Social Security earnings limit question - Do marketplace sales and plasma donations count toward the $1860 monthly limit?

I went through this exact situation with my dad last year! The plasma donations do NOT count toward the earnings limit because SSA considers that 'selling a product' (your plasma) rather than wages from employment. For the Marketplace sales, it depends. If he's just selling stuff occasionally like a hobby, that's not counted. But if he's running it like a business with regular hours, buying inventory, and making consistent profit, then SSA would consider that self-employment income that DOES count toward the limit. Basically, if he's filing taxes as self-employed for the repair/sales activity, it counts. If it's just casual selling, it doesn't. Hope that helps!

The previous comment is close but not entirely accurate. For Social Security earnings test purposes, what matters is NET earnings from self-employment, not gross income. If your husband is regularly buying, repairing and selling items for profit, SSA will likely classify this as self-employment income even if he doesn't have fixed hours. For your Marketplace/eBay activity, he would need to track: - What he paid for items - Cost of materials for repairs - Any other business expenses - Final selling prices The NET profit (sales minus expenses) is what counts toward the earnings limit. SSA uses the same definition as IRS Schedule C. For plasma donation, the commenter is correct - this is NOT counted against the earnings limit.

my brother does the same thing with fixing up old motorcycles!!! he told me SSA doesnt care about "hobby income" as long as its not regular like a job. but anyways he went over the limit one month last year and lost his check and it was a NIGHTMARE to get it back. took like 3 months :

This is a common misunderstanding. Social Security doesn't distinguish between "hobby income" and "business income" - they care about whether you're engaged in what the IRS would classify as self-employment. The key factors are: 1. Is there continuity and regularity of activity? 2. Is there a profit motive? If your husband is regularly fixing items specifically to sell them, that's self-employment in SSA's eyes, even if it's small-scale or inconsistent. However, if he's just occasionally selling personal items you no longer need (like regular decluttering), that's not counted. For the plasma donation - that is explicitly excluded from earnings test calculations per POMS RS 02505.240. I recommend calling SSA directly to get a definitive answer for your specific situation, but be prepared for a very long wait time. It's almost impossible to get through these days.

have u tried using claimyr.com to get thru to SSA? my sister used it when she had an overpayment issue and it actually worked. they got her connected to a real person in like 20 mins instead of waiting for hours. they have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU waaay better than trying to call yourself. good luck!

I think your all overthinking this. SSA is mostly concerned with W2 income when it comes to the earnings test. If he's not getting a paycheck from an employer with taxes taken out, they probably won't even know about the other income unless you report it. Just saying!

Oh gosh, I'm in a SIMILAR situation!!! My husband repairs old guitars and sells them on Reverb and Ebay, and we've been SO CONFUSED about the earnings limit too! I thought I understood it but now I'm second guessing everything. Does anyone know if SSA looks at the 1099-K forms from these selling platforms? Because those don't show your expenses, just total sales! We've been keeping receipts but I'm terrified we'll mess this up somehow.

One thing nobody's mentioned - if your husband goes over the earnings limit in a month, ONLY THAT MONTH'S benefits are affected. It's not like you lose everything forever! And once he reaches full retirement age (66+), the earnings limit goes away completely and he can earn as much as he wants with no penalty. So even if you make a mistake, it's not the end of the world.

wait plasma donations are worth $500 a month???? maybe i should start doing that lol