Will Social Security benefits increase if husband keeps working after FRA?

yes his benifit will go up but dont expect much maybe 50$ more a year depends on how low those early years were. SSA does it automaticly every year around march I think

This is a great question that many people miss! Yes, Social Security will automatically recalculate his benefit amount each year when his earnings are reported through his W-2. This typically happens after tax season when all the income data is processed. The recalculation works by potentially replacing lower-earning years in his 35-year calculation with his new higher-earning years. Since he's already at FRA, there are two key benefits: 1. His current earnings can replace lower years in his AIME (Average Indexed Monthly Earnings) calculation 2. He's no longer subject to earnings limits, so he keeps 100% of his benefits regardless of how much he earns The increase varies depending on how much higher his current earnings are compared to the lowest-earning years being replaced. It could range from a few dollars to $100+ per month if he's replacing very low earning years. The adjustments typically appear in payments by October of the following year (so 2026 earnings would adjust his benefit by October 2027).

My husband did the same thing and worked til 70!! His SS only went up like $42 over those 3 years even tho he was making good money. Don't expect much.

I went through this EXACT situation with my wife last year. The increases from replacing lower earning years were tiny, like $15-20 per month. The REAL benefit was that he already filed at his FRA so he's collecting full benefits WHILE still working and replacing those years! One thing nobody mentioned - make sure you monitor his benefit amount on the my Social Security account online. Despite what everyone says about automatic recalculations, we had to CALL them to actually get the increase applied. They backdated it eventually, but it was a headache. BTW, when I needed to call about this, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real SS agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending days trying. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - totally worth it to avoid the frustration of constant busy signals.

the biggest benefit is hes already getting SS AND still working! lol win-win!! i wish i could have done that but had health problems and had to stop at 64. make sure u guys are looking at tax implications tho, SS + his income might push u into higher bracket

There's some misinformation here that needs clarification: 1. The recalculation is indeed automatic - typically processed after tax season when earnings reports are finalized. No action is normally required, though monitoring is always smart. 2. The benefit increase amount varies SIGNIFICANTLY based on what years are being replaced. If some of his 35 computation years were very low (like part-time work in college), the increases could be substantial. 3. The recalculations are completely separate from Delayed Retirement Credits (which he's not getting since he already filed at FRA). 4. SSA sends COLA notices each December showing benefit changes for January, but earnings-based recalculations come separately and can happen at different times of year. One often overlooked benefit of continued work: if he becomes disabled before retirement, his SSDI benefit calculation would include these higher-earning years, potentially resulting in a higher disability benefit if needed.

This is kind of off topic but make sure ur husband checks if hes eligible for any pensions from those early jobs. My husband found out he qualified for a small pension from a job he had 30 years ago! Only $320/month but better than nothing!

One important warning that nobody has mentioned: if any of his early lower-paying jobs were with employers not covered by Social Security (like some government or education positions), he might be subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) which could actually REDUCE his Social Security benefit. This happens if he's receiving a pension from non-covered work. Similarly, if you're collecting a government pension from non-SS-covered work, your spousal benefits could be reduced by the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision. Might be worth checking if these apply to your situation.