Federal old-age, survivors, and disability insurance; earnings test: Social Security Administration. Interim regulations.

The Social Security Administration is issuing interim regulations to implement sections 1, 3, and 4 of Pub. L. 96-473 (enacted October 19, 1980) that make a number of changes in the application of the earnings test for retirement purposes. The provisions are designed to eliminate some unintended and harsh effects of the limitations on the use of the monthly earnings test imposed by the Social Security Amendments of 1977. Section 1 permits the use of the monthly earnings test by those beneficiaries entitled to child's benefits, young wife's and young husband's benefits (entitled only by reason of having an entitled child in their care) or mother's and father's benefits, in the year that entitlement terminates, if termination is for a reason other than death and the beneficiary is not entitled to another type of Social Security benefit for the month following the month of termination. Section 3 excludes from gross income, for purposes of the annual earnings test, self-employment income which is received in a year after the initial year of entitlement to insurance benefits under title II (other than disability benefits and childhood disability benefits) and is not attributable to services performed after the month of entitlement. Section 4 provides for all beneficiaries the use of the monthly earnings test in the first taxable year after 1977 in which a beneficiary has a non-service month in or after the month of entitlement to benefits.