Social Security earnings limit confusion - can I earn unlimited after FRA?
I'm having a disagreement with a friend about Social Security earnings limits and need to know who's right. I told my friend that once you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA), you can earn as much as you want without any reduction in Social Security benefits. But they're insisting that there's still an earnings limit between FRA and age 70. I'm pretty sure they're confusing this with the earnings limit that applies between age 62 and FRA, when your benefits can definitely be reduced if you earn too much. Can someone clarify this once and for all? I don't want to give my friend bad information, but I'm almost certain there's NO earnings limit after you reach your FRA.
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Ethan Brown
You are 100% correct. Once you reach your Full Retirement Age, there is NO earnings limit. You can earn as much as you want without any reduction in benefits. The earnings limit ONLY applies before you reach your FRA. Your friend is definitely confused about this rule.
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GalacticGladiator
•Thanks for confirming! I thought I was right but started doubting myself after our argument went on for like 20 minutes lol.
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Yuki Yamamoto
yep earnings test stops at FRA thats why many ppl wait till then to retire if they're still working good money
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GalacticGladiator
•That makes sense. So working until FRA seems like the smart move for a lot of people.
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Carmen Ruiz
I had the same confusion when I was applying for benefits! Here's how it actually works: - Age 62 to FRA: There's an earnings limit ($22,320 in 2025), and if you go over, they deduct $1 for every $2 you earn above the limit - Year of reaching FRA: Higher limit ($59,520 in 2025), and they deduct $1 for every $3 above the limit until the month you reach FRA - After FRA: NO EARNINGS LIMIT WHATSOEVER! The confusion might be because there's another age-70 rule that's totally different - that's when delayed retirement credits stop accumulating. Maybe that's what your friend is thinking about?
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GalacticGladiator
•Oh! That might be it! They might be mixing up the earnings test with the delayed retirement credits. That would explain the confusion about age 70. Thank you for breaking it down so clearly!
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Andre Lefebvre
When I started collecting SS, I was told there WAS a limit even after FRA. This was back in 2018 and I got incorrect info from the SSA rep!!! Cost me a lot of stress until another rep fixed it. Your friend probly got bad info too.
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Carmen Ruiz
•Unfortunately, this happens more than you'd think. Even some SSA reps get confused about the more complex rules. It's always good to verify important information from multiple sources.
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Zoe Dimitriou
Your friend might be thinking about how SS benefits are calculated. The age 70 thing is when delayed retirement credits stop - meaning there's no benefit to waiting past 70 to claim. But that has NOTHING to do with earnings limits. As others have said, there is absolutely NO earnings limit after you reach your FRA. I've been collecting my full benefit since reaching my FRA at 66 and 8 months, and I still work full-time earning well into six figures. No reduction whatsoever.
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GalacticGladiator
•Thanks for sharing your personal experience! That's really reassuring to hear from someone actually living it. I'll definitely share this with my friend.
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QuantumQuest
The others are right, but don't forget that even though there's no earnings limit after FRA, your Social Security benefits can still be subject to income tax depending on your combined income. Up to 85% of your SS benefits can be taxable if your combined income is high enough. That's a separate issue from the earnings test though.
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GalacticGladiator
•That's a good point I hadn't even considered. So I can earn unlimited without reducing my SS benefit, but I might end up paying more taxes on those benefits if my total income is high. That makes sense.
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Jamal Anderson
UGH trying to reach someone at Social Security to ask these kinds of questions is IMPOSSIBLE!!! I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through on the phone last month about a similar question. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 15 minutes. They have this video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Totally worth it to get definitive answers straight from SSA.
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Yuki Yamamoto
•is that service legit? i tried calling SS last week and hung up after 2 hours on hold
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Jamal Anderson
•Yes it's legit. My sister-in-law used it too. It basically just navigates the phone system and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an agent comes on the line. Saved me from wasting another whole day on the phone.
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Carmen Ruiz
Since others have already clarified the earnings limit question, I'll add one more thing that might help explain your friend's confusion. There are THREE different age-related concepts with Social Security that people often mix up: 1. Earnings Limit: Applies ONLY before FRA, completely goes away at FRA 2. Delayed Retirement Credits: These accumulate between FRA and age 70 (8% per year) 3. Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): Start at age 73 for retirement accounts (not related to SS but another age 70-ish rule) I've found that people often blend these different concepts together, which creates confusion.
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Zoe Dimitriou
•That's an excellent breakdown. I would add a 4th item that causes confusion: Medicare enrollment at age 65, which is separate from SS but often gets mixed into these discussions as well.
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Yuki Yamamoto
my brother kept working til 69 making big $$ and got full SS the whole time so your def right
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GalacticGladiator
•Thanks for sharing that real-world example! It's really helpful to hear about actual experiences.
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