Will I have Social Security earnings limit if I file at FRA (67) in October 2025 but continue working?

Good news! Once you reach your full retirement age (67 for you), the earnings test COMPLETELY disappears. This is true even for partial years. So starting in October 2025 when you turn 67, you can earn as much as you want with NO penalty or reduction to your Social Security benefits. The month you reach FRA is when this happens - you don't have to wait until 2026.

my sister went through this last year. turned 67 in november and kept working at her job. got her first ss check AND full paycheck with no problems!

I'm actually going through this right now! But I'm worried because when I called SSA they said something about how my benefits might be affected by my "month of election" vs my "month of entitlement"??? Now I'm totally confused and can't get through to them again. Does this mean I should file BEFORE October to make sure I get October's payment?

A bit of clarification on the FRA rules: While the annual earnings limit does indeed disappear once you reach Full Retirement Age, you should be aware that Social Security benefits are paid the month AFTER they are due. So your October benefit would arrive in November. I recommend applying about 3 months before your birthday to ensure everything processes smoothly. You'll want to specify October 2025 as your benefit start month during the application. Also, even though there's no earnings limit at FRA, your benefits may still be subject to federal income tax if your combined income (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of SS benefits) exceeds certain thresholds ($25,000 for individuals or $32,000 for couples filing jointly).

DONT LISTEN TO THESE PEOPLE!!!! My friend hit his FRA last year and STILL got his benefits reduced because the SSA didn't process his paperwork right!!! They took MONTHS to fix it and he had to keep calling over and over!! The whole system is rigged to confuse people!!

I tried for weeks to get through to SSA about a similar question. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in under 10 minutes when I'd been trying for days. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me so much frustration and I got my question resolved immediately. The agent confirmed exactly what others are saying - no earnings limit once you hit your FRA month.

wait isnt there some weird rule tho for the months BEFORE your birthday in the year you reach FRA? i think my coworker said those months have a different higher limit than regular early retirement??

One thing no one has mentioned - make sure you understand how your benefit amount is calculated. Since you're still working full-time at a good salary ($82k), you might actually increase your benefit amount by delaying a few months or even a year. Social Security calculates your benefit based on your highest 35 years of earnings. If you're currently earning more than you did in some of those earlier years (adjusted for inflation), each additional high-earning year can replace a lower year in the calculation. You might want to use the calculators on ssa.gov to see if continuing to work while delaying benefits a bit longer would increase your monthly payment.

Just to add one more piece of information - when you apply, make sure you request the "Restricted Application for Spousal Benefits Only" if you're married and your spouse is already collecting. This option is still available for people born before January 2, 1954. This strategy can sometimes allow you to collect spousal benefits while continuing to let your own retirement benefit grow until age 70.