I got confused about SSI vs SSDI vs retirement benefits when I was researching this. They all have different rules about working! Make sure you're looking at the retirement benefit rules which is what we're talking about here.

As someone who made a similar career transition at 56, I can share my experience. I left a high-stress corporate job for a lower-paying but more fulfilling role in nonprofit work. After checking my Social Security statement, I realized I had 33 years of earnings, so even the lower salary would help fill out my 35-year calculation rather than hurt it. The peace of mind and better work-life balance have been absolutely worth it. I'm now 61 and plan to work until 68, which will give me those delayed retirement credits mentioned by others. Sometimes the non-financial benefits of a career change outweigh the pure dollars and cents - especially when you understand how the Social Security calculation actually works. Good luck with your decision!

Just to provide a bit more context on why this system exists this way: The intention of SSDI is to provide income to those who cannot work due to disability, essentially replacing the income you would have earned until retirement age. The intention of delayed retirement credits is to compensate people for delaying the start of their benefits. Since SSDI recipients already receive benefits early, the system doesn't allow for both advantages (early receipt and delayed credits). There's no way to "pause" SSDI at FRA and then restart as retirement at 70 with increases.

As someone new to this whole SSDI system, I really appreciate this detailed discussion! I'm currently going through the application process and was wondering about these same things. It's disappointing to learn that we can't get those delayed retirement credits, but like others have said, at least we're getting our full benefit amount years earlier than we would otherwise. One question though - does anyone know if there are any other ways our benefits might increase over time besides the annual COLA adjustments? I'm trying to understand what to expect for long-term financial planning.

Just to share what I learned after meeting with a financial planner specializing in retirement - those tiny reductions for being so close to FRA aren't really significant in the grand scheme. What matters more is: 1) Do you need the money now? 2) Are you still working? and 3) What's your life expectancy based on your health and family history? With just 2 months' difference, this is more of a personal preference decision than a major financial one. Either choice is reasonable! Best of luck with your retirement - sounds like you've planned well!

I'm in a similar boat - turning 67 in June and considering starting benefits a month or two early. One thing I've been researching is whether there are any state tax implications to consider. Some states don't tax Social Security at all, while others do, and the timing of when you start might affect which tax year those benefits fall into. Also, have you considered the impact on your overall tax situation? If you have other retirement income (sounds like you have a pension), starting SS a couple months early might push you into a different tax bracket for part of the year. Probably not a huge deal with just 2 months, but worth running the numbers. Your situation sounds very manageable either way - the financial difference is minimal, so it really comes down to your personal preference and immediate cash flow needs.

NOBODY mentioned that survivor benefits taken at 60 are reduced by 28.5% FOREVER!!! she's only getting 71.5% of what she would get if she waited till her FRA!!! i hope the counseling job pays well because that's a big hit to take on lifetime benefits!!!

As someone who recently went through a similar earnings situation, I wanted to add that it's worth asking SSA about establishing a payment plan if you do end up with an overpayment next year. When I had to pay back benefits, they let me set up monthly payments rather than demanding a lump sum, which made it much more manageable on my budget. Also, keep detailed records of all your communications with SSA about this - dates you called, representative names if you get them, and what was discussed. This documentation can be really helpful if there are any discrepancies later when they process your final earnings report. Good luck with the rest of your counseling work! It sounds like you're handling this situation exactly the right way by being proactive.

Thank you all for this amazing advice. I think I understand it better now. My wife will track her earnings carefully for Jan-May 2025, making sure to stay under the monthly limit (around $4,960) as much as possible. We'll watch out for bonuses and vacation pay too. I'm going to have her call SSA to report her expected earnings for those months, and we'll use that Claimyr service if we can't get through normally. Then once she hits FRA in June, she can earn unlimited amounts without affecting her benefits. Is there anything I'm still missing or misunderstanding?

Just wanted to add one more piece of advice from my experience helping clients with this situation: make sure your wife understands that the earnings test applies to her GROSS earnings, not her net take-home pay after taxes and deductions. I've seen people get confused about this and accidentally exceed the limit because they were only tracking their net pay. Also, if she has any self-employment income (like freelance work or a small side business), the rules can be more complex since they look at net earnings from self-employment rather than gross. But for regular W-2 employment income, it's straightforward - just track the gross wages shown on her paystubs. One last thing: if she does accidentally go over the limit in any month, don't panic. As others mentioned, SSA is generally reasonable about working with you to resolve overpayments, especially if you report the issue promptly and work with them in good faith.