Social Security earnings calculation continues after claiming at 62 - how does part-time work affect my 35-year average?

Your 35 yr average does NOT stop once you start collecting SS. SSA will continue to look at your earnings every year and if your part time work replaces a lower earning year in your calculation, they will adjust your benefit. Happens automatically.

To expand on what the previous commenter said, Social Security benefits are based on your highest 35 years of earnings, adjusted for inflation. When you work after claiming benefits, the SSA automatically reviews your record each year. If your new earnings replace one of those lower years in your calculation (like those 5 years you mentioned caring for your parents), your benefit will increase. However, be aware of the earnings limit if you're claiming before your Full Retirement Age (FRA). In 2025, if you're under FRA for the full year, you can earn up to $21,240 without penalty. Earn more than that, and SSA will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 over the limit. The year you reach FRA, the limit increases substantially. Once you reach your FRA, there's no earnings limit, and you can earn as much as you want without penalty.

yes they withhold now but give it back later!!!! happened to me already and i got a letter bout it. they recalculate after FRA and give u back the money they took b4 plus adjustments for the higher ernings. its all soooo confusing tho lol

Something important that hasn't been mentioned yet: in addition to the annual recomputation that might increase your benefit if you replace lower earnings years, there's also a special adjustment that occurs when you reach Full Retirement Age. If you've had benefits withheld due to exceeding the earnings limit before FRA, the SSA will recalculate your benefit amount to credit you for those months when benefits were withheld. This effectively reduces the early retirement reduction that was initially applied when you filed at 62. So you potentially get two separate increases: one from having higher lifetime earnings (the recomputation) and another from getting credit for months you didn't receive benefits because of the earnings test (the adjustment at FRA). This is why working part-time after claiming early can actually be quite beneficial long-term, even if it temporarily reduces your benefits.

Speaking of calling SSA, I was struggling to get through to them about this exact issue last month. I kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent I spoke with confirmed everything others are saying here - your earnings record continues to be updated after you claim, and they do automatic recomputations annually. So your part-time work definitely counts toward potentially increasing your benefit if it replaces lower years.

my sister works at walmart and her check went up $32 after working for 3 years past 62 so dont expect anything big just sayin

OK BUT NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT THE TAXES!!!!! If you're working while collecting SS, you could end up having up to 85% of your benefits taxed depending on your combined income. I started working part-time after claiming at 63 and got SHOCKED at tax time. Just make sure you're factoring this in!!!!

My wife worked for 33 years before claiming at 62 and kept working pt and they still increased her benefit every year! Even tho she was over the earnings limit at first. its been 5 years now and her check is almost $200 more than when she started! But like someone else said she did have to wait till FRA to get the full increase.

To summarize what's been discussed: 1. Your 35-year calculation continues throughout your lifetime 2. New earnings can replace lower years, potentially increasing your benefit 3. The earnings limit applies until FRA ($21,240 for 2025) 4. Benefits withheld due to the earnings limit are partially returned at FRA through a recalculation 5. These recalculations happen automatically 6. The taxation of benefits is a separate consideration If you're replacing very low earning years from when you cared for your parents, you could see a meaningful increase over time, especially considering you'll potentially have many years of part-time work ahead of you.