Can I work after starting Social Security at Full Retirement Age (66 & 8 months) without earnings limits?

Good news! Once you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA), which in your case is 66 and 8 months, there is NO earnings limit. You can earn as much as you want without any reduction to your Social Security benefits. The earnings limit only applies to people who take benefits before reaching their FRA. After FRA, you can work and earn any amount while receiving your full SS retirement benefit. Just be aware that your benefits might still be subject to income tax depending on your combined income.

My sister told me theres ALWAYS a limit no matter what age but she might be wrong??? I started at 63 and they took away some of my benifits when I worked at Walmart part time so be careful!!!

I went through the exact same question last year! After reaching my full retirement age (mine was 66 and 6 months), I continued my job as an accountant making around $70,000 and still received every penny of my Social Security. Not a single reduction. The only thing to worry about is that up to 85% of your benefits might be taxable if your combined income is high enough. But that's just regular income tax, not a benefit reduction.

U still have to report ur earnings to the SSA tho, dont forget that part. They need to know how much ur making even if they dont take anything away.

The system is RIGGED to confuse people! When I reached my full retirement age, I thought I was in the clear to work, but then got hit with higher Medicare premiums because of my income. They call it IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount). Nobody warned me about that! So while your SS benefits won't be reduced if you work after FRA, you might end up paying more for Medicare Part B and D if your income goes above certain thresholds. The government always finds a way to take more!

I spent 3 WEEKS trying to get someone at Social Security on the phone to ask this exact question last year! After being disconnected multiple times and waiting on hold for hours, I discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at SSA in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent confirmed there's absolutely no earnings limit after you reach your full retirement age. Best $20 I ever spent instead of wasting days trying to get through.

Everyone's giving you the right info about no earnings limit after FRA, but don't forget that continuing to work might actually INCREASE your Social Security benefit over time. If your current earnings are higher than some of the earlier years used in your benefit calculation, the SSA will automatically recalculate your benefit each year and adjust upward if warranted. So working after FRA can be a double win - full benefits now plus potentially higher benefits later.

my brother in law started his SS at 67 and kept working part time as a consulant making good $$$. he says its the best of both worlds. no probs with SS at all.

To answer your follow-up question about taxation of benefits: Social Security benefits become taxable when your "combined income" exceeds certain thresholds. Combined income is your adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of your Social Security benefits. For 2025, taxation starts when this combined income exceeds $25,000 (single) or $32,000 (married filing jointly). At that point, up to 50% of benefits may be taxable. When combined income exceeds $34,000 (single) or $44,000 (married), up to 85% of benefits may be taxable. With your $35,000 consulting income plus benefits, you'll likely have some portion of your benefits subject to income tax. I'd recommend consulting with a tax professional for your specific situation.