Social Security earnings limit - does income count from January 1 or from when benefits start?

SSA counts ALL of your earnings for the entire calendar year, regardless of when you start benefits. So yes, your $7,800 from January-March will count toward the $23,400 annual limit even though you weren't receiving benefits then. The only exception is the year you reach Full Retirement Age - then they only count earnings in the months before your FRA month. But since you didn't mention being close to FRA, I'm assuming the regular rules apply to you.

my sister started ss last yr and they counted ALL her income from january even tho she didnt start bennefits til june. its super annoying but thats how they do it. u might wanna wait til january 2026 to start if ur already made 7800 this yr, just saying

I think the previous responses might be confusing you. It's important to understand exactly how the earnings test works: 1. SSA counts earnings in the ENTIRE calendar year, regardless of when you start benefits 2. For your first year on benefits, they do provide a monthly earnings test OPTION (different from the special rule in the year you reach FRA) 3. Under this monthly option, you can receive full benefits for any month your earnings are under $1,950 (1/12 of the annual limit) AND you didn't perform substantial services in self-employment You might want to call SSA directly to discuss your particular situation and options, but be prepared to wait on hold for hours.

I actually found a service called Claimyr that gets you through to SSA agents without the ridiculous wait time. It actually worked for me when I had questions about my survivor benefits calculation. You can check it out at claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU This would definitely be a case where talking directly to an SSA rep is worth it, since the earnings test rules can get complicated with the monthly vs. annual options.

Wait a minute guys I thought SS was 19,650?? where are you getting 23,400 from? did it change this year??

I HAD THE EXACT SAME SITUATION LAST YEAR!!! The whole system is ridiculous. They take our money our whole lives then make us jump through hoops to get it back. I ended up having to pay back $3,760 because I went over the limit by $7,520. They didn't even TELL ME until after the year was over and by then it was TOO LATE to do anything about it!! Just be SUPER careful about tracking your income!

To answer your follow-up question - SSA typically doesn't reduce your benefits immediately when you go over the earnings limit. What usually happens is: 1. When you apply for benefits, they ask about your expected earnings for the year 2. If you expect to exceed the limit, they may withhold some benefits preemptively 3. After the year ends, they receive your actual earnings from IRS 4. Then they make adjustments - either sending you additional benefits if they withheld too much, or creating an overpayment if they didn't withhold enough However, you should report to SSA if your earnings will be different than what you initially told them. This helps avoid surprises later.

sooo wait... does this mean they count ALL income or just wages? like what if i sell some stuff online or rent out a room in my house? does that count toward the 23,400? im so confused by all these rules!

i remember my uncle had to deal with this when he retired he told me its always better to just wait til FRA then u dont have to worry about any earninsg limit at all. but i get it if u need the money now, just be super careful cuz SS doesnt mess around with overpayments!!