Can you be self employed AND on Social Security?

A reader arrived at Small Biz Survival with this search query:
“I want to start a home business, but I’m on Social Security. Can I still be self employed?”

This sounds like a good addition to the Small Biz 100 and tax question for Maesz! Here’s the answer:
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Yes… but

If she is not “full retirement age,” too much net self-employment income may trigger some recapture of her Social Security benefits.

How much is too much? It is different each calendar year due to indexing. On the Social Security website (and page 2) there is a good discussion of this issue–complete with examples.

If she has reached “full retirement age,” she can earn as much as she wants without any adjustment of her Social Security benefits.

HOWEVER, she is in any instance, responsible for self-employment tax and income tax on her earnings from self-employment.
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Thank you, Maesz!

If you have a small business question, leave us a comment.

This article is part of the Small Biz 100, a series of 100 practical hands-on posts for small business people and solo entrepreneurs, whether in a small town, the big city, or in between. If you have questions you’d like us to address in this series, leave a comment or send us an email at becky@smallbizsurvival.com. This is a community project!

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About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband own a retail liquor store in Alva, Oklahoma, and a small cattle ranch nearby. Becky is an international speaker on small business.

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