Will Social Security penalize me for working full-time past my FRA of 66.8 months?

The earnings limit works differently in the year you reach FRA. For 2025, you can earn up to $58,920 in the months BEFORE you reach your FRA without any penalty. This is much higher than the regular annual limit ($21,240) for people who haven't reached FRA. Once you reach your FRA month (August for you), you can earn unlimited income with no reduction in benefits. So January through July earnings count toward that higher limit, but from August onward, no limit applies. You're in good shape with your $78k salary - roughly $45,500 earned before August would be under the limit.

My brother went thru this last year. The SSA looks at what u earn BEFORE ur FRA month. After that, make as much $ as u want!! They don't even count it.

You've received correct information, but I want to clarify one thing that sometimes confuses people. When they talk about the earnings limit, they're only counting wages or self-employment income. Other income like investments, pensions, annuities, capital gains, or rental income doesn't count toward the earnings test limits. So if any portion of your $78,000 comes from non-work sources, that wouldn't count toward the pre-FRA limit. Also, if you do exceed the limit before reaching your FRA month, they don't take away benefits forever. SSA withholds $1 in benefits for every $3 you earn above the limit. And those withheld benefits eventually come back to you in the form of slightly higher monthly payments after you reach FRA.

dont trust what SSA tells u... they told me one thing and did another!!! i worked part time at my FRA and they still took away $$ from my checks. had to fight for 5 MONTHS to get it back!!!!!

When I hit my FRA last year, I kept working and had no problems with my benefits. The only annoying part was having to call Social Security to straighten out a couple things, and I was on hold for HOURS. Literally called for three days straight and couldn't get through.

I just checked my Social Security statement online, and it says my monthly benefit would be around $2,950 at my FRA. If I somehow went over the earnings limit before August, would they reduce that full amount? Or just take a portion of it? I'm trying to budget for next year and want to make sure I understand exactly how this works.

My frend said just dont tell SSA ur working and they wont know lol

I remember being confused about this too! For the months before FRA, they count your earnings monthly, not as an annual total divided by 12. So if your income varies by month (like if you get big bonuses or work seasonally), you might want to look at exactly when that income hits during the year.

Have you checked if it makes more financial sense to just delay starting your benefits until you actually stop working? Since you're already at FRA, your benefit amount will grow by 8% per year until age 70. Might be worth running the numbers both ways, especially if you're in good health and expect to live a long time.

watch out for taxes too!!! up to 85% of ur SS can be taxed if ur combined income is high enough... they dont tell u that part!

One last thing to be aware of: Even though there's no penalty for working at FRA, you should still report any significant changes in your earning situation to SSA. This helps avoid any potential misunderstandings or incorrect benefit calculations. You can report wages through your my Social Security account online or by calling them directly.