Working in Retirement? It Can Change Your Social Security Check.
Working in Retirement? It Can Change Your Social Security Check.
Maurie Backman, The Motley FoolMon, April 20, 2026 at 7:28 AM UTC
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Key Points -
Social Security recipients are allowed to have jobs.
Your age will determine whether you're subject to an earnings test.
Earning too much could alter your monthly payments.
The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook ›
For a lot of people, retirement signifies the end of work. And there's nothing wrong with deciding you'll never hold down a job again once your retirement begins.
But working in retirement offers a number of benefits. First, there's financial upside. A part-time check could take a lot of pressure off of your savings and supplement your income nicely.
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Social Security cards.
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There can be social and mental health benefits, too. A job gives you an opportunity to leave the house, talk to people, and get some structure in your weekly routine. It might also help give you a sense of purpose -- something career-minded people risk losing once their time in the workforce comes to an end.
If you're planning to work in retirement, you should know that it may have an impact on your Social Security checks. That impact could be a positive one, but it may also have negative repercussions.
How Social Security's earnings test works
Social Security's earnings test applies to people who earn money from employment and who have not yet reached full retirement age, which is 67 for folks born in 1960 or later. Exceeding the earnings-test limit results in having benefits withheld temporarily, so it's an important thing to know about.
The earnings-test limit changes every year. In 2026:
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You'll have $1 in Social Security withheld per $2 of earnings above $24,480 if you won't be reaching full retirement age this year.
You'll have $1 in Social Security withheld per $3 of earnings above $65,160 if you will be reaching full retirement age this year.
Withheld benefits are not forfeited. Once you reach full retirement age, the Social Security Administration will recalculate your monthly benefits and return the money to you via larger checks. But in the near term, those checks could shrink.
There's a financial upside, too
On a positive note, working in retirement could lead to larger Social Security checks down the line -- not just because you're getting withheld benefits back, but because you're eligible for larger ones based on your additional wages.
Social Security takes your 35 highest-earning years into account when determining what monthly benefit you get. If you don't have a full 35-year work history, it's reflected in that calculation.
If you're able to replace a few years you had no earnings with income from a part-time job in retirement, it could lead to larger Social Security checks once the SSA recalculates your benefits. So even if you're working more so for fun than money, you could end up with larger benefits as a happy result.
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