As someone who just went through this exact situation 6 months ago, I can confirm what everyone else is saying - your high income years will NOT reduce your Social Security benefits! I had similar anxiety about filing after having my best earning years right before retirement. What I learned is that Social Security uses a completely different calculation than Medicare IRMAA. Your SS benefit is based on your highest 35 years of indexed earnings, so those $185K years will likely INCREASE your monthly payment by replacing lower-earning years from earlier in your career. The confusion is totally understandable since both programs look at your income, but they use it very differently. IRMAA is just a surcharge on your Medicare premiums based on recent tax returns, while your SS benefit calculation looks at your entire work history. Since you're filing at your FRA and not working anymore, you're in the best possible position - no earnings test, no reduction in benefits, and those high-income years working in your favor. Go ahead and file with confidence!

I completely understand your confusion - this is one of the most common misconceptions about Social Security! The key thing to remember is that your pre-retirement income actually HELPS your Social Security benefit calculation, not hurts it. Social Security uses your highest 35 years of earnings (adjusted for inflation) to calculate your benefit. Those $185,000 years will likely replace some of your lower-earning years from earlier in your career, potentially giving you a higher monthly payment than you would have received otherwise. The IRMAA surcharges you mentioned are completely separate - they only affect your Medicare Part B and Part D premiums, not your actual Social Security benefit amount. It's an unfortunate naming similarity that causes a lot of confusion. Since you're filing at your Full Retirement Age (66) and you've stopped working, there's absolutely no reason to delay. You won't face any earnings test restrictions, and your benefit amount is locked in based on your work history. Those high-income consulting years were actually a gift to your future Social Security payments! I'd recommend going ahead and filing - you've earned those benefits and there's no penalty for having done well financially in your final working years.

I'm new to this community but dealing with a similar situation. Just wanted to add that if you do decide to use Ticket to Work, make sure you understand that while it provides great protections, you need to be making "timely progress" toward your employment goals to keep those protections. The Employment Network will work with you to set reasonable milestones, but it's not automatic - you have to actively participate. Also, I've found that having a relationship with a disability employment specialist has been invaluable. They understand both the medical and vocational aspects of returning to work with a disability. Many state vocational rehabilitation agencies offer these services for free. Your story really resonates with me - the fear of losing benefits while trying to improve your situation is so real, but hearing everyone's experiences here gives me hope that it's possible to work and maintain some safety net!

I'm a newcomer here but have been researching this exact topic for months as I consider returning to work. What really helped me understand the Medicare piece was learning that there are actually TWO different "disability determinations" - one for SSDI cash benefits and one for Medicare eligibility. Even when your cash benefits stop due to work earnings, SSA still considers you disabled for Medicare purposes during that 93+ month extended period. This means you don't have to go through a new disability determination to keep Medicare - it automatically continues as long as you were entitled to SSDI for at least 24 months before starting work. I found this buried in the SSA POMS (Program Operations Manual System) online when I was doing research. It's reassuring to know that Medicare protection is more robust than the cash benefits when it comes to work attempts!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - if you do decide to take this job and have your survivors benefits suspended, make sure you keep very detailed records of your earnings throughout each year. I learned this the hard way! SSA estimates your annual earnings at the beginning of each year to determine benefit withholding, but they reconcile this against your actual W-2 at the end of the year. If there's a discrepancy, it can create either an overpayment (if you earned less than projected) or underpayment (if you earned more) situation that takes months to sort out. Also, don't forget that the earnings limit applies to gross wages, not take-home pay. So factor in your full salary including any bonuses, overtime, or commissions when doing your calculations. Sounds like you're making a smart decision though - temporarily losing survivors benefits to build your career and potentially increase your own retirement benefit is exactly the kind of strategic thinking that pays off long-term!

I'm in a very similar situation - 64 and on survivors benefits with a potential job offer that would put me over the earnings limit. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful! One question I haven't seen addressed: if my benefits get completely suspended for exceeding the limit, will I still get the annual COLA (cost of living adjustment) increases applied to my benefit amount? Or do those only apply while you're actively receiving payments? I'm wondering if when my benefits eventually resume (either when I reduce hours or reach FRA), will my benefit amount reflect all the COLA increases that happened during the suspension period? Also wanted to add my thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so valuable to hear real examples rather than trying to decipher the official SSA publications!

OMG ppl are so lucky with military pensions! My dad worked for the county for 35 years and gets a good pension but when he tried to get any SS from my moms record they said nope because of that GPO thing. makes no sense why military is treated different from other govt workers!

As someone new to understanding Social Security benefits, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a somewhat similar situation - my spouse worked for a state agency that didn't pay into Social Security for most of their career, but I've been in the private sector my whole working life. Reading about how military pensions are treated differently than other government pensions really clarifies why we're facing the GPO reduction while military families like yours won't. It sounds like you and your husband are in a much better position than I initially thought when I saw your question. The key takeaway I'm getting is that the type of government service really matters - if Social Security taxes were paid during that service, then GPO doesn't apply. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and knowledge!

I'm still waiting for mine too! It's been really stressful not knowing the exact amount, especially since we're trying to finalize our holiday spending budget. My sister got hers two weeks ago and we usually receive all our SSA mail around the same time. Reading all these responses really puts my mind at ease though - sounds like this is completely normal and they really do send them out over several weeks. I'll stop checking the mailbox obsessively every day and just wait patiently until mid-December like others suggested. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

I'm also still waiting for my COLA letter and was getting really worried until I found this thread! My neighbor got hers almost two weeks ago and we're both retirement age with similar circumstances, so I couldn't understand the delay. It's such a relief to hear from everyone that SSA really does send these out in waves over several weeks. The 2.5% calculation tip is super helpful - I just did the math and it looks like my monthly benefit should go up by about $47. I'll stop stressing about it and wait until December to check my MySocialSecurity account online. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially the former SSA employee who explained the process!