Husband wants to un-retire 6 months after starting Social Security at 65 - can he cancel benefits?

Yes, this is called a withdrawal of application (Form SSA-521). Your husband can do this within 12 months of when he started receiving benefits, but he WILL have to pay back all benefits received so far. This includes any Medicare premiums or tax withholding that came out of his payments. The good news is that after he repays, it'll be like he never filed, so his future benefit amount will be higher when he reapplies later.

my dad tried this last yr and said it was a NIGHTMARE!! took him 4 months just to get someone on the phone who understood what he wanted. they kept transferring him around and eventually hung up on him twice!! he finally gave up and just worked while collecting instead.

There's another option your husband should consider before withdrawing his application completely. If he's not yet at his Full Retirement Age (which would be 66 and 4 months if he's 65 now), he can simply continue receiving benefits while returning to work. Yes, he'll be subject to the earnings limit ($21,240 for 2025), and they'll withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 he earns above that limit. But this might be better than repaying everything! Once he reaches his FRA, the earnings limit goes away completely, and any benefits that were withheld previously will be gradually restored through an increased monthly benefit. This approach lets him keep the money he's already received.

I tried the withdrawal thing 5 years ago. SSA makes you pay back EVERYTHING at once - no payment plans. They also make your spouse pay back any benefits they got based on your record.

My brother just went through this exact situation! He's a truck driver too. He started his SS last January then got offered a really good contract in March. What he did was just accept that some of his benefits would be withheld due to the earnings limit rather than doing the withdrawal. It's working out fine for him - he's making good money driving and just getting smaller SS payments. The paperwork for withdrawal looked like a nightmare.

whatever you do DON'T have him withdraw the application!!! my husband did this and we regretted it SO MUCH. the SS office lost his paperwork TWICE and then when they finally processed it they said we owed $14,340 due in 30 days!! when we couldn't pay it all at once they threatened to add interest. we had to take a loan from our daughter to cover it. just have him work and deal with the earnings limit instead!!!

To answer your follow-up question - SSA requires repayment as a lump sum. There's no official payment plan option for withdrawal repayments. Regarding the earnings limit mentioned by others - for 2025, the limit is $21,240/year if your husband is under FRA. Since he'd earn around $65,000, SSA would withhold approximately $21,880 in benefits for the year ($1 for every $2 over the limit). If his monthly benefit is around $1,750, they might withhold his entire benefit for most of the year. Another point to consider: If your husband withdraws now and reapplies later, his benefit amount will increase due to delayed retirement credits (about 8% per year until age 70).

no u dont have to tell them before working!! just report it on taxes. thats what i do and im way over the limit. they just send me a letter once a year saying they adjusted my benefit.

One clarification on the earnings limit - truck drivers need to be careful about how they calculate their income. If your husband is an independent contractor (1099 worker), SSA counts net earnings from self-employment, not gross income. If he's a W-2 employee, they count gross wages. This difference can significantly impact how much is withheld. Also, only income from actual work counts toward the earnings limit. Investment income, pension payments, or other government benefits don't count against the limit. From what you've described, having him work while receiving reduced benefits probably makes more financial sense than withdrawing the application entirely.