do you get more money if you start benefits on your birthday month or does it not matter what month you start?

I'm facing a similar decision at 67 and found your post really helpful! One thing I'd add to consider is healthcare costs. Since you're self-employed, are you currently paying for your own health insurance? Medicare eligibility starts at 65 regardless of when you claim Social Security, but if you're still working and have employer coverage (or paying for your own as self-employed), you might want to factor in how your healthcare costs could change over the next few years. Also, something my financial advisor pointed out: if you do decide to wait until 70, make sure you're still earning credits toward Social Security during those years. As self-employed, you need to earn at least $1,640 in 2024 to get one credit (up to 4 credits per year with $6,560 in earnings). If you plan to significantly reduce your work before 70, this could impact your benefit calculation. Have you run the numbers on what your effective hourly rate would be for those extra 3.5 years of waiting? Sometimes looking at it that way makes the decision clearer.

This thread has been so helpful! I'm in a similar situation - turning 67 next year and was worried about the same earnings test issue. Reading through everyone's experiences really clarifies how the timing works. @Holly Lascelles - I'm glad you got the official confirmation from SSA! It's frustrating how even financial advisors sometimes give conflicting information about these rules. For anyone else following along, it seems like the golden rule is: if you can wait until your actual FRA month to start collecting, you avoid the earnings test entirely, no matter what you earned earlier in the year while working. This is definitely going into my retirement planning notes!

What a fantastic thread! As someone who's been helping friends and family navigate Social Security for years, I can confirm that the advice here is spot on. The timing rule is absolutely crucial - if you start benefits in your FRA month or later, your pre-FRA earnings that year don't trigger any reductions. Holly, you planned this perfectly! I've seen too many people panic unnecessarily about this exact scenario. The key thing to remember is that Social Security designed this system to encourage people to wait until their FRA, and they reward that patience by eliminating the earnings test once you reach that milestone month. Your $66,000 in early-year earnings won't touch your benefits at all. Well done on waiting until June to start collecting!

This thread has been so helpful! As someone approaching FRA myself (though not until 2027), I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and knowledge. @Angelina Farar, it sounds like you've gotten some great clarification here. Just to summarize what I'm understanding from all the responses: 1) No earnings limit after FRA in January 2026 for you, 2) SSA should automatically stop applying the test but it's worth monitoring, 3) You may even get a benefit adjustment for any prior withheld amounts, and 4) The only thing to potentially consider is income tax on your combined income, not benefit reductions. I'm bookmarking this discussion for when I get closer to my own FRA!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this discussion has been! I'm still several years away from my own FRA, but reading through everyone's responses has really clarified how the earnings limit works. @Angelina Farar, it sounds like you've gotten excellent advice here - no earnings limit after FRA, automatic system updates (though worth monitoring), and even potential benefit adjustments for previously withheld amounts. The distinction between SSI and regular retirement benefits that @KingKongZilla explained was particularly enlightening. Thanks to everyone for sharing your knowledge and experiences - this is exactly the kind of supportive community that makes navigating Social Security so much easier!

My neighbor waited till 70 to claim and now gets almost $1,400 more per month than his friend who claimed at 62. That's almost $17k more PER YEAR for the rest of his life!!!!

As someone who just went through this exact situation at 62, I can confirm what others are saying - your lower 2024 income won't hurt your benefit calculation! I was terrified about the same thing when I left my job mid-year last year. The SSA really does use your highest 35 years of indexed earnings, so unless 2024 would somehow be one of your top earning years (which seems unlikely if you only worked 3 months), it simply won't factor into your calculation at all. I'd also recommend double-checking your earnings record on MySocialSecurity.gov to make sure everything from your working years is accurate. That's more important than worrying about this partial year. The delay strategy is still mathematically sound - you're getting those delayed retirement credits which compound over time. One thing that helped me decide was calculating my break-even point and considering my health/family longevity. If you're healthy and have good genes, waiting even a year or two can pay off significantly over your lifetime!

One thing to keep in mind is that the withholding percentages on Form W-4V (7%, 10%, 12%, 22%) are fixed options - you can't choose a custom percentage like 8% or 15%. So if you find that 10% results in too big a refund or you still owe taxes, you'd need to jump to either 7% or 12%. Also, changes to your withholding don't take effect immediately - there's usually a processing delay of a month or two, so plan accordingly if you decide to adjust it later in the year.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who went through this same confusion last year! I ended up calling SSA three times because I kept getting different information from different representatives about how the withholding worked. What finally cleared it up for me was understanding that there are really two separate tax calculations happening: 1) The optional withholding from your monthly checks (if you file W-4V), and 2) The actual tax calculation when you file your return (where standard deductions matter). The withholding is just an estimate/prepayment - it doesn't have to be perfect. I started with 12% withholding and it worked out pretty well for my situation. The key thing is that you can always adjust it if needed. Don't stress too much about getting it exactly right on the first try!