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Andy Markowitz is an AARP senior writer and editor covering Social Security and retirement. He is a former editor of the Prague Post and Baltimore City Paper.
Yes, if your income exceeds the Social Security earnings limit. In that case, Social Security will reduce not just your monthly payment but also any benefits paid to your spouse or children on your earnings record (sometimes called “auxiliary” or “dependent” benefits).
The difference could be considerable if you earn well above the limit, which in 2026 is $24,480 for people who will not reach full retirement age until 2027 or later. (The cap is adjusted annually to reflect wage trends and goes up to $25,560 in 2027.) For every $2 you earn over the limit, Social Security deducts $1 from your total family benefit.
More Ways to Benefit
- Related Benefit 1
- Related Benefit 2
- Related Benefit 3
- Related Benefit 4
- Related Benefit 5
In determining auxiliary benefits, Social Security prorates that reduction across your “family maximum.” That’s the most your family can receive based on your work record. The family maximum, calculated by Social Security, falls between 150 and 188 percent of your full retirement benefit.
Keep in mind
- The income-related deduction from benefits, and the accompanying impact on spouses and children, is lower in the calendar year in which you reach full retirement age and disappears entirely in the month you hit that age.
- Full retirement age is 66 and 10 months for people born in 1959 and settles at 67 for those born in 1960 and after.
More on Social Security
Is There a Social Security Limit for Couples?
Both spouses can receive retirement payments based on their respective earnings records
Can Couples Still Use 'File and Suspend'?
In 2015, Congress eliminated the loophole that made "file and suspend" possible