Will Social Security earnings limit continue after reaching FRA or does it end?

The earnings test only applies BEFORE you reach your full retirement age. Once you hit your FRA, the earnings test goes away completely - you can earn unlimited amounts without any reduction to your SS benefits. This is true regardless of when you started collecting. So if you start at 63, you'll face the earnings limit for 4 years until you reach 67, but after that, you can earn as much as you want with no penalty. During those 4 years though, for every $2 you earn above the annual limit (which is $22,320 in 2025 for years before the year you reach FRA), Social Security will withhold $1 in benefits.

when i started collecting at 62 i had to watch my income for 5 yrs but now im past FRA i work all i want. they dont explain this very good on their website

The earnings test disappears at FRA. What's permanent is the reduction in your monthly benefit amount for claiming early. You'll always have that reduced amount (except for COLA increases) because you claimed at 63 instead of 67.

I want to add an important point that others haven't mentioned: any benefits withheld due to the earnings test aren't permanently lost. Once you reach FRA, Social Security will recalculate your benefit and give you credit for the months when benefits were withheld. This results in a higher monthly benefit going forward after FRA. So you do eventually get that money back in the form of higher monthly payments after your FRA. Also, remember that the annual limit is significantly higher ($59,520 in 2025) for the calendar year in which you reach FRA, and only earnings before your FRA month count. And in that year, it's $1 reduction for every $3 above the limit, not $2.

Just wanna share something frustrating - I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through to someone at Social Security to ask this exact question last month. Kept getting disconnected or put on endless hold. So annoying!

BE CAREFUL!!! The rules are different for RETIREMENT benefits vs DISABILITY benefits!! My cousin thought the same thing when he was getting SSDI but the rules for working are COMPLETELY different if you're on disability!! Make sure you know WHICH type of benefit you're talking about!

my uncle had this happen and he was hit with an overpayment letter because he didnt report his earnings correctly. be super careful with reporting your work income to SS if you go over the limit.

i think the bigger question is why take SS early if ur still working good money? better 2 wait for bigger checks unless u really need it now

One other piece of advice - if you expect to earn over the limit, you can voluntarily suspend your benefits for any months you expect to exceed it, rather than having SSA calculate the withholding. This can give you more control over when the reductions occur. Just contact SSA before the month you want to suspend. You can then resume benefits in months where your earnings will be lower.