Social Security earnings limit when working part-time after reaching FRA?

Good news! Once you've reached your Full Retirement Age (FRA), there is NO earnings limit. You can work and earn as much as you want while receiving your full Social Security retirement benefits. The earnings limit only applies to people who claim benefits before reaching their FRA. So in your situation, you can work those 3 days a week or more and collect every penny of your Social Security benefits without any reduction. Your coworkers who said you can earn as much as you want were correct!

Yep ur good to go! I been working full time since i hit my FRA last yr and gettin every cent of my SS. Just remember you still gotta pay taxes on both so might push u into higher bracket.

The person above is right about no earnings limit, but be aware that up to 85% of your Social Security benefits could be taxable depending on your combined income. If your combined income (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of SS benefits) exceeds $34,000 if single or $44,000 if married filing jointly, up to 85% of benefits become taxable. I was in a similar situation two years ago - kept working part-time after starting benefits at FRA. I had my employer withhold extra taxes to cover the additional tax liability. That's easier than dealing with quarterly estimated payments.

It's important to distinguish between the earnings test (which doesn't apply to you since you're at FRA) and taxation of benefits (which might apply depending on your total income). I'd recommend creating an account on my.ssa.gov if you haven't already. You can use the benefits calculators there to estimate your monthly payment amount. You might also want to use the IRS's tax withholding estimator to figure out if you need to adjust your withholding to account for the combined income from work and Social Security. One more thing to consider - since you've reached FRA but haven't filed yet, each year you delay claiming (up to age 70) will increase your eventual benefit by 8%. If you're still working and don't necessarily need the SS income right now, it might be worth considering whether delaying your claim makes sense for your situation.

my sister waited till 70 and gets almost $1000 more per month than her friend who took it at 62!! but her friend got payments for 8 extra years so its complicated math to figure out whats best for YOU

The decision to delay benefits past FRA depends on your health, longevity expectations, and financial needs. The 8% per year increase is significant - it's like getting a guaranteed investment return that's hard to beat elsewhere. The mathematical "break-even" point is typically around age 82-83. If you live beyond that age, you'll collect more total benefits by delaying to age 70. If you have reason to believe you won't live that long, claiming earlier might make more sense. But given that you're working and don't urgently need the money, delaying is often a good strategy as it provides inflation-protected income that lasts for your lifetime.

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone! I think I'm going to hold off on claiming for now since I'm still working and don't absolutely need the SS income yet. That 8% guaranteed increase each year seems too good to pass up. I'll check out that tax withholding calculator too since I definitely don't want a surprise tax bill. Really appreciate all your help!

Smart choice! One final tip - even though you're delaying benefits, I'd recommend creating your my.ssa.gov account now if you haven't already. It's a good way to check your earnings record for accuracy and get updated benefit estimates as you continue working. Those additional earnings might further increase your eventual benefit amount.