Social Security earnings limit confusion - will January paycheck from old job reduce my new widower benefits?

I went through this exact scenario when i started my survivor benefits! The SSA only counts your EARNED income in the month you ACTUALLY PERFORMED THE WORK. So your December earnings don't count against January's limit even though you got paid in January. Only the 5 days you worked in January count toward January's limit. However if you're over the monthly limit for January ($1,840 i think?) then yes your benefit could be reduced. The good news is it's not permanent!!! When I called about this they explained the reduction only applies in months you exceed the limit.

The previous answer is almost correct, but there are some important nuances to understand about the retirement earnings test (RET): 1. For the first year you claim benefits, SSA uses a monthly earnings test rather than annual. In your case, only earnings from work performed in January 2025 count toward January's limit. 2. For 2025, the monthly exempt amount is $1,840 if you're under Full Retirement Age (FRA). If you earned $1,200 for work performed in January, you're under the limit and no benefits will be withheld. 3. If you exceed the monthly limit, SSA withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above the limit. 4. After your first year on benefits, SSA switches to an annual test, where it doesn't matter which months you earned the money. 5. Any reduction is not permanent. Once you reach FRA, the earnings test no longer applies, and your benefit will be recalculated to give credit for months when benefits were withheld.

Let me add some practical advice: be VERY careful with documenting exactly when you performed work vs when you got paid. Keep copies of your final timesheet showing December vs January work days. If you get a W-2 that combines both months, write a letter to your file explaining the breakdown. SSA often makes mistakes with the earnings test because they sometimes just look at when the money was paid rather than when it was earned (which is what actually matters). If you want absolute peace of mind, you could call SSA directly to explain your situation and get confirmation about how they'll handle it. Unfortunately getting through to them can take hours of waiting.

my neighbor had something like this happen and SSA took back money from her!!! they said she was over the limit but she wasn't, it was a whole mess. took her 6 months to fix. make sure you keep ALL your paystubs and timesheets!

Is this the same thing as the SSI limit? I get SSI and they count my income differently I think.

The answer about the earnings test is correct but I want to clarify something important that people often miss: if you're receiving widower benefits and you're below your FRA, you should be very careful about the earnings test. The test applies to ALL benefits, not just retirement. Many people don't realize this and end up with unexpected reductions. Also, I highly recommend checking your my Social Security account online after you start receiving benefits to make sure they processed everything correctly. You can see exactly what they recorded for your earnings and benefit amount.

just wanted to add that if u do go over the limit at some point, they don't immediately reduce your check. they usually do it later after they process your tax return info. so don't panic if u go over and dont see a change right away. my brothers check got reduced almost a year after he went over the limit!

One final point about the monthly test versus annual test: After your first year on benefits, Social Security will automatically switch you to the annual test. You don't need to contact them for this change. So in 2025, they'll use the monthly test, and in 2026, they'll automatically use the annual test. For 2025, as long as you stay under $1,840 in January, you should be fine. For the rest of 2025, if you've fully retired, you won't have any earnings to worry about anyway. But if you do any part-time work later in 2025, you'll need to stay under the monthly limit for any month you work.