The average Social Security benefit is $2,071 for a retired worker, as of January 2026.If you're earning around the average benefit, you'd have an annual income of $24,852.
That's probably not enough to live on, so you'll need some money in your retirement plans to supplement it -- unless you also want to work while collecting benefits. Many retirees do want to bring in some income, and that can make good sense to preserve your nest egg while still having enough money to live comfortably.
The big question, though, is whether you can work, either part-time or full-time, without affecting your Social Security checks. Here's what you need to know to find out.
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Can you work while collecting the average Social Security benefit?
You can work while collecting Social Security regardless of whether you get the average monthly payment amount or more or less. However, the impact of your work on your benefits is going to vary depending on:
- Your age
- How much money you earn
If you have already reached full retirement age (FRA), you don't have any limit on the amount you are allowed to earn. You could work part-time, full-time, or even earn millions of dollars and still get your full retirement check.
If you haven't yet reached FRA, though, then that's not the case. Depending on how much you earn, you could lose some or all of the benefits the Social Security Administration is sending you.
This loss of benefits is temporary, as your benefit is recalculated at full retirement age to account for missed income. But it still affects your finances in the short term since your Social Security checks will be smaller than you may have expected in your retirement planning process.
However, while it's normal to be worried about losing your benefits, the reality is you'd likely have to earn a lot at your part-time job to lose your Social Security checks if you're earning the average benefit.
How much of your Social Security benefit will you lose by working?
If you're under FRA, the key numbers you need to know to understand how working your benefit include:
- $24,480: You can earn this much if you'll be under FRA for the full year. Once you exceed this amount, you'll lose $1 in benefits for every $2 above it.
- $65,160: You can earn this much if you will hit FRA sometime during the year. Once you exceed it, you lose $1 in benefits for every $3 earned above it.
If you are collecting the average Social Security check and you'll be under your FRA for the entire year, you'd have to earn $74,184 before you'd lose so much of your Social Security income that your benefits would disappear entirely. And if you'll hit your FRA sometime during the year, the number at which the entire benefit disappears is even higher at $139,716.
Chances are good you won't earn nearly that much if you're working part-time unless your salary at your part-time job is very high.
Of course, you could lose a portion of your payments at a way lower salary level -- as soon as you go above that $24,480 or $65,160 limit. Still, if you're collecting the average Social Security benefit, you'll be able to do a good amount of double-dipping and get both paychecks and Social Security benefits -- unless your part-time job is a very high-paying one.
