2024 Social Security Earnings Limit: $22,320 (Official)
A published yearly amount and the rule that uses it.
Official
Under FRA all year
$22,320
Work income and withholding.
Below FRA for the full year, SSA withholds $1 in benefits per $2 earned above this limit. The higher FRA-year limit is $59,520, with $1 withheld per $3 earned before the FRA month.
Calculate withholding| Year | Primary amount | FRA-year amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $22,320 | $59,520 | Official |
| 2025 | $23,400 | $62,160 | Official |
| 2026 | $24,480 | $65,160 | Official |
| 2027 | $25,680 | $68,280 | Projected |
| 2028 | $26,880 | $71,640 | Projected |
Questions, answered.
Is the 2024 amount announced?
Yes. The linked SSA publication is the authority for the amount.
Does investment income count toward the earnings test?
The retirement earnings test generally uses wages and net self-employment earnings, not pensions or investment income. Taxation of Social Security is a separate calculation.
Is the wage base my retirement benefit?
No. It is the earnings ceiling for the Social Security payroll-tax portion. PIA uses indexed earnings and bend points; claiming age then changes the payment.
Does the COLA set all these limits?
No. Wage-base, earnings-test and bend-point changes use wage-indexing rules. COLA uses CPI-W. Future projections must keep those assumptions separate.
Check the sources.
Data checked October 1, 2026. Announced October 12, 2023.