Social Security retirement payments held after working too much - will I get January or September 2025 payment?

Based on what you've described, you should receive your Social Security retirement benefits starting in January 2025. The earnings test is applied on a calendar year basis. Since you've already been approved and your 2025 expected earnings are below the annual limit ($23,400 for someone under FRA in 2025), your benefits should resume automatically in January. The example you found supports this - it shows that once a new calendar year begins, they look at your projected earnings for that new year. Since your projected earnings for 2025 are only about $4,000, you're well under the limit. The confusion might be because the CSR was thinking about the rule where benefits are withheld for the first month and potentially subsequent months when you initially claim. But since you've already been approved and just had benefits suspended due to excess earnings, you don't need to wait until September 2025.

something similar happen 2 me when i retired. got approved but no $$ cause i was still working. next year they started paying automatic in January, didnt have 2 do anything. BUT with the ssa you never know lol so maybe call again n get it in writing!!

The key here is understanding how the earnings test works. There are two distinct parts: 1. Annual test: For 2025, if you earn under $23,400 for the entire year (and you said you'll earn about $4K), you're eligible for ALL your monthly benefits. 2. Monthly test: This only applies in your first year of retirement (which was 2024 for you). Since you've already served your "penalty" in 2024 by not receiving benefits, and your 2025 income will be below the threshold, your benefits should automatically resume in January 2025. The system is designed to restart payments automatically when a new calendar year begins. The September confusion might be related to your birthday month, but that's not relevant to when payments resume after being suspended for excess earnings.

The SSA is THE WORST at explaining this stuff!!! I went through something similar and got FIVE different answers from FIVE different reps. It's ridiculous how they can't give consistent information about their own rules! My suggestion? Call again tomorrow and ask specifically "Will my benefits automatically restart in January 2025 since my 2025 earnings will be below the annual limit?" Keep calling until you get the same answer twice, honestly.

Im pretty sure its January. My husband went thru this exact situation. He started SS at 62 but was still consulting part-time so didnt get payments the first year. Then in January of the next year they just started automatically. They did send him a letter in December saying his payments would resume in January, so maybe wait a few more weeks to see if u get something like that in the mail? Just be aware they might hold back some money if they think youll go over the earnings limit. My husband got partial payments til June, then they figured out he was really retired and sent a lump sum for the difference.

One important thing to check - make sure the SSA has your correct 2025 earnings estimate on file. Sometimes if they have outdated earnings information, they might incorrectly continue the suspension. You can verify this in your my Social Security account under "Earnings Record" or by calling them. If they're still showing your 2024 earnings as your estimate for 2025, that could cause your benefits to remain suspended even though you'll actually earn less than the limit. This is a common issue that causes confusion.

have u checked ur my social security acct online? sometimes it shows pending payments there before they even tell u. might give u a clue if somethings gonna hit in january

To summarize what should happen in your case: 1. Benefits should automatically resume in January 2025 2. No action needed from you if SSA has your correct 2025 earnings estimate 3. First payment should arrive based on your birth date schedule in January 4. You'll receive your full monthly benefit amount since your 2025 earnings are well below the limit If January comes and you don't receive payment, then you should contact SSA immediately to ensure they have the correct earnings information for 2025. For peace of mind, you could call once more in December to verify everything is set up correctly for January payment resumption.