost.

Situation	2026 Official Limit	2027 Trustees Projection	Withholding Rule
Under full retirement age all year	$24,480	$25,200	$1 withheld for every $2 above limit
Reach full retirement age during year	$65,160	$67,200	$1 withheld for every $3 above limit before FRA month
At or above full retirement age	No limit	No limit	No earnings-test withholding

The 2027 projections come from the Social Security Trustees’ official annual report.

You can review the current rules on the Social Security Administration’s Working While Receiving Benefits page.

No.

The $25,200 and $67,200 amounts are projections from the 2026 OASDI Trustees Report.

SSA has not yet issued its official 2027 annual Social Security fact sheet.

The Trustees’ intermediate projections list:

$25,200 for beneficiaries below full retirement age

and:

$67,200 for people reaching full retirement age during 2027.

Those figures could differ from the final amounts SSA publishes.

For that reason, retirees should treat them as useful planning estimates rather than confirmed limits.

The final figures are expected when SSA publishes its annual 2027 program adjustments.

The retirement earnings test applies to certain people who:

receive Social Security retirement or applicable survivor benefits;
are younger than full retirement age; and
continue earning money from work.

If your earnings exceed the applicable annual limit, Social Security can temporarily withhold part of your benefits.

The amount withheld depends on whether you:

remain below full retirement age for the entire year; or
reach full retirement age during that year.

After you reach full retirement age, the earnings test no longer applies.

Projected 2027 Limit if You Are Under Full Retirement Age All Year

The Trustees project the 2027 earnings-test limit at:

$25,200

for someone who remains below full retirement age for the entire year.

If the projection becomes final, Social Security would generally withhold:

$1 in benefits for every $2 earned above $25,200

Example

Suppose you collect Social Security retirement benefits throughout 2027 and earn:

$35,000 from work

Projected earnings limit:

$25,200

Amount above limit:

$35,000 − $25,200 = $9,800

Benefits potentially withheld:

$9,800 ÷ 2 = $4,900

Social Security could therefore withhold approximately:

$4,900 in benefits

under this simplified example.

The actual way SSA withholds monthly checks can depend on your benefit amount and payment schedule.

Projected 2027 Limit if You Reach Full Retirement Age During the Year

A higher limit applies during the calendar year in which you reach full retirement age.

The Trustees project that amount at:

$67,200 for 2027

Under the current earnings-test rules, Social Security generally withholds:

$1 for every $3 earned above the higher limit

But there is an important difference.

SSA counts only earnings received before the month you reach full retirement age.

Example

Suppose you reach full retirement age in September 2027.

Your earnings from January through August total:

$75,000

Projected higher limit:

$67,200

Excess earnings:

$75,000 − $67,200 = $7,800

Potential withholding:

$7,800 ÷ 3 = $2,600

So approximately:

$2,600

could be withheld under this simplified example.

Once September arrives and you reach full retirement age, the retirement earnings test stops.

Income you earn after reaching full retirement age does not reduce retirement benefits under the earnings test.

What Happens After You Reach Full Retirement Age?

Starting with the month you reach full retirement age:

there is no Social Security retirement earnings limit.

You can earn:

$30,000

$100,000

or:

$500,000

from work without having retirement benefits reduced because of the retirement earnings test.

You may still owe Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes on wages, and income can potentially affect taxation of Social Security benefits or Medicare income-related premiums.

But those are separate rules.

The retirement earnings test itself ends.

What Is Full Retirement Age in 2027?

Full retirement age depends on your year of birth.

For people born in:

1960 or later

full retirement age is:

That means people born in 1960 will reach full retirement age during 2027.

Someone born in January 1960 reaches FRA in January 2027.

Someone born in June 1960 reaches FRA in June 2027.

Someone born in December 1960 reaches FRA in December 2027.

For the broader retirement-age changes, see our 2027 Social Security Benefit Changes guide.

Are Benefits Withheld Because of Work Lost Forever?

This is one of the most misunderstood parts of Social Security.

Benefits withheld under the retirement earnings test are not necessarily permanently lost in the way many people assume.

SSA says that when you reach full retirement age, it recalculates your benefit to give you credit for months in which benefits were reduced or withheld because of excess earnings.

That means the retirement earnings test is better understood as:

temporary withholding before FRA

rather than simply:

a permanent tax on working retirees.

However, the adjustment does not normally arrive as one large refund check for every dollar previously withheld.

Instead, SSA adjusts your ongoing benefit based on the number of months affected.

The retirement earnings test generally focuses on income from work.

SSA says it counts:

wages from a job;
bonuses;
commissions;
vacation pay; and
net earnings from self-employment.

These types of work income can count toward the earnings test before full retirement age.

What Income Does Not Count Toward the Earnings Test?

SSA says several other forms of income generally do not count toward the retirement earnings test, including:

pensions;
annuities;
investment income;
interest;
veterans benefits; and
other government or military retirement benefits.

This distinction is important.

The earnings test is not a general limit on all money entering your household.

It primarily concerns earnings from work.

These two rules are often confused.

They are completely different.

This determines whether retirement benefits may be temporarily withheld if you:

receive benefits before FRA; and
continue working.

This determines how much of your wages are subject to the 6.2% Social Security payroll tax.

The official 2026 taxable maximum is:

$184,500

The 2026 Trustees Report projects the 2027 taxable maximum at:

$190,200

Again, $190,200 is a projection, not yet the final SSA figure.

Someone can therefore be affected by the retirement earnings test at a much lower income level even though Social Security payroll taxes continue much further up the income scale.

If the Trustees’ projection becomes final, the taxable maximum would rise from:

$184,500 in 2026

to:

$190,200 in 2027

Increase:

$190,200 − $184,500 = $5,700

Percentage increase:

$5,700 ÷ $184,500 × 100 ≈ 3.1%

The employee Social Security tax rate is:

6.2%

So at a hypothetical $190,200 taxable maximum, the maximum employee Social Security tax would be:

$190,200 × 6.2% = $11,792.40

For comparison, the official 2026 maximum is:

$184,500 × 6.2% = $11,439

Difference:

$353.40

These calculations do not include Medicare taxes.

Unlike Social Security tax, Medicare tax generally has no maximum taxable earnings cap.

The answer depends on your age.

If you remain below FRA throughout 2027

Trustees projection:

$25,200

Above that amount, the current rule would generally withhold:

$1 for every $2 of excess earnings

If you reach FRA during 2027

Trustees projection:

$67,200

Only earnings before your FRA month are counted.

Current rule:

$1 withheld for every $3 above the limit

Starting the month you reach FRA

No earnings limit

This is why simply asking:

“How much can I earn while collecting Social Security?”

does not have one answer.

Your age and FRA date matter.

Example: Earning $30,000 While Under Full Retirement Age

Suppose the projected $25,200 limit becomes final.

You earn:

$30,000

Excess:

$30,000 − $25,200 = $4,800

Potential benefits withheld:

$4,800 ÷ 2 = $2,400

So under the current formula, approximately:

$2,400

could be withheld.

Example: Earning $50,000 While Under Full Retirement Age

Annual earnings:

$50,000

Projected limit:

$25,200

Excess:

$24,800

Potential withholding:

$24,800 ÷ 2 = $12,400

If your annual Social Security benefit were lower than that amount, SSA’s actual withholding process would depend on your benefit entitlement and payment schedule.

Example: Earning $100,000 in the Year You Reach FRA

Suppose you reach full retirement age in October 2027.

Only earnings before October count toward the retirement earnings test.

Assume you earn:

$80,000 from January through September

Projected FRA-year limit:

$67,200

Excess:

$80,000 − $67,200 = $12,800

Potential withholding:

$12,800 ÷ 3 ≈ $4,266.67

Beginning with the month you reach FRA, later earnings no longer trigger the retirement earnings test.

What If You Retire in the Middle of 2027?

Social Security has a special monthly earnings rule that can help people who retire during the year.

This can matter if you earned a large amount earlier in the year before retiring.

Without a special rule, someone who earned a high salary from January through June might appear to exceed the annual earnings limit even though they stopped working after retirement.

SSA’s special rule can allow full benefits for qualifying months considered retired, even when annual earnings exceed the yearly threshold.

The rule is particularly relevant during the first year of retirement.

Because individual situations can be complicated, SSA provides an official Retirement Earnings Test Calculator.

Does the Earnings Limit Apply to SSDI?

The retirement earnings test discussed in this article should not be confused with the work rules governing Social Security Disability Insurance.

SSDI has separate concepts including:

substantial gainful activity;
trial work periods; and
disability work incentives.

For 2026, SSA lists separate disability earnings thresholds.

People receiving disability benefits should use SSA’s disability-specific work rules rather than applying the retirement earnings-test limits.

Does the Earnings Test Apply to Survivor Benefits?

The earnings test can apply to certain survivor benefits before full retirement age.

SSA says that for purposes of the annual earnings test, it uses the person’s full retirement age for retirement benefits, even when survivor-benefit full retirement age may differ.

Survivor-benefit situations can become complicated, especially when someone qualifies for more than one type of Social Security benefit.

Beneficiaries should verify their specific case with SSA.

It can.

Social Security retirement benefits are based on your highest years of indexed earnings.

If you continue working and a new earnings year becomes one of your highest years used in the calculation, SSA can recalculate your benefit.

So working while receiving Social Security can have two different effects:

Before FRA: the earnings test may temporarily reduce current payments.

Long term: additional high earnings may increase your underlying benefit if they improve your earnings record.

Not necessarily.

Whether working and claiming Social Security at the same time makes sense depends on factors including:

your age;
full retirement age;
wages;
health;
cash-flow needs;
expected longevity;
spouse or survivor benefits;
tax situation; and
whether continued work could raise your future benefit.

Someone under FRA with a high salary could have a substantial portion of Social Security temporarily withheld.

In that situation, delaying benefits may deserve consideration.

But there is no universal answer for every retiree.

How the 2027 COLA Fits Into the Earnings Limit

The Social Security COLA and retirement earnings limit are separate annual adjustments.

The COLA is based on inflation measured with CPI-W.

The earnings-test exempt amounts are linked to changes in national average wages under Social Security’s statutory formulas.

That means the:

2027 COLA percentage

and:

percentage increase in the earnings limit

do not have to match.

For the latest COLA calculation, see our Social Security COLA inflation formula guide.

You can also estimate a possible new benefit using our Social Security COLA 2027 Calculator.

2027 Earnings Limit vs. 2026

Using the current Trustees projection:

Under-FRA limit

2026:

$24,480

Projected 2027:

$25,200

Increase:

$720

Percentage:

$720 ÷ $24,480 × 100 ≈ 2.94%

FRA-year limit

2026:

$65,160

Projected 2027:

$67,200

Increase:

$2,040

Percentage:

$2,040 ÷ $65,160 × 100 ≈ 3.13%

Again, those 2027 figures remain projected until SSA announces the official limits.

Five Things Working Retirees Should Remember for 2027

1. Your age matters

The rules are very different before and after full retirement age.

2. Only work income generally counts

Investment income and pensions generally do not count toward the retirement earnings test.

3. The FRA-year limit is higher

And only earnings before your FRA month count.

4. Benefits withheld are not simply gone forever

SSA recalculates your benefit at FRA to account for months affected by the earnings test.

5. The current 2027 limits are still projections

Do not make a final income plan around $25,200 or $67,200 until SSA publishes the official 2027 figures.

Frequently Asked Questions

The official 2027 limits have not yet been announced.

The 2026 Social Security Trustees Report projects:

$25,200 for people below full retirement age all year

and:

$67,200 for people reaching full retirement age during 2027.

What is the 2026 earnings limit?

The official 2026 limit is:

$24,480

for someone below FRA all year.

If you remain below full retirement age all year, SSA generally withholds:

$1 for every $2 above the annual limit.

In the year you reach FRA, it generally withholds:

$1 for every $3 above the higher limit

for earnings before your FRA month.

How much can I earn after full retirement age?

There is no retirement earnings-test limit beginning with the month you reach full retirement age.

Is the 2027 $25,200 limit final?

No.

It is a projection from the official 2026 Social Security Trustees Report.

Is the $67,200 limit final?

No.

It is also a Trustees projection.

Generally, no.

SSA says the earnings test focuses on wages and net self-employment income rather than pensions, investments and interest.

Does investment income count?

Generally, no.

Does self-employment income count?

Yes.

SSA generally counts net earnings from self-employment.

Do I lose benefits withheld because I worked?

SSA recalculates your retirement benefit when you reach full retirement age to account for months when benefits were reduced or withheld because of excess earnings.

The 2026 Trustees Report projects:

$190,200

compared with the official $184,500 taxable maximum for 2026.

The 2027 amount is not yet final.

Bottom Line

The official Social Security earnings limits for 2027 have not yet been announced.

But the Social Security Trustees currently project:

$25,200

for beneficiaries who remain below full retirement age all year

and:

$67,200

for people who reach full retirement age during 2027.

Under current rules:

$1 is withheld for every $2 earned above the lower limit

and:

$1 is withheld for every $3 earned above the higher FRA-year limit.

Beginning with the month you reach full retirement age:

there is no retirement earnings-test limit.

The Trustees also project the 2027 Social Security taxable maximum at:

$190,200

up from $184,500 in 2026.

All three 2027 dollar figures remain projections until Social Security publishes the official annual limits.

For retirees who plan to work while collecting benefits, the most important step is to compare expected wages with the correct limit for your age—and remember that the retirement earnings test, Social Security payroll-tax wage base and COLA are three separate rules.

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