Social Security retirement earnings limit - will March paycheck for February work affect my benefit?

For Social Security earnings limit purposes, wages count when EARNED, not when paid. As long as you did the actual work in February, it doesn't matter if the paycheck arrives in March. SSA follows when the work was performed, not your employer's payment schedule. This is different from how they handle self-employment income, which counts when received. I went through this exact situation last year - my final paycheck came 3 weeks after my retirement date and didn't affect my benefits at all.

my sister went thru this last year and ended up with an overpayment notice because she didnt report right. make sure u tell them exactly when u worked vs when u got paid!!!

The previous commenter is correct - wages count for the earnings test when earned, not when paid. Here's what SSA needs to see: 1. Your last day of work (February 29, 2025) 2. The amount of your February earnings 3. Confirmation you'll have $0 earned income in March when benefits begin I recommend requesting a letter from your employer documenting your last day worked and that the March paycheck covers February work only. This prevents confusion later. Also, you should notify Social Security right away when you stop working - don't wait for your final paycheck to arrive.

GOOD LUCK GETTING THROUGHT TO ANYONE AT SSA TO EXPLAIN THIS!!! I spent THREE WEEKS trying to get someone on the phone when I retired last year!!! Called everyday, waited HOURS, and kept getting disconnected!! SO FRUSTRATING!!! And then when I finally got through, the person clearly didn't know what they were talking about and gave me WRONG INFO!

im retiring next month at 63 and worried about the same thing lol. my last check comes in the next month too

When I retired the payroll department coded my final check incorrectly and it caused a whole mess with Social Security. They thought I was still working in the month I started benefits. Took 3 months and multiple calls to fix. My advice - talk to payroll specifically about how they'll code your last check and make sure they understand it's for February work.

what about vacation pay? does that count for the month its paid or the month u stopped working??

To clarify the vacation pay question - yes, unused vacation payouts generally count for the earnings test in the month they're received, not earned. This is different from regular wages. If your final check includes substantial vacation payout and arrives in March, that portion could count against your March earnings limit. The distinction is: - Regular wages: Count when earned (February in your case) - Vacation/sick/bonus payouts: Count when received (March) If this is a concern, you might ask your employer if they can issue separate checks - one for final wages (can arrive in March) and another for vacation payout (ideally paid in February before benefits start).

One other thing nobody mentioned - if 2025 is your first year of retirement, you can use the monthly earnings test instead of the annual one. This means after you officially retire, you can make as much as you want for the remainder of the year before retirement, and then be limited to $1,860/month ($22,320 ÷ 12) for any month after retirement. This is a big advantage in the first year! After 2025, you'd be subject to the annual limit only.