One more thing worth noting: if you do end up having benefits withheld due to the earnings test, you'll get that money back in the form of a higher monthly benefit once you reach your Full Retirement Age. SSA recalculates your benefit amount at FRA to give you credit for the months when benefits were withheld. However, waiting until January 2026 is still the better option in your case because you'd avoid the immediate withholding from your high 2025 earnings.

Thank you all so much for the advice! I'm definitely going to file in December but select January 2026 as my start month. Really appreciate everyone taking time to explain this complicated system to me. I'm actually relieved - I was ready to start benefits in December thinking one extra month would be better, but now I see waiting is smarter because of how the earnings test works. You all saved me from making a costly mistake!

To give you complete peace of mind: Your Social Security retirement benefits are secure and will continue as normal. The Ticket to Work program cancellation only affects support services for returning to work, which wouldn't apply to you as a retiree anyway. For future reference, when you receive any notice from SSA that you don't understand, you can: 1. Log into your MySocialSecurity account to verify your benefit status 2. Call your local SSA office (often less wait time than the national number) 3. Schedule an appointment through the SSA website for complex issues But in this specific case, your benefits are fine and there's no action needed on your part.

I'm glad you found this community to get clarity on this issue! This is actually a very common concern that many people face when transitioning from disability benefits to retirement. The Social Security Administration could definitely do a better job explaining these changes in their letters - it's understandable that you were worried about losing your only source of income. Just to reinforce what others have said: your retirement benefits are completely separate from the Ticket to Work program and will continue without any interruption. The program cancellation is purely administrative since you're no longer on disability benefits. It might be worth keeping all your SSA correspondence in a file so you can reference it later if you have questions. And definitely consider setting up that MySocialSecurity online account if you haven't already - it's really helpful for checking your benefit status and payment history anytime you have concerns.

Wait so does anyone know if you HAVE to apply for SS at 70 even if still working? or is it just recommended so you dont lose $?

Just want to add another perspective here - I'm a retired SSA employee and can confirm everything said about the 70 cutoff is absolutely correct. The delayed retirement credits stop at age 70, period. I've seen so many people come in months or even years later thinking they were being smart by waiting, only to find out they'd left thousands on the table. The 6-month retroactive limit is federal law and there are no exceptions, no matter how compelling your story. Please don't delay any further - apply immediately and start collecting what you've already earned!

One more tip from my experience - make sure all your children are properly coded in the SSA system! When my youngest grandchild turned 16, her benefits suddenly stopped. After MANY phone calls, I discovered the SSA had incorrectly coded her as a student who would age out at 16 instead of 18. It took nearly 3 months to fix and get her backpay. After each child's benefits are established, request a Benefits Verification Letter for each of them to confirm their benefit type is correctly listed as "Child's Insurance Benefits" with the correct termination age.

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who's been through this process. I was a representative payee for my nephew for 4 years, and honestly, the simplest approach worked best for me. I opened one dedicated savings account for his benefits and kept a basic monthly log showing: benefit amount received, major expenses (over $100), and running balance. The annual Representative Payee Report is really straightforward - it asks for general categories like how much you spent on food/housing vs. saved for the child. They're not looking for forensic accounting! One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: if you do save any of the benefits for your children (which is encouraged), make sure those savings are clearly documented. When they turn 18, any saved benefits belong to them, not you as the payee. I had saved about $2,000 for my nephew over the years and was able to give him that lump sum when he aged out - it really helped with his college expenses. Don't overthink the record keeping - you're already dealing with enough stress managing benefits for three kids!

To clarify a key point that comes up frequently in these discussions: the taxation of Social Security benefits and the earnings test are two completely separate concepts: 1. The earnings test only applies BEFORE Full Retirement Age and can reduce your benefits if you earn over certain limits. 2. Taxation of benefits can apply at ANY age and is based on your combined income (AGI + nontaxable interest + half of SS benefits). Reaching FRA eliminates the earnings test, but doesn't impact taxation. Many beneficiaries confuse these two distinct policies. It's also worth noting that these tax thresholds ($25,000/$34,000 for singles) haven't been adjusted for inflation since they were introduced in 1984, so they affect more beneficiaries each year.

As someone who just went through this transition myself, I completely understand your confusion! The distinction between the earnings test and taxation is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Social Security. You're absolutely right that your benefits won't be reduced for working at FRA, but unfortunately the taxation is a separate issue entirely. Based on your numbers ($32K work income + ~$14,700 which is half your annual SS), you'll likely have around 85% of your Social Security benefits subject to federal income tax. One thing that helped me was requesting tax withholding directly from my Social Security payments using Form W-4V. Since you're still working and probably having taxes withheld from your paycheck, you might want to adjust your withholding there instead to account for the additional tax on your SS benefits. Also, since you're in accounting, you might already know this, but don't forget that you can still contribute to retirement accounts while working - even traditional IRAs if you meet the income requirements. This could help reduce your taxable income and potentially lower the amount of SS benefits subject to tax. The whole system definitely feels like a bait-and-switch sometimes, but at least you're still coming out ahead financially by continuing to work!