What’s the Social Security Earnings Limit for 2025?

Jeremy Keil explains how much you can earn working while receiving your Social Security benefit in 2025.

When you’re on Social Security, the last thing you want is an unexpected cut to your monthly benefit just because you’re still working. That’s why understanding the Annual Earnings Test is so important — especially if you plan to earn income before or while receiving Social Security.

There are three different sets of rules depending on your age and when you reach Full Retirement Age (FRA). Each one comes with its own limit, and knowing which one applies to you can make a big difference in how much of your benefit you actually get to keep.

Let’s walk through the current numbers so you know exactly what to look for:

1. Once You Reach Full Retirement Age — No Limit!

Once you’ve hit your Full Retirement Age (somewhere between 66 and 67, depending on when you were born), the Annual Earnings Test disappears. You can earn as much as you want from work without worrying about losing any of your Social Security benefits.

If you love your work, want to stay busy, or need the extra income, this is great news — you can earn freely without penalty.

2. The Year You Reach Full Retirement Age — A Higher Limit

If you’re in the calendar year that you’ll reach your Full Retirement Age, you get a much higher earnings limit. For 2025, that amount is $62,160 — but here’s the key: only your earnings before the month you reach FRA count toward that limit.

So, for example, if you turn 67 in October, only your earnings from January through September count. Anything you make after your birthday month doesn’t affect your benefit.

3. Before Full Retirement Age — The Standard Limit

If you haven’t reached your Full Retirement Age yet, your 2025 annual earnings limit is $23,400. That’s the total amount you can earn from work before Social Security starts withholding part of your benefit.

It’s important to note that these limits only apply to earned income — things like wages or self-employment income. Investment earnings, pensions, or withdrawals from retirement accounts don’t count toward the test.

These are the key numbers you need to know to avoid a surprise in your Social Security check. But knowing the limits is just the first step — the real strategy comes from understanding how to time your benefits and your income to get the most from Social Security throughout your retirement.

I created a longer, in-depth video that walks you through exactly how the Social Security Earnings Limit works and how you can use it to your advantage.

About the Author:

Jeremy Keil, CFP^®, CFA^® is a financial advisor in Milwaukee, WI, author of the bestseller Retire Today: Create Your Retirement Master Plan in 5 Simple Steps and host of both the Retire Today Podcast and Mr. Retirement YouTube channel

Links:

• Buy Jeremy’s book – Retire Today: Create Your Retirement Master Plan in 5 Simple Steps
• Learn how to build your full retirement income plan at FiveStepRetirementPlan.com 
• SSA.gov 
• Social Security and Work: How Much Can You Make in 2025? – Mr. Retirement YouTube
• Work with my team to get more income, pay less in taxes, and avoid big retirement mistakes: KeilFP.com

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