How will earnings before my FRA in August 2025 affect Social Security payments starting in September?

Good news! Once you reach your FRA, the earnings test no longer applies. For 2025, SSA will apply the monthly earnings test for the months before your FRA. Your earnings after reaching FRA in August won't count toward the limit at all. Specifically, they'll look at January-August earnings. For 2023, the monthly limit was $1,770 (the yearly limit of $21,240 divided by 12), so the 2025 limit will be somewhat higher. If you earned over the monthly limit in any month before FRA, benefits would be reduced for that month. But starting with September 2025, you can earn as much as you want with no reduction!

i went through this last yr. they dont care what u made once u hit fra. take ur benfits and keep working! 👍

The way Social Security handles the earnings test in your FRA year is special. For 2025, they'll only count earnings before the month you reach FRA. So if your FRA is in August: 1. From January-August, the 2025 monthly earnings limit applies (probably around $1,950-$2,000 per month based on recent COLA increases) 2. From September-December, NO earnings limit applies With your $42,000 annual salary, that's about $3,500 monthly - so you would exceed the monthly limit. Each month you exceed the limit before FRA, they withhold benefits for that month. But once you start benefits in September, you're good - no matter how much you earn after reaching FRA. Here's what your letter from SSA will probably say: "We included only the earnings you made before the month you reached full retirement age.

You guys are making this WAY too complicated. I just went through this mess last year. The SSA website is no help and forget trying to get someone on the phone! Here's what happened to me: I hit my FRA in October 2024 but kept working. They DEFINITELY looked at my income from January-September 2024 and I got a nice surprise letter 6 months later saying I earned too much and had to pay back $4,200!! 😡 So don't be shocked if they come after you later even when you think you've followed all their stupid rules. The SSA system is BROKEN.

If anyone's still struggling to reach SSA about this or other retirement benefit questions, I had great luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com). After spending weeks trying to get through the normal 800 number with no luck, their service got me connected to a real SSA agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent I spoke with confirmed exactly what others have said here - they only count earnings before the month you reach FRA in your FRA year. After that, earn as much as you want!

One important detail that no one has mentioned yet: If you're planning to continue working after starting benefits, remember that your higher earnings could potentially increase your benefit amount in the future. SSA automatically reviews your record each year, and if your recent earnings are higher than one of the 35 years used to calculate your benefit, they'll recalculate and increase your monthly payment. So not only can you earn unlimited amounts after FRA without penalty, those earnings might actually boost your benefits!

my sister said somethin different. she said they take ur TOTAL income for the year and divide by 12, and if that's over the limit they reduce bennefits. im so confused now!!!

I went through EXACTLY this last year. Here's what nobody tells you: make sure you're looking at your actual FRA date carefully. Mine was July 15, 2024, and I thought as long as I reached FRA in July, I was good for July. WRONG! According to SSA, you reach FRA on the day BEFORE your birthday. So I actually reached FRA on July 14, not July 15. What happened? They counted an extra month of my earnings against the limit! It took three calls and a visit to my local office to straighten it out. Double check your EXACT FRA date on your Social Security statement. It might not be what you think!

I'm in a similar situation - turning FRA in June 2025 and planning to start benefits in July. This thread has been incredibly helpful! Just to summarize what I'm understanding for anyone else reading: 1. In your FRA year (2025), SSA only looks at earnings BEFORE the month you reach FRA 2. They apply a monthly earnings test (around $1,950-2,000/month for 2025) 3. Once you hit FRA in August, you can earn unlimited amounts with zero penalty 4. Make sure to verify your EXACT FRA date on your SSA statement - it might be the day before your birthday One question I still have: if you exceed the monthly limit in say, March, do they reduce your benefit payment for that specific month, or do they calculate everything at the end of the year? I'm trying to figure out if I should reduce my hours in the months leading up to my FRA or if it doesn't matter since I'm not collecting benefits yet anyway. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this is way more helpful than trying to navigate the SSA website!

This is such great information from everyone! I'm in a very similar boat - turning 67 (my FRA) in November 2025 and have been really worried about the earnings test. My current job pays about $48,000 annually, so I was panicking thinking I'd have to quit or drastically reduce hours. Reading through all these responses, it sounds like I need to focus on the monthly limits for January through October 2025, and then I'm free and clear once I hit my FRA in November. One thing I'm still unclear on - do they count gross earnings or net earnings for the monthly test? And does it include things like overtime pay and bonuses, or just regular salary? I sometimes get overtime during busy seasons and want to make sure I'm calculating this correctly. Also, has anyone here actually had to deal with an overpayment situation? I'm curious what that process looks like if you do accidentally go over the limits. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread is a goldmine of real-world info that you just can't get from the SSA website!

This is such valuable information from everyone! I'm also approaching my FRA situation and wanted to add one more consideration that might help others in similar situations. If you're like me and have been putting off claiming benefits specifically because of earnings test concerns, don't forget that delaying benefits past your FRA can actually increase your monthly payment through Delayed Retirement Credits (DRCs). You earn about 8% more per year for each year you delay up until age 70. So for those of you who are financially able to keep working without needing the Social Security income right away, it might be worth running the numbers to see if delaying a few more months or even years could result in significantly higher lifetime benefits. Of course, this depends on your individual situation - health, financial needs, life expectancy expectations, etc. But it's another factor to consider alongside all the great earnings test information shared here. The SSA website has a calculator that can help you compare different claiming scenarios, though as others have mentioned, actually getting through to speak with someone can be challenging!

This thread has been incredibly informative! I'm also dealing with the FRA timing issue - mine is in October 2025 and I've been stressing about whether to reduce my work hours beforehand. One thing I wanted to add that might help others: I called my local SSA office directly instead of the national 800 number and had much better luck getting through. The local office staff seemed more knowledgeable about these timing scenarios too. They confirmed what everyone here is saying - once you hit FRA, the earnings test is completely done. No more monthly limits, no more worrying about overpayments. But they also emphasized checking your exact FRA date like Ana mentioned - mine is actually October 14th, not my birthday on October 15th. For anyone still worried about the calculations, the SSA representative told me they have internal systems that automatically handle the month-by-month calculations for your FRA year, so you don't need to do complex math. They'll send you a clear explanation if any adjustments are needed. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to decode the official SSA publications!