Social Security earnings limit for joint tax filers - will my spouse's income count against my $23,400 limit?

Good news - the earnings test only applies to YOUR individual earnings, not your spouse's. Your wife can earn $250,000 next year and it won't affect your benefits at all. The Social Security earnings limit only counts wages or self-employment income that YOU earn. The fact that you file taxes jointly is completely irrelevant to how SSA applies the earnings test. They only look at your individual earnings record.

WRONG INFO ABOVE!!!! My husband and I went through this last year and they DID count our combined income!!! We filed jointly and they took away almost $400/month from his checks because I was still working. The SSA office told us we should have filed TAXES separately to avoid this!!! Don't listen to people who don't know what there talking about!!!

my sister had this problem to...she retired at 62 but her husband kept working. they told her at first his income counted but then when she went back they said it didn't. the SS people don't even know there own rules sometimes lol

The previous responses are mostly correct. The earnings test ONLY applies to the person receiving benefits. Your spouse's earnings have zero impact on whether your benefits are reduced under the earnings test. I work with retirees all the time who are in your exact situation. However, there is one caveat: if you have any involvement in your spouse's business (like helping out occasionally, even without direct payment), the SSA might consider some of that as your income. They can be quite strict about this with family businesses. Also, remember that while your spouse's income doesn't affect the earnings test, your combined income WILL affect how much of your Social Security is taxable on your federal tax return. That's a completely separate issue from the earnings test.

When I retired in 2023 I was so confused about this too!! But yes everyone is right - only YOUR earnings count toward the limit. But watch out because they count GROSS earnings not what you take home!

Ugh I tried calling SSA three times to ask this EXACT question last month and couldn't get through to anyone. Kept getting disconnected after waiting for 45+ minutes each time. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at SSA in about 20 minutes. They confirmed what others are saying - spouse income doesn't count toward YOUR earnings limit. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU

i don't understand why the goverment has to take money away from seniors anyways... we worked are whole lives for those benefits!!

One more important point that hasn't been mentioned: Even if you do exceed your individual earnings limit, the $1 for every $2 reduction isn't as bad as it sounds. Here's why: 1. If you earn $25,400 (which is $2,000 over the $23,400 limit), they would only withhold $1,000 for the year. 2. SSA doesn't take a little from each check - they typically withhold full months of benefits at the beginning of the year until they've satisfied the withholding amount. 3. Most importantly, these aren't permanent reductions. When you reach your Full Retirement Age, SSA will recalculate your benefit and give you credit for the months they withheld, which increases your monthly payment going forward.

Just wanted to add one more reassurance for you - I went through this exact situation when I retired at 62 in 2021. My husband continued working and earning over $100K, and it had zero impact on my Social Security benefits. The earnings test is truly individual-only. One tip though: keep good records of YOUR earnings throughout the year. SSA uses estimated earnings when they set up your benefits, but they do an annual reconciliation. If you earn less than expected, you might get a refund or higher payments the following year. If you earn more, you might owe them back some benefits. But again, this is all based solely on what YOU earn, not your spouse. Good luck with your retirement planning!

I'm in a similar boat - planning to retire early while my spouse keeps working. This thread has been incredibly helpful! One thing I'd add is that you should also consider notifying SSA if your earnings change significantly during the year. I've heard they can adjust your benefits mid-year if you provide documentation showing your earnings will be lower than initially estimated, which could help you avoid having benefits withheld unnecessarily. Has anyone had experience with requesting these mid-year adjustments?

This thread has been incredibly informative! As someone approaching retirement myself, I want to emphasize one additional point that might help others in similar situations: if you're concerned about accidentally exceeding the earnings limit, consider having SSA withhold a small amount from each monthly payment throughout the year rather than risking a large overpayment at year-end. You can request this by calling SSA or visiting a local office. They'll estimate your likely excess earnings and spread the withholding across 12 months instead of potentially having to pay back thousands in a lump sum when you file your annual report. This gives you more predictable monthly income and avoids the stress of owing money back to SSA. Also, just to reiterate what others have said - your spouse's income truly doesn't matter for the earnings test. I've seen too many people unnecessarily file separate tax returns thinking it would help, when it actually costs them more in taxes while providing zero benefit for Social Security purposes.

I just wanted to chime in as someone who works at a local SSA field office - the information provided here is absolutely correct. The earnings test is applied ONLY to the individual beneficiary's earnings, never to their spouse's income, regardless of tax filing status. I see this confusion come up regularly, and I think it stems from people mixing up two completely different concepts: 1) the earnings test (which determines if benefits are reduced) and 2) the taxation of Social Security benefits (which does consider combined income on joint returns). These are totally separate issues administered by different agencies. For anyone still worried about this, I'd recommend reviewing SSA Publication No. 05-10069 "How Work Affects Your Benefits" - it clearly explains that only YOUR wages and self-employment income count toward the annual earnings limit. Your spouse could earn millions and it wouldn't affect your Social Security earnings test calculation at all. The confusion is understandable, but the rule is actually quite straightforward once you understand it applies only to the beneficiary's individual earnings.

As a newcomer here, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm in almost the exact same situation as Cole - planning to retire at 62 next year while my spouse continues working. I was really worried about how her income might affect my Social Security benefits, but this thread has completely cleared up my confusion. The distinction between the earnings test (individual only) and Social Security taxation (combined income) that several people mentioned is so important. I had definitely been mixing those up in my mind. And I really appreciate the practical tips about keeping good records, potentially requesting voluntary withholding to avoid overpayments, and the reassurance that any withheld benefits get credited back when you reach full retirement age. Special thanks to Freya for the official SSA perspective and that publication reference - it's great to have authoritative confirmation from someone who deals with these questions professionally. This community is such a valuable resource for navigating these complex retirement decisions!