The Social Security Earnings Penalty for Self-Employed People

The Social Security Earnings Penalty for Self-Employed People
The "retirement test" social security law can get complicated fast, especially in the case of those who are self employed. Miljan Zivkovic/Shutterstock
Tom Margenau
Updated:

“Well, Tom, you see, I’m a farmer. I got me about 100 acres of beans, and I really only work two months a year. I plant those beans in April and I harvest them in October. The rest of the time, I’m pretty much sitting on my butt. Oh, I mend a fence or two and work on my equipment. But that don’t take no 45 hours, so I want my Social Security check for the other 10 months of the year.”

What’s that all about? I'll get back to the bean farmer in just a bit. But first, I’ve got to tell you all about the Social Security “retirement test,” and especially how it applies to self-employed people.

Tom Margenau
Tom Margenau
Author
Tom Margenau worked for 32 years in a variety of positions for the Social Security Administration before retiring in 2005. He has served as the director of SSA’s public information office, the chief editor of more than 100 SSA publications, a deputy press officer and spokesman, and a speechwriter for the commissioner of Social Security. For 12 years, he also wrote Social Security columns for local newspapers, and recently published the book “Social Security: Simple and Smart.” If you have a Social Security question, contact him at [email protected]
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