Social Security benefits at FRA with $62,000 income - Will working reduce my payments?

I started collecting at my FRA last year while still working. Once you reach your FULL retirement age, there is NO earnings limit! You can make as much as you want without any reduction in benefits. So starting in September 2025 when you hit FRA is perfectly fine.

The person above is partly right, but there's some nuance here. In the year you reach FRA, there's a special rule. For 2025, you can earn up to about $59,520 in the months BEFORE the month you reach FRA without any reduction. After that, they reduce $1 for every $3 you earn above that limit, but ONLY for earnings in months before your FRA. Since you've already earned $62,000 in the first three quarters and your FRA is in September, you might see a small reduction. But once you hit your FRA in September, there is absolutely no earnings limit going forward. If you wait until January 2026, you'd avoid any potential reduction, but you'd also miss out on 4 months of benefits (Sept-Dec 2025).

Whats the big deal?? just take the money in september. Your barely over the limit so your talkin a tiny reduction for a few months. Dont overthink this.

I had almost the exact same situation last year. I reached FRA in August 2024 but had made about $55,000 before then. I started collecting in August, and yes, they reduced my first few payments a tiny bit, but by December it was all sorted out. One thing to know - even if they reduce your benefits due to earnings, they recalculate later and give you a slightly higher benefit to make up for those reductions once you're past FRA. It's called the Adjustment to the Reduction Factor (ARF).

Let me clarify something important: The earnings test for the year you reach FRA in 2025 is $59,520 for the months BEFORE you reach FRA. Since you reach FRA in September, that applies to January through August earnings. If your $62,000 was earned evenly throughout those first 8 months, you're only slightly over the limit, which would mean a very small reduction. However, if most of that income was concentrated in just a few months, the calculation would be different. Call Social Security to discuss your specific situation, though good luck getting through on the phone. I spent 3 weeks trying to reach someone about my retirement benefits calculation.

WRONG INFORMATION being shared here!!! The earnings limit applies to the months BEFORE FRA, not after! If you made $62,000 from January through August (before September FRA), then YES you will see reductions. But if some of that money was earned in September or later, then that portion DOESN'T COUNT toward the limit! This is why so many people mess up their SS benefits. The rules are COMPLICATED and even the SSA reps get it wrong sometimes!!!

When i was getting close to FRA my neighbor told me to just quit working for a few months and then go back after I hit FRA. I thought that was ridiculous! I had a good job that I enjoyed. Glad I didn't listen to him lol

Based on what you've shared, starting your benefits in September 2025 when you reach FRA makes the most sense. The potential reduction for exceeding the earnings limit by a small amount for the pre-FRA months would be minimal compared to giving up four complete months of benefits by waiting until January 2026. Remember that at your FRA, you'll receive 100% of your primary insurance amount (PIA). If you delay past FRA, you earn delayed retirement credits of 8% per year (or 2/3% per month) up to age 70. But if you're continuing to work anyway, there's typically no financial advantage to delaying once you've reached FRA unless you're trying to maximize your benefit at age 70.