Social Security benefits calculation when turning 65 before FRA - income limit questions

When you file for Social Security prior to your FRA, they use your current year earnings to determine if you exceed the annual earnings limit. For 2025, that limit is $22,750 if you're under FRA the entire year. Only earnings before the month you reach FRA count toward this limit. Once you reach your FRA (66 and 10 months in your case), there is no more earnings limit - you can earn as much as you want without reduction.

the SS people count what ur earning right now not last years money. my brother went thru this last yr. they make u estimte what ull make for the year when u apply.

If you go over the earnings limit, Social Security will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above the limit. They may ask you to pay back some benefits you've already received, or they might adjust future payments. It's best to report any income changes to SSA throughout the year so they can adjust your payments accordingly and avoid surprises.

BEWARE!! I was in basically your exact situation last year and SSA completely messed up my payments! I estimated my earnings correctly but they still reduced my benefit too much, then when I called to fix it they said I had to wait for them to review at the end of the year. NINE MONTHS with reduced payments when I was actually under the limit! The system is broken!!

Yes, eventually got it fixed but only after countless calls and getting disconnected dozens of times. They finally fixed it and gave me back pay but no interest or compensation for all the stress. Make sure you document EVERYTHING and save all your paystubs!

One important thing to note - there's a higher earnings limit in the year you reach FRA. For the months before you reach your FRA that year, the limit will be much higher (about $60,000 for 2025), and they only withhold $1 for every $3 you earn over that limit. So in the year you turn 66 and 10 months, you'll have more flexibility with earnings from January until October of that year.

I went through this exact headache last year trying to reach someone at Social Security about my earnings limit questions. After getting disconnected five times, I discovered a service called Claimyr that got me through to an SSA agent in under 20 minutes. It saved me hours of frustration. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or just go to claimyr.com. Totally worth it for complicated questions like yours that really need a direct answer from SSA.

Yes, it worked for me and two of my friends who needed to talk to SSA. You still talk directly with the same Social Security representatives, they just handle the waiting and calling for you. The video demo shows exactly how it works.

My situation was different but same question basically. I started SS at 62 and kept working and they calculated based on my currnt year income. They made me give a estimate when i filed. Then every January they send this form asking about next years income estimate. Its annoying but better than owing them money later!!! They retroactivly take money if u mess up!!

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I'm going to carefully track my earnings next year and make sure to give SSA a realistic estimate. I might try that Claimyr service too since I really need to talk to someone directly about my specific situation. I appreciate all your advice and hearing about your experiences!