Social Security earnings limit question - does SS benefit count toward $22,300 annual limit?
Just got approved for my retirement benefits and expecting my first check on November 20th! I'm only 64 and want to keep working part-time at my job. I understand there's an earnings limit of $22,300 for 2025 since I'm under my full retirement age, but I'm confused about something - does the money I get from Social Security count toward this earnings limit? Or is it just my wages from my part-time job that count? I really don't want to accidentally go over the limit and have SS take back some of my benefits. Anyone know for sure?
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Jessica Suarez
Only your wages from work count toward the $22,300 annual earnings limit. Your Social Security benefits are not counted as earnings for this purpose. The earnings limit only applies to money you earn from working, like W-2 wages or self-employment income. Your monthly Social Security checks don't count against this limit at all.
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Jay Lincoln
•Thank you so much for clearing that up! So I could potentially receive $30,000 in SS benefits and still earn up to $22,300 from my part-time job without any reduction in benefits? That's a relief!
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Marcus Williams
no ur SS money doesnt count towards earnings limit, just reg work money. i went thru this last yr, only W2 money counts
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Lily Young
•This is correct, but I should add that it's specifically earned income that counts. So that includes wages from employment (W-2 income) and net earnings from self-employment. Other unearned income like pension payments, investment income, interest, annuities, and capital gains also don't count toward the earnings test limit.
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Kennedy Morrison
Be careful!! I thought the same thing but ended up owing money back! The SSA counts GROSS earnings not NET and they don't tell you this!! So if you make $22,400 gross but only take home $19,000 after taxes you're STILL OVER THE LIMIT!! This happened to me and I had to pay back benefits, it was HORRIBLE! And they take money out $1 for every $2 you go over so be super careful!!!
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Jessica Suarez
•You're absolutely right about SSA counting gross earnings, not net take-home pay. That's a really important distinction. However, to clarify for the original poster, while your earnings are counted as gross amounts, your Social Security benefits themselves still don't count toward the earnings limit at all. Only the money you earn from working counts.
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Wesley Hallow
I went through this last year! No, your SS payments definitely don't count toward the limit. Just what you earn at your job. But remember that it's $1 reduction for every $2 you earn above the limit. So if you go over by $1000, they only reduce your annual benefits by $500. It's not like you lose everything. My brother thought that and almost quit his job unnecessarily!
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Justin Chang
The earnings limit only applies to money you earn from working. Your Social Security benefits are NOT counted. What does count: wages, bonuses, commissions, vacation pay, and net earnings from self-employment. What doesn't count: pensions, investment income, interest, veterans or other government benefits, and of course your Social Security benefits. Also note that in the year you first retire, SSA uses a monthly earnings test rather than annual, which can be helpful if you retire mid-year. You can earn more than a proportional amount of the annual limit in the months before you start benefits.
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Jay Lincoln
•That's really helpful, thank you. I'm actually cutting back to part-time rather than fully retiring, but good to know about the monthly test. I'll make sure to stay under $1,858 per month ($22,300 ÷ 12) after I start receiving benefits.
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Grace Thomas
When I tried to call Social Security to ask a question like this, I kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold for over an hour! It was so frustrating. Then my neighbor told me about this service called Claimyr that gets you through to a real person at Social Security. I checked out their video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU and decided to try it. They called SSA, waited on hold for me, and then called me when they had an agent on the line. Saved me hours of frustration! The agent confirmed that SS benefits don't count toward the earnings limit, just your work income.
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Marcus Williams
•does that really work? i hate calling ssa, always on hold forever
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Wesley Hallow
My mom just went through this! Let me tell u what happened to her - she's 63 and started SS in January but still works at Walmart. The only money that counted toward her limit was her Walmart paychecks. Her SS checks didn't count at all toward the $22,300 limit.
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Kennedy Morrison
I'm still confused about this whole thing. If I earn too much, do they take back ALL my benefits or just some of them??? I'm starting SS next year but I'm worried about this limit thing. I keep hearing different things!
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Lily Young
•They don't take back all your benefits if you exceed the earnings limit. For people under Full Retirement Age, SSA withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above the annual limit ($22,300 in 2025). For example, if you earn $24,300 (which is $2,000 over the limit), they would withhold $1,000 in benefits for the year (half of the $2,000 overage). When you reach your Full Retirement Age, there are no more earnings limits and you can earn as much as you want with no reduction in benefits.
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Marcus Williams
my sister had this same ? last yr. its just ur work $ that counts, not SS $. btw dont forget they look at GROSS pay not takehome
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Jay Lincoln
Thanks everyone for the great info! So it sounds like the consensus is that my Social Security benefits don't count toward the earnings limit, just my work income (and gross, not net). That's exactly what I needed to know. I'll be careful to stay under the $22,300 limit with my part-time job. I appreciate all your help!
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Justin Chang
•Just one more important thing to keep in mind: the earnings limit increases in the year you reach your Full Retirement Age, and then disappears completely the month you reach FRA. So depending on your birth year and how close you are to your FRA, you might have different limits applying soon. It's worth checking the SSA website for the specific limits that apply to your situation.
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