Quiz: How Well Do You Understand the Social Security Earnings Test?
Test your basic knowledge of the Social Security earnings test in our quick quiz.
Planning your retirement finances often means navigating complex rules, especially if you intend to keep working while collecting benefits early. The Social Security Retirement Earnings Test (RET) is a crucial rule that can temporarily reduce your benefits if you are under your Full Retirement Age (FRA) and earn over a certain limit.
This quick, 10-question quiz covers the essential basics of the earnings test, including who the test applies to, how benefits are affected by different income levels, and the all-important fact that any reduced benefits are not lost forever. Test your knowledge to ensure you understand this key component of your retirement strategy!
And don't worry if you miss an answer; you can follow the links below the quiz to brush up on your knowledge.
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More on Social Security, from the Kiplinger team:
- 2026 Social Security COLA is 2.8%: What You Need to Know
- Six Changes Coming to Social Security in 2026
- Social Security Earnings Tests: Five Things You Must Know
- Social Security Basics: Things You Must Know About Claiming and Maximizing Your Social Security Benefits
- What's My Social Security Full Retirement Age (FRA)?
- Delay Social Security Benefits — Even by a Month — to Boost Your Check
- When To Take Social Security Payments: Your Age Matters
- Reasons to Take Social Security Early
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Donna joined Kiplinger as a personal finance writer in 2023. She spent more than a decade as the contributing editor of J.K.Lasser's Your Income Tax Guide and edited state specific legal treatises at ALM Media. She has shared her expertise as a guest on Bloomberg, CNN, Fox, NPR, CNBC and many other media outlets around the nation. She is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and the University at Buffalo.
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