Claiming Social Security Early in 2026?
Here’s How Much You Can Earn From a Job Before Losing Benefits
You’re finally old enough to apply for Social Security, but financially, you’re not quite ready to retire. So you decide to claim checks anyway while you continue to work and save for the future. There’s nothing to stop you from doing this, but depending on your age, you could cost yourself some of your Social Security checks.
Expect your monthly benefits to dip if your income exceeds the following thresholds. How the Social Security earnings test works The reason you can lose some of your benefits if you’re working and claiming Social Security at the same time is the earnings test. This little-known rule applies only to those claiming Social Security before their full retirement age (FRA) — 67 for most people.