Social Security calculation: Does work income after FRA filing date still count toward benefits?
I'm turning 67 (my full retirement age) this June and planning to file for SS benefits then. However, I won't be fully retiring and expect to earn about $42,000 more between July-December 2025. My question is about how this additional income affects my benefit calculation. Does Social Security only count my earnings up to June when I file, or will they include my entire year's income in my AIME calculation? I've heard conflicting things - some people say once you file, additional earnings don't matter, while others say SSA looks at the whole calendar year. Anyone know for sure? This could make a significant difference in my benefit amount if I'm near a bend point.
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Reginald Blackwell
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.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•Thank you! That's really helpful. So if I understand correctly, even though I'll already be receiving benefits starting in June, my July-December earnings will still be factored in when they recalculate next year? Does that mean I might see an increase in my monthly benefit amount in 2026?
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Aria Khan
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
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Everett Tutum
•Your brother is incorrect. Social Security uses complete calendar years for benefit calculations, not partial years. All earnings in 2025 that are subject to Social Security tax will be included in your AIME calculation, regardless of when during the year you start receiving benefits. The SSA will automatically recalculate your benefit amount if your additional earnings increase your AIME enough to affect your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA).
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Sunny Wang
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.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•That's great to hear about your experience! Did they notify you about the increase or did you just notice it in your deposit amount? I'm wondering how I'll know when/if they make the adjustment.
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Hugh Intensity
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.
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Effie Alexander
•Yes, it applies regardless of when you start collecting, but with an important difference: If you're collecting before FRA, you're subject to the earnings test (in 2025, about $22,320/year or $1,860/month), and they'll withhold $1 for every $2 earned above that limit. Once you reach FRA, there's no earnings limit, and your benefit will be recalculated to credit back some of those months when benefits were withheld. The actual calculation gets pretty complex.
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Melissa Lin
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!!!
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Everett Tutum
•Yes, Social Security uses your highest 35 years of earnings, indexed for inflation. And they definitely use the full calendar year. The recalculation for additional earnings after you've filed happens automatically in the year following the earnings. There's no need to contact them or file anything special - it will happen when they process your W-2 information from the IRS.
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Effie Alexander
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.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•This is super helpful! I definitely don't have 35 years at maximum earnings, so it sounds like my continued work will likely help my benefit amount. Good to know about the timing too - I'll keep an eye out for changes next spring.
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Sunny Wang
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.
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Hugh Intensity
•does this claimyr thing actually work? i've been trying to reach SSA for weeks about a different issue and just get endless busy signals
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Sunny Wang
•Yes, it definitely worked for me! I was skeptical too, but after trying for days on my own with no luck, I was desperate. Got through to a real person at Social Security in about 15 minutes. They basically hold your place in line so you don't have to keep redialing.
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Reginald Blackwell
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.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•Thank you for explaining the AERO process - I had no idea this was even a thing! So it sounds like if my 2025 earnings do increase my benefit, I might get some retroactive payments too. That's fantastic news.
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Aisha Hussain
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!
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