If you did not earn more than $1,860 or perform substantial services in self-employment in any month of 2024, select "All."
Exception: If you reached full retirement age in 2024 or a prior year, select "All" only if you did not earn more than $4,960 in any month or perform substantial services in self-employment in any month of 2024.
Otherwise, indicate each month you did not earn more than the monthly amount and did not perform substantial services in self-employment.
Reason: Some people who retire in mid-year have already earned more than their yearly earnings limit. That is why we have a special rule that applies to earnings for one year, usually the first year of retirement. The special rule lets us pay you a full Social Security check for any whole month we consider you retired, regardless of your yearly earnings.
"Substantial services in self-employment" means that you spend more than 45 hours working in your business during the month or between 15 and 45 hours a month working in a highly skilled occupation.