Social Security earnings limit before FRA - does spouse's income count toward the threshold?

The earnings test limit only applies to YOUR earnings, not your spouse's. So if you're making $15,000 from your consulting work, only that amount counts toward the $22,300 threshold (for 2025). Your wife can earn as much as she wants without affecting your benefits. But remember this only applies to wages/self-employment - investment income, pension, etc. don't count either.

my brother thought the same thing but nope its only YOUR income that counts! his wife makes like 80k and hes on SS early and its fine no problems

The earnings limit only applies to the person receiving Social Security benefits. Your wife's earnings don't affect your benefits at all. However, there are two important things to understand: 1. The earnings test only counts wages and self-employment income - not investment income, pensions, or other government benefits 2. While your wife's income doesn't count toward the earnings test, your combined income DOES affect how much of your Social Security might be taxable on your tax return. Up to 85% of your benefits could be taxable depending on your combined income. If you earn over the limit, SSA withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above the threshold.

Everyone here is right that only YOUR earnings count toward the limit. But I want to point out something important - after you reach Full Retirement Age (FRA), there is NO earnings limit. You can make as much as you want without any reduction in benefits. So this is only a temporary concern until you reach your FRA.

I went through this EXACT situation last year. The earnings test only applies to YOUR income. HOWEVER, be careful with your consulting income - if you're self-employed, SSA counts your NET earnings (after business expenses), not gross. Also, they count income when it's earned, not when it's paid - so December work paid in January still counts for December's year. Also, in the first year you claim benefits, they use a monthly earnings test rather than annual, which can actually be more favorable depending on when you start benefits and when you earn income.

I thought the same thing when my husband retired but they definitely dont count spouses income for the earnings test BUT they do look at combined income for tax purposes its really confusing!!!

OMG trying to get answers from SS about this was a NIGHTMARE. I spent weeks trying to get through to someone who could explain this clearly. I finally found a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an SSA agent in 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - totally worth it because the agent was able to walk through exactly how my specific situation would be affected by the earnings test. Highly recommend if you have more detailed questions.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you report your earnings changes to SSA regularly! If you end up earning more than you expected from your consulting, tell them right away. Otherwise, you could end up with an overpayment that you have to pay back later. Much better to have the correct amount withheld along the way than get a surprise bill.

To follow up on your tax question - yes, you can estimate how much of your benefits might be taxable. For joint filers, if your combined income (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of SS benefits) is: - Below $32,000: No tax on SS benefits - Between $32,000-$44,000: Up to 50% of benefits taxable - Above $44,000: Up to 85% of benefits taxable With your consulting income plus your wife's salary, you'd likely be in the 85% range.

Regarding reporting income changes - the easiest way is through your my Social Security account online. You can update your earnings estimate there. If your situation is more complex, that's when talking to an agent can really help sort things out.

Just want to add one more thing that helped me when I was in a similar situation - keep really good records of your consulting income throughout the year. I use a simple spreadsheet to track when I do work, when I get paid, and what my running total is. This makes it super easy to update SSA if needed and also helps at tax time. Since you're doing consulting work, you'll probably want to make quarterly estimated tax payments anyway, so having that running tally is really useful for planning purposes.

Another thing to consider - if your consulting income varies month to month, you might want to look into the monthly earnings test for your first year of benefits. In the year you start collecting Social Security, SSA can apply either the annual limit OR a monthly limit (which is the annual limit divided by 12, so about $1,858 per month for 2025). They'll use whichever method is more favorable to you. This can be really helpful if you have some high-earning months and some low-earning months, especially if you start benefits mid-year. Just make sure to keep track of your monthly earnings separately in case you need to reference this option.