He Sold $30,000 of Grain After Retiring. Social Security’s Answer Depended on When He Grew It.

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The SSA excludes grain-sale income from the retirement earnings test only if the farmer grew and harvested the crop before Social Security entitlement began.

The same carry-over crop income can skip the retirement earnings test, still face self-employment tax, and count toward the farmer's Social Security earnings record.

Farmers under full retirement age face a $24,480 earnings limit in 2026, with Social Security withholding $1 for every $2 earned above it.

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