How long until 2024 earnings show on Social Security record? Trying to decide about FRA benefits

The SSA doesn't update your earnings record immediately. Most employers only report wages once per quarter, and the SSA usually takes a few months to process everything. Your 2024 earnings probably won't show up until mid-2025, especially if you worked through December.

The SSA website says they update earnings records when tax info gets processed. Your employer has until January 31 to send your W-2 to you, and April 15 is the tax filing deadline, so realistically your 2024 earnings won't appear until at least May or June 2025. That said, you don't necessarily need to wait! The SSA can make estimates if you show them your W-2 or tax return when you apply. I was in your shoes last year and called the SSA directly - they verified my recent earnings over the phone and calculated my new benefit amount within minutes. Saved me months of waiting! Try calling them at their 800 number.

From my experience working at SSA for 22 years (retired now), it's important to understand that your Social Security benefit is based on your highest 35 years of indexed earnings. If you're at FRA now, ask yourself: Will your 2024 earnings replace a lower-earning year in your top 35? If you earned significantly more in 2024 than in previous years (after indexing), waiting to see those earnings might increase your benefit. But if 2024 wasn't substantially higher than your other high years, it may make minimal difference. Also, remember that for every month you delay beyond FRA (up to age 70), you earn Delayed Retirement Credits of 2/3 of 1% per month, or 8% per year. This is often more impactful than waiting for one more year of earnings to post.

This is such a common question! Earnings typically take 6-9 months after the tax year ends to appear in the SSA system. But did you know you can estimate the impact yourself? Look at your current benefit estimate, then check your earnings history to identify your 35th highest year. If your 2024 earnings are higher than that amount, calculate the difference, divide by 35, then multiply by about 15% (rough approximation of the benefit formula) to see the monthly increase. It's not exact but gives you a ballpark figure.

my brother had the same problem last year. he just went ahead and filed for his benefits at FRA and then 8 months later they adjusted his payment when his last year of work showed up. got a small retroactive payment for the difference. so you dont really need to wait

WHY does it take SSA so long to update earnings?? In this day and age with computers and everything being electronic, it's RIDICULOUS that we have to wait 6+ months! My taxes are filed electronically in FEBRUARY but SSA can't get their act together until summer??? This is why the system is so broken. Meanwhile they expect us to make major life decisions without complete information. SMH

op make sure you consider how working affects ur benefits if ur collecting before 70. at FRA you don't have the earnings limit anymore so you can work and collect full SS with no reduction. That might be more important than waiting for the 2024 earnings to show up. my cousins husband waited to file and regrets not claiming sooner

To summarize the key points for your decision: 1. Your 2024 earnings likely won't appear until May-June 2025 at the earliest 2. You can bring your W-2 or tax documents to an SSA appointment or discuss them on a phone call to get an updated calculation 3. Each month you delay past FRA gives you a permanent 2/3% increase (8% per year) 4. If you file now, SSA will automatically adjust your benefit amount when your 2024 earnings are processed 5. At FRA, you can work and earn unlimited income while collecting full benefits Hope this helps you make your decision!

Just wanted to add another perspective - I'm a tax preparer and see this situation frequently. One thing to keep in mind is that if your 2024 earnings were subject to the Social Security wage base limit ($160,200 for 2024), only earnings up to that cap will count toward your SS benefit calculation anyway. So if you made significantly more than the cap, the "extra" won't boost your benefits regardless of when it posts to your record. Also, many of my clients don't realize that even if 2024 was a high-earning year, it might not make a huge difference if you already have 35+ years of substantial earnings. The impact depends on what year it would replace in your top 35. Worth running the numbers before deciding whether to wait!

As someone who just went through this exact situation last year, I can share what worked for me. I was at FRA and couldn't decide whether to file or wait for my 2024 earnings to show up. I ended up calling SSA (took several attempts but finally got through) and they were able to manually input my 2024 W-2 information to give me an updated benefit calculation on the spot. The representative explained that while the official earnings record wouldn't update for months, they could use my tax documents to recalculate my benefit amount immediately for filing purposes. It turned out my 2024 earnings would have increased my monthly benefit by about $47, but the 8% annual delayed retirement credit would give me much more if I waited until 70. So I filed right away and have been collecting benefits while continuing to work part-time. The automatic adjustment when my 2024 earnings officially post will be a nice little bonus, but the decision became much clearer once I had the actual numbers to work with.

I'm in a similar situation but a few months behind you - turning FRA in June. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful! It sounds like the consensus is that calling SSA with your W-2 or tax documents is the way to go if you want an immediate calculation. I'm curious though - for those who have successfully gotten through to SSA by phone, what time of day did you call? And did you have better luck calling on certain days of the week? I want to be strategic about when I make my attempts since it sounds like getting through can be challenging. Also, has anyone tried scheduling an in-person appointment at their local SSA office instead of calling? Wondering if that might be more reliable than playing phone tag.

I just went through this process myself a few months ago and wanted to share another option that worked well for me. Instead of waiting months for 2024 earnings to appear or struggling to get through on the phone, I created a my Social Security account online and used their benefit calculator tool. While it doesn't include your most recent year automatically, you can manually input your 2024 earnings estimate to see how it would affect your benefit amount. It's not as precise as having SSA do the official calculation, but it gave me a pretty good ballpark figure to work with. The calculator lets you compare different scenarios - like filing now versus waiting - which really helped me visualize the trade-offs. Plus you can access it 24/7 without dealing with hold times. Just make sure you have your 2024 W-2 or final pay stub handy when you run the numbers. Worth trying this approach first before spending hours on the phone!