Perfect, thank you! That's exactly what I needed to know. It's so helpful to have clear explanations from people who understand these complex rules.

Great thread everyone! As someone who recently went through this decision process with my spouse, I wanted to add that it's also worth considering getting a personalized Social Security statement from ssa.gov to run the actual numbers. The "my Social Security" online account will show you projected benefits at different claiming ages, which really helped us visualize the long-term impact of taking benefits early vs waiting. Jackson, given your wife's potential spousal benefit of $2,200 vs her own benefit of $1,200, waiting definitely seems like the smart move financially - that's a significant difference that would compound over her lifetime!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm 66 and just started collecting Social Security two months ago while continuing to work at $72,000 annually - significantly higher than my career average of around $52,000. I had been worried that I'd need to file special paperwork or make calls to SSA to ensure my continued earnings were properly credited. Reading everyone's experiences with the AERO process has been such a relief. The fact that it's completely automatic and happens every October takes away so much stress. I love Arjun's suggestion about keeping a copy of your Social Security statement from before you start collecting - I'm going to pull mine up online today and save it for comparison. What really gives me confidence is hearing from people like Carlos who have been through multiple recalculations with real dollar amounts. Even his smaller $12 increase in the second year shows the system is working exactly as designed - every higher earning year that can replace a lower one will result in some benefit boost, no matter how small. For anyone else just starting this journey, this discussion has convinced me that the combination of collecting benefits at FRA while continuing to work at higher earnings is truly the best of both worlds. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed, practical information!

As someone who's been working in HR for over 20 years and has helped countless employees navigate Social Security decisions, I can confirm that everything shared here about AERO is spot-on. The Automatic Earnings Reappraisal Operation really is one of the best-kept secrets of Social Security - most people have no idea it exists! What I always tell employees approaching FRA is exactly what Hugo discovered: if you're earning significantly more now than your career average, continuing to work while collecting can be incredibly beneficial. Those higher earnings will automatically replace lower years in your calculation, and the increases compound over time. One additional point I'd make - for anyone with gaps in their work history (like time off for raising children or periods of unemployment), the AERO process can be especially impactful since you're potentially replacing zero-earning years. Every year of substantial earnings helps fill in those gaps in your 35-year calculation. The October timing everyone mentioned is consistent with what I've observed helping retirees. SSA is actually quite reliable with this process once you understand how it works. Great thread everyone - this is exactly the kind of practical information that helps people make informed retirement decisions!

As a dental hygienist myself who made this transition two years ago in Pennsylvania (similar tax situation), I wanted to add a few practical tips: 1. Talk to your current employer about part-time options BEFORE you claim Social Security. Some dental practices are very flexible with reduced schedules for experienced hygienists, while others prefer full-time only. Knowing your work situation first will help you plan better. 2. Consider timing your claim strategically with your work schedule. I waited until July to claim benefits so I could see how my spring tax situation looked with just work income, then added Social Security for the second half of the year. 3. Keep detailed records of your work earnings throughout the year. Even though there's no earnings limit after FRA, you'll want accurate numbers for tax planning and to track how your continued work affects your future benefit calculations. 4. If you're like me and enjoy the work but want less stress, part-time hygiene work can be really rewarding! You maintain your skills and professional connections while having more flexibility. The transition has worked out great for me - I work 3 days a week, get my full Social Security benefits, and actually feel less financial stress than when I was working full-time and worrying about retirement savings.

Just wanted to add one more consideration that hasn't been mentioned yet - delayed retirement credits! Even though you're planning to claim at your FRA of 67, if you can afford to delay claiming Social Security while working part-time, your benefit will increase by 8% per year until age 70. So if your full benefit at 67 would be $2,000/month, waiting until 70 would give you about $2,480/month for life (plus all future cost-of-living adjustments on that higher base). With part-time income from dental hygiene work, you might be able to bridge those 3 years and significantly boost your lifetime Social Security income. Of course, this only makes sense if you're healthy and expect to live well into your 80s or beyond. But given that you're already thinking about working part-time, it might be worth running the numbers on delaying your claim while earning that part-time income. The break-even point is usually around age 82-84, depending on your specific benefit amount. Just another option to consider as you plan this transition!

Great discussion here! As someone new to this community, I'm really impressed by how helpful everyone is being. I'm in a similar situation to Malik - turning 62 soon and trying to figure out the best strategy. One thing I'm curious about that hasn't been mentioned yet: does anyone know if there are any state-specific considerations that might affect this decision? I'm in California and wondering if state taxes or other factors should influence the timing of when to claim benefits. Also, for those who mentioned using the SSA Retirement Estimator tool - have you found it accurate compared to your actual benefits when you started receiving them?

As a newcomer here, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly thorough discussion! I'm actually a Social Security Administration employee (though I can't provide official advice in this forum), and I'm impressed by how accurate most of the information shared has been. A couple of additional points that might help future readers: 1) The "do-over" withdrawal option (Form SSA-521) has a strict 12-month deadline from your first benefit payment, and as mentioned, you can only use it once in your lifetime. 2) For those considering the earnings test strategy that Isabella mentioned - while it's true that benefits are withheld when you exceed the annual limit, those "lost" benefits aren't actually lost forever. At your Full Retirement Age, SSA recalculates your benefit to give you credit for the months benefits were withheld, effectively increasing your future monthly payment. 3) One thing not mentioned yet: if you're married, your claiming decision affects not just your own benefits but potentially your spouse's spousal and survivor benefits as well. This adds another layer of complexity to the timing decision. Malik, it sounds like you've made a wise choice to wait. The patience really does pay off in this case!

I'm new to this community but dealing with an almost identical situation! My son turns 16 in January and I've been having the exact same anxiety about the SSA portal showing December payments when I thought November should be my last month for child-in-care benefits. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly reassuring - especially the consistent pattern everyone describes where the portal shows incorrect payments right up until they automatically correct themselves before the actual payment date. It's amazing how SSA's backend systems seem to work correctly even when what we see online looks wrong! I'm definitely going to try calling my local field office instead of the national number based on everyone's recommendations. The difference between 30-45 minutes vs hours of hold time sounds like a huge improvement. And I hadn't thought about setting up bank alerts, but that's such a smart way to know immediately if any unexpected payments come through. The clarification about PIA vs actual benefit amounts has been so helpful too. Like many others here, I was worried my son's benefit would be based on his father's reduced early retirement amount, but learning it's calculated on the full retirement PIA is actually great news. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed real-world experiences. This community is so much more helpful than trying to decipher the SSA website alone!

I'm new to this community but going through the exact same situation with my daughter turning 16 next month! This entire thread has been such a lifesaver - I was completely panicking about the SSA portal showing payments that I thought shouldn't be there. What's given me the most peace of mind is seeing the consistent pattern across everyone's experiences where the portal shows confusing payment schedules but then automatically corrects itself right before the actual payment date. It's reassuring to know that SSA's backend systems are working correctly even when what we see online looks wrong. I'm definitely going to call my local field office based on all the recommendations here. The difference between waiting 30-45 minutes vs hours on the national line (or getting disconnected) sounds like a game changer. And I love the practical advice about setting up bank alerts - that's such a smart way to catch any issues immediately instead of worrying about them for weeks. The explanation about PIA vs actual benefit calculations has been eye-opening too. I had no idea that child benefits are based on the full retirement amount rather than the reduced early retirement benefit their parent receives. That's actually really encouraging news for what my daughter's benefit amount will be! Thank you to everyone who shared their real-world experiences. This community support makes navigating these complex SSA transitions so much less overwhelming than trying to figure it out alone!