Collecting Social Security while still working is completely allowed — but if you claimed benefits before your full retirement age, there's a dollar limit on how much you can earn before SSA starts temporarily withholding part of your check. * If you'll be under full retirement age for all of 2026, the earnings limit is $24,480 for the year. Earn more than that, and SSA withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 you make above the limit — not your whole check, just a portion tied directly to the excess. * If you're turning full retirement age sometime in 2026, a more generous, separate limit applies: $65,160, counting only the earnings from January up through the month before your birthday hits your FRA. The withholding rate is also gentler in this scenario — $1 withheld for every $3 earned above that limit, instead of $1 for every $2. * Once you actually reach full retirement age, the earnings limit disappears entirely. From that month forward, you can earn any amount of income from work and still receive your full Social Security benefit with no reduction at all. * Here's the detail most people miss and that makes this less painful than it sounds: money withheld under the earnings test isn't gone forever. SSA recalculates your benefit once you hit full retirement age to credit you for the months benefits were reduced or withheld, which means you get that money back over time through a permanently higher monthly payment.