Will Social Security recalculate my benefit to include 2024 earnings? Started in November

Yes, the SSA will automatically recalculate your benefit amount to include your 2024 earnings, but it won't happen immediately. They typically do this recalculation in the latter part of the following year (so sometime in 2025) after they receive your W-2 information from your employer. If 2024 is indeed one of your highest 35 years, it will replace a lower year in your AIME calculation, which could increase your monthly benefit. The increase would be retroactive to January 2025, so if the adjustment happens in, say, October 2025, you'd also receive a small lump sum for the difference between your old benefit amount and new amount for those months.

They NEVER automatically do ANYTHING correctly!!!! I had to FIGHT with them for 8 months to get my earnings record updated after I retired. My last year working was a good one too and they just IGNORED it in my benefit calculation!!!!! Call them NOW and INSIST they include those earnings or you'll be waiting FOREVER. The system is BROKEN!!!

The SSA automatically reviews earnings records each year when new W-2s are processed. This usually happens between September-November of the following year. In your situation, your 2024 earnings would be reviewed in late 2025, and if they increase your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), you'll receive an adjustment. One thing to note is that earnings in the year you begin receiving benefits may not have as large an impact as you might expect. The SSA uses a complex formula where your earnings are indexed for inflation, so $23,000 from 1985 is actually worth more in the calculation than the raw number suggests. Still, with $105,000 replacing a lower year, you should see some increase. You can estimate the potential increase by creating an account at my.ssa.gov and using their calculators, or by calling SSA directly to ask them to run a computation with your estimated 2024 earnings.

same boat! retired in December and made 93k last year. my neighbor told me it takes about a year for them to adjust your benefit but its automatic. dont listen to the people saying you need to call and fight about it - thats only if your w2 has errors

I experienced this exact situation last year. SSA did recalculate my benefit automatically, but it took until November 2024 to see the adjustment for my 2023 earnings. The increase was modest (about $47 more per month), but they also sent me a retroactive payment for the difference dating back to January 2024. If you're really anxious about this, you could try calling SSA, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you have a lot of patience. Instead, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they got me connected to an actual SSA agent in about 15 minutes after I'd wasted days trying to get through on my own. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU But honestly, unless there's an error on your earnings record, you can just wait for the automatic adjustment.

my dad said they sent him a letter when they adjusted his benefit. came outta nowhere like 10 months after he started collecting. he got an extra $28 a month which isnt much but its something lol

Quick question to add on to this thread - does anyone know if this also applies to SSDI? I became disabled in 2024 which was also my highest earning year but I'm not sure if the same recalculation happens for disability as it does for retirement benefits?

Just to follow up on your question about how much difference it might make: replacing a $23,000 year from 1985 with $105,000 from 2024 will definitely increase your benefit, but the exact amount depends on your overall earnings history. For a rough estimate, the additional earnings might increase your monthly benefit by approximately $25-75. The reason it's not more dramatic is that: 1. The SSA indexes your past earnings for inflation, so that $23,000 from 1985 is actually valued much higher in today's dollars. 2. Social Security uses a weighted formula that gives you less credit for higher earnings. 3. The increase would only reflect the difference between your new calculation with 2024 earnings and your old calculation without them. Still, every bit helps, especially with inflation!

I'm in a similar situation - started collecting at my FRA in October 2024 and had a great earning year too. From what I've read in the SSA publications, they do this automatically as part of their annual earnings review process. The key thing is that your employer needs to file your W-2 with SSA, which typically happens by the end of January. One tip I got from my local SSA office is to check your earnings record on my.ssa.gov sometime in mid-2025 to make sure your 2024 earnings show up correctly. If there's any discrepancy between what you see there and your actual W-2, that's when you'd want to contact them. But if everything looks right, the recalculation should happen automatically in the fall of 2025. Congrats on the good earning year before retirement - sounds like it was great timing!

As someone who worked in Social Security administration for 15 years before retiring, I can confirm that the automatic recalculation process is real and reliable. The SSA processes millions of these adjustments every year without any action required from beneficiaries. Here's the typical timeline: Your employer reports your 2024 W-2 to SSA by January 31, 2025. SSA then processes these earnings updates throughout the year, with most benefit recalculations happening between August and November 2025. If your benefit increases, you'll receive a notice explaining the change and any retroactive payment owed from January 2025. The only time you'd need to contact SSA is if: 1) Your 2024 earnings don't appear on your earnings record by summer 2025, 2) There's an error in the reported amount, or 3) You don't receive any adjustment notice by December 2025 despite expecting one. Given that you earned $105,000 in a year when you started benefits, you're in an ideal position for this process to work in your favor. Just be patient - the system works, it just takes time!

This is such valuable information for everyone starting Social Security near the end of a high earning year! I'm bookmarking this thread because I'm planning to retire in late 2025 and want to make sure I understand the process. One follow-up question - does anyone know if there's a maximum number of times SSA will do these automatic recalculations? For example, if someone works part-time for a few years after starting benefits and continues having earnings that might bump out lower years, will they keep adjusting annually? Also wondering if the same automatic process applies to spousal benefits that are based on the higher earner's record. If my husband's benefit gets recalculated upward due to his final year of earnings, would my spousal benefit automatically adjust too?

I just wanted to add one more important point about timing that hasn't been mentioned yet. Since you started collecting in November 2024, your 2024 earnings will definitely count toward your benefit calculation because SSA includes earnings from the entire year you begin receiving benefits, even if you started collecting partway through. This is different from the earnings test (which doesn't apply since you're at FRA), but it's worth noting that ALL of your 2024 earnings - including those from January through October before you retired - will be considered in the recalculation. So you're getting the full benefit of that $105,000 year. Also, when the adjustment does come through next year, you'll receive a clear notice from SSA showing your old benefit amount, your new amount, and exactly how much of a retroactive payment you're getting for the months between the effective date and when they processed the change. Keep that notice for your records - it's helpful for tax purposes since the retroactive portion might affect which tax year you report it in. The whole process really is as automatic as everyone has described. Congrats on timing your retirement so well with a high-earning year!

I'm also new to Social Security and just started collecting at my FRA last month after a high-earning year. This thread has been incredibly informative! I was worried I'd need to proactively contact SSA to make sure my final year of earnings gets included in my benefit calculation. From reading everyone's experiences, it sounds like the automatic recalculation process is pretty reliable, even if it takes most of the following year to happen. I'm particularly grateful for the insider perspective from the former SSA employee - that timeline breakdown really helps set expectations. One thing I'm taking away is the importance of monitoring my earnings record on my.ssa.gov next summer to make sure my 2024 earnings show up correctly, rather than just assuming everything will work out. That seems like a good middle ground between being proactive and not unnecessarily bothering SSA staff. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and knowledge. This is exactly the kind of real-world information that's hard to find in the official SSA publications!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread! I'm in almost the exact same situation - started collecting at my FRA in December 2024 after earning around $98,000 last year, which was also one of my highest earning years. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring. I was honestly panicking a bit thinking I might have to fight with SSA to get my 2024 earnings included in my benefit calculation, but it sounds like the automatic recalculation process is something I can actually rely on. The timeline from the former SSA employee was especially helpful - now I know to check my earnings record on my.ssa.gov around summer 2025 and then watch for an adjustment notice between August-November. It's such a relief to know that millions of these adjustments happen automatically every year. I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread as a reference. The real-world experiences and practical advice here are so much more useful than trying to decode the official SSA website. Thanks again to everyone for sharing your knowledge - it's made this whole process feel much less intimidating!

As someone who just joined this community and is navigating Social Security for the first time, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing such detailed and helpful information! I'm in a very similar boat - started collecting at my FRA in January 2025 after earning about $112,000 in 2024, which was definitely one of my top earning years. This thread has completely put my mind at ease. I was actually losing sleep wondering if I needed to call SSA immediately to make sure my 2024 earnings get factored in, but now I understand that the automatic recalculation process is something I can trust. The timeline breakdown from the former SSA employee was particularly valuable - knowing that I should check my earnings record around summer 2025 and then expect a potential adjustment notice between August-November gives me a clear roadmap. It's also reassuring to know that so many people have successfully gone through this same process. The real-world experiences shared here are infinitely more helpful than trying to parse through the official SSA documentation. I'm definitely saving this thread as my reference guide. Thanks to everyone for creating such a supportive and informative discussion!

As a new member of this community who just started collecting Social Security benefits last month, I wanted to add my thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences here! I'm in a nearly identical situation - began collecting at my FRA in February 2025 after earning about $89,000 in 2024, which would definitely be in my top 35 years. Like many others here, I was initially worried about whether I needed to take some kind of action to ensure my 2024 earnings get included in my benefit calculation. This entire thread has been incredibly educational and reassuring. The detailed timeline from the former SSA employee really helped me understand what to expect, and hearing from so many people who have successfully gone through this automatic recalculation process has given me confidence to just let the system work. I'm particularly grateful for the tip about checking my earnings record on my.ssa.gov next summer to verify my 2024 earnings appear correctly - that seems like the perfect balance between staying informed and not bothering SSA unnecessarily. It's clear from everyone's experiences that patience is key, but the payoff of even a modest monthly increase plus retroactive payments makes it worth the wait. This community is such a valuable resource for people navigating Social Security for the first time. The real-world insights shared here are far more helpful than the official documentation. Thanks again to everyone for making this process feel much less overwhelming!

As a newcomer to this community who just started collecting Social Security at my FRA last month, I found this entire discussion incredibly helpful and reassuring! I'm in a very similar situation - began collecting in January 2025 after earning about $97,000 in 2024, which should definitely be one of my higher earning years. Like so many others here, I was initially stressed about whether I needed to contact SSA to make sure my 2024 earnings get properly included in my benefit calculation. Reading through everyone's experiences, especially the detailed timeline from the former SSA employee, has completely put my mind at ease about the automatic recalculation process. I'm particularly grateful for the practical advice about checking my earnings record on my.ssa.gov next summer to verify everything looks correct, and then watching for the adjustment notice between August-November 2025. It's such a relief to know that this process happens automatically for millions of people every year. The real-world insights shared in this thread are so much more valuable than trying to navigate the official SSA publications alone. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and experiences - it's made starting this Social Security journey feel much less overwhelming for those of us who are new to all this!

As a new community member who just started collecting Social Security at my FRA this past month, I want to echo everyone's gratitude for this incredibly informative thread! I'm in almost the exact same situation - began collecting in March 2025 after earning about $101,000 in 2024, which should definitely be one of my top earning years. Like so many others here, I was initially anxious about whether I needed to proactively contact SSA to ensure my 2024 earnings get included in my benefit calculation. This discussion has been absolutely invaluable in helping me understand that the automatic recalculation process is reliable and happens for millions of beneficiaries every year. The detailed timeline from the former SSA employee was particularly reassuring - knowing I should check my earnings record on my.ssa.gov around summer 2025 and then expect a potential adjustment notice between August-November gives me a clear plan to follow. It's such a relief to learn that patience is really the key here, and that the system is designed to work in our favor. The real-world experiences shared by everyone in this thread are so much more helpful than trying to navigate the official SSA website alone. It's wonderful to find such a supportive community where people share practical knowledge about these processes. Thank you to everyone for making this Social Security journey feel much more manageable for newcomers like myself!

As a newcomer to this community who just started collecting Social Security benefits at my FRA last month, I can't express how helpful this entire thread has been! I'm in a very similar situation - began collecting in February 2025 after earning about $88,000 in 2024, which should definitely help boost my benefit calculation since it replaces a much lower earning year from the early 1990s. Like everyone else who's commented, I was initially worried about whether I needed to contact SSA to make sure my 2024 earnings get properly included. Reading through all these real-world experiences, especially the incredibly detailed explanation from the former SSA employee, has completely put my mind at ease about trusting the automatic recalculation process. The timeline everyone has outlined is so helpful - check my earnings record on my.ssa.gov this summer to verify my 2024 earnings appear correctly, then patiently wait for the adjustment notice between August-November 2025. It's such a relief to know that millions of these adjustments happen automatically every year without any action required from beneficiaries. This community is an absolute treasure trove of practical knowledge that you just can't find in the official SSA publications. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise - you've made starting this Social Security journey so much less stressful for newcomers like me. Here's hoping we all see those welcome increases in our monthly benefits later this year!