Just wanted to add another perspective here - I'm a retired benefits counselor and worked with SSA for 15 years. A few additional tips that might help: 1. Keep detailed records of your monthly earnings throughout 2025. SSA sometimes makes mistakes in their calculations, and having your own records helps if you need to dispute anything. 2. Consider the timing of when you receive paychecks vs when you earn the money. SSA counts wages in the month you receive them, not when you earn them. So if you get paid on the 1st for the previous month's work, that income counts toward the month you receive it. 3. If you're close to the limit in any month, you can ask your employer to defer some income to the next month (like delaying a bonus) to stay under the threshold. 4. The "first year rule" that Amina mentioned is really important - make sure you understand exactly how it applies to your situation starting in February. Since the 2025 limits haven't been announced yet, I'd suggest calling SSA in January to get the official numbers before making any final decisions about your work schedule. Good luck with your retirement planning!

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you're planning to work part-time, you might want to consider seasonal work patterns to maximize your benefits. For example, if you know the monthly limit for 2025 will be around $1,950-$2,000 as Javier estimated, you could potentially work more hours in January (before you start collecting) and then reduce your hours for the rest of the year. Some people also find it helpful to work more in December since that gives them a full year to plan their earnings for the following year. Just make sure whatever arrangement you make with your boss is documented in writing so there's no confusion about your schedule or pay timing later on.

Carlos, congratulations on taking the step toward retirement! Your situation sounds very manageable. At $16,000 annual income, you're comfortably under the 2025 earnings limit of $22,320. I went through something similar when I started collecting at 62 - the key is just staying organized and honest with your reporting. One thing that really helped me was downloading the SSA's annual statements to track everything. Also, don't let the scary stories intimidate you - most of those happen when people don't understand the rules or fail to report changes. Since you're doing your research upfront, you're already ahead of the game. The online application is straightforward, and you can always call if you get stuck (though as others mentioned, getting through can take patience). You're making a smart financial decision by continuing to work part-time while collecting - it keeps you active and provides extra income security. Best of luck with your application!

Carlos, you're in such a great position with your planning! I started my SS benefits at 62 and kept working part-time at a bookstore for about 8 months after. Your $16k income is safely under the limit, so you should be fine. One thing I learned that might help - when you're filling out the online application, there's a section about expected future earnings. Be conservative in your estimate there. I put down slightly more than I expected to earn just to be safe, and it worked out well. Also, once you start receiving benefits, you'll get notices from SSA if they detect any issues with your earnings, so it's not like you're flying blind. The system actually works pretty well when you stay within the rules. The horror stories usually involve people who either didn't report changes or genuinely went over the limit without realizing it. You're being smart by researching this thoroughly beforehand!

UPDATE: I finally spoke with someone at SSA! You all were right - they still had me classified as receiving disability benefits even though I've been on retirement benefits since February. The representative was actually very helpful once I explained the situation and showed that I had documentation of my retirement application approval. They're expediting the correction and said my benefits should resume with the next payment. They're also processing the back payment for this month. Thank you all SO MUCH for your help in figuring this out! I would have been completely lost without your advice.

So glad you got this resolved! This is such a perfect example of why it's so important to understand the difference between disability and retirement benefits - the rules are completely different. Your story will definitely help others who might run into this same system mix-up. It's crazy how often SSA's records don't get properly updated when people transition between programs. Thanks for posting the update!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation - inherited some dividend-paying stocks from my grandmother and was worried about how it might affect my Social Security benefits. Reading through all these responses has really put my mind at ease. Just wanted to add one thing I learned from my tax preparer last year: if you have a lot of dividend income, it might push you into a higher tax bracket where more of your Social Security benefits become taxable (the 50% or 85% thresholds). This is totally separate from the earnings test everyone's been discussing, but it's something to keep in mind for tax planning purposes. The earnings test only cares about wages and self-employment income, but the taxation of your SS benefits looks at your total income including dividends. Not trying to complicate things - just thought it was worth mentioning since I wish someone had explained this distinction to me earlier! Sounds like you're being really smart about researching all this upfront. Best of luck with your inherited portfolio!

This thread has been incredibly informative! As someone who's also navigating Social Security benefits while managing investments, I want to emphasize how important it is to understand these distinctions. One thing I'd add is that you should also be aware of the timing of dividend payments when doing your tax planning. Since you mentioned these are quarterly dividends, you might want to estimate your total dividend income for the year early on so you can plan for any additional tax liability. Some people find it helpful to set aside a portion of each dividend payment for taxes, especially if the dividends might push them into those higher SS benefit taxation thresholds that others mentioned. Also, don't forget that you can adjust your federal tax withholding or make quarterly estimated tax payments if needed. The IRS doesn't like surprises at the end of the year if you owe a significant amount! It's great to see someone being so proactive about understanding these rules. Your uncle would probably be proud that you're being so thoughtful about managing his legacy responsibly.

Isabella, I totally understand your situation with irregular substitute teaching income! I'm in a similar boat with inconsistent hours at my retail job. Based on what others have shared here, I'd definitely recommend estimating conservatively on the SSA-723 form. Here's what I'm planning to do for my own irregular income: I'm going to look at the minimum number of days/hours I'm confident I'll work (like your 50-day scenario) and use that for my initial estimate. If you end up working more than expected, you can always update your estimate with SSA mid-year. But if you overestimate and then work less, you'll avoid the stress of potential overpayments. For monthly tracking with irregular work, I'm setting up my spreadsheet to include a "projected monthly average" column based on my conservative annual estimate, plus actual earnings as they come in. That way I can see if I'm trending above my projection and need to be more careful about accepting additional work. The beauty of substitute teaching is that you have more control over your schedule than most jobs - if you see you're approaching the limits, you can simply decline assignments for the rest of that month or year. Much easier than trying to reduce fixed hours at a regular job! Hope this helps with your planning!

Just wanted to add my perspective as someone who's been navigating this for about 8 months now. Started collecting at 63 while working part-time at a medical office, and yes - it's definitely your GROSS wages that count toward the earnings limit, not your take-home pay. What really caught me off guard initially was how much my gross differed from my net. Between federal/state taxes, health insurance premiums, and my 401k contribution, my actual paycheck was about 35% less than my gross wages. I was planning my work schedule based on take-home pay and almost got myself into trouble! The tracking spreadsheet approach that several people mentioned has been a lifesaver. I update mine every payday and it takes maybe 2 minutes. Having that running total visible makes it so much easier to make decisions about picking up extra shifts or taking time off. One thing I'll add that I learned from calling SSA directly - if you're getting close to the annual limit late in the year, they actually prefer that you contact them proactively rather than just stopping work abruptly. They can help you plan the best way to stay under the limit while minimizing benefit disruptions. Much better customer service than I expected once I actually got through to someone! This thread should honestly be pinned somewhere - the collective wisdom here is invaluable for anyone dealing with early retirement while working.