Social Security calculation: Does work income after FRA filing date still count toward benefits?

The short answer is that ALL earnings in the year count toward your AIME calculation, not just those before you file. Social Security looks at full calendar years when calculating your benefits. If your 2025 earnings are higher than one of your previous 35 highest earning years (adjusted for inflation), then your 2025 earnings will replace that lower year and potentially increase your benefit. This recalculation happens automatically the following year after SSA receives your W-2 information.

my brother said only the months before u file count towards ur benefit but i think hes wrong bc thats not what happened when i filed

I was in the EXACT same situation last year! Filed at my FRA in May but kept working through November. SS definitely counted my whole year's income and I actually got a small increase in my benefit amount this January. They do the recalculations automatically but it takes a few months after the end of the year. Don't need to do anything special except make sure your earnings are correctly reported on your W-2.

Not to hijack but kinda related question - does this also apply if you're collecting EARLY (before FRA)? I started at 62 but still work part-time.

The SSA website says they use ur highest 35 years of earnings to calculate benefits so I THINK the whole year counts but u never know with them!!! Their rules r so confusing!!!

I experienced this exact scenario. Filed at FRA but continued working. Here's what happens: YES, your entire year's earnings count toward your benefit calculation. Social Security does an automatic recomputation of your benefits every year to account for new earnings. If your 2025 earnings increase your AIME enough to change your benefit amount, you'll see an increase in your monthly payment sometime in 2026 (usually around March-April after they process all the previous year's earnings data). One thing to note - if you've already had 35 years of maximum earnings, additional earnings won't increase your benefit since they already used your 35 highest-earning years in the calculation.

I spent HOURS trying to reach Social Security to ask this same question last year. Kept getting busy signals or disconnected. Finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a rep in under 20 minutes! They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent I spoke with confirmed that yes, all earnings in the calendar year count, even after you start receiving benefits. Saved me so much frustration compared to trying to call directly.

To add a bit more detail to what others have said: When you work while receiving Social Security benefits at or after your FRA, there's a process called Automatic Earnings Reappraisal Operation (AERO). Once a year, usually around October, SSA reviews records of all Social Security recipients who worked and paid FICA taxes in the previous year. If these earnings improve your benefit calculation by replacing a lower-earning year in your top 35, they'll automatically increase your monthly benefit and pay retroactive benefits from January of that year. So yes, your July-December 2025 earnings will definitely be included when they do this calculation in late 2026.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this process recently. I filed at my FRA in April 2023 but continued working until December, earning about $38,000 in those remaining months. Sure enough, in March 2024 I received a letter from SSA explaining that my benefits had been recalculated due to my 2023 earnings, and my monthly payment increased by $47. They also sent me a retroactive payment covering the difference from January through February 2024. The whole process was completely automatic - I didn't have to do anything except make sure my employer reported my earnings correctly. So yes, every dollar you earn in 2025 will count toward your benefit calculation, regardless of when you file during the year!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation - turning 67 next year and was worried about how continued earnings might affect my benefits. It's reassuring to see so many real examples of people who benefited from working after filing. One thing I'm curious about though - does anyone know if there's a threshold where additional earnings stop making a meaningful difference? Like if you're already close to the maximum Social Security benefit, would earning another $40k really move the needle much, or is there a point of diminishing returns?

One additional point that might be helpful - if you're concerned about being near a bend point, you can actually estimate the impact of your additional earnings before the year ends. Log into your my Social Security account and look at your earnings record to see what your lowest earning year is among your highest 35 years. If your 2025 total earnings (including the $42k from July-December) would be higher than that lowest year when adjusted for wage inflation, then you'll definitely see a benefit increase. The Social Security Administration has bend point calculators available, though they can be a bit complex to use. But given that you're specifically mentioning being near a bend point, that extra $42k could potentially push you into a higher benefit calculation tier, which would be even more beneficial than a simple year replacement.

I just wanted to add one more practical tip that helped me when I was in a similar situation. Since you're planning to file in June but continue working through December, make sure to keep detailed records of your monthly earnings after you start receiving benefits. While the recalculation happens automatically, having your own records can be helpful if you need to follow up with SSA or if there are any discrepancies in their calculations. Also, don't be surprised if you don't see the benefit increase right away - from what I've experienced and read here, it typically takes until the following spring for the adjustments to show up in your payments. The wait can be nerve-wracking, but it's just part of their standard processing timeline. Your situation sounds very similar to mine from a few years ago, and it definitely worked out well in the end!