Will Social Security taxes still be deducted from my paycheck after claiming benefits & can it increase my monthly SS payment?

Yes, you'll still have FICA taxes taken out of your paycheck - that never stops as long as you're earning wages. As for whether it increases your benefit amount, it definitely can! SSA does an automatic recomputation every year. If your recent earnings are higher than one of the 35 years used to calculate your original benefit, they'll replace the lower year, recalculate your PIA, and increase your monthly payment. It's not usually a huge jump unless your earlier years had very low earnings, but every little bit helps with inflation these days.

you still pay in no matter what age. i worked til 70 and they took ss taxes every week! such a ripoff when ur already collecting

I had the exact same question when I started getting my benefits at 62 last year! Yes, your employer will continue to withhold Social Security taxes from your paychecks. And YES, it can potentially increase your monthly benefit amount over time. Here's what I've learned: SSA looks at your earnings record every year after you've filed for benefits. If your recent year's earnings are higher than one of the 35 years they used in your original calculation (adjusted for inflation), they'll substitute the higher year, recalculate your benefit, and increase your monthly payment. The adjustment happens automatically - you should see any increase in your payment for January each year. You can actually see which years were used in your calculation by creating an account at ssa.gov and looking at your earnings history. If you have some very low years in there (or years with $0), then working now could definitely help! Just remember that if you're below your Full Retirement Age (which you are at 63), you're subject to the earnings limit ($22,320 in 2025) - earn more than that and they'll withhold some of your benefits (though you get it back later).

When I claimed 2 years ago and kept working, I saw a small bump in my benefit after the first year - about $28 more per month. Not huge but better than nothing! And yes they still take SS taxes forever 🙄

Has anyone had luck getting through to SSA to ask about recalculations? I've been working part-time for 3 years after starting my benefits and want to make sure they've been including my new earnings. I've been trying to call for WEEKS but can't get through to a real person!!

To add some technical details to what others have said: 1. Yes, FICA taxes (6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare) will continue to be withheld from your earnings regardless of age or benefit status. 2. The Social Security Administration performs an Automatic Earnings Recomputation Operation (AERO) each year when your new earnings are processed. 3. For your benefit to increase, your recent earnings must be substantial enough to replace one of the 35 highest inflation-adjusted earnings years used in your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) calculation. 4. The increase is typically modest because your new earnings replace just one year out of 35 in the calculation, and the benefit formula is weighted to replace a higher percentage of lower earnings. 5. Since you claimed before your Full Retirement Age, remember that the earnings limit applies ($22,320 for 2025 if you're not reaching FRA this year). Exceeding this limit means $1 in benefits withheld for every $2 over the limit. The recalculations are completely automatic - you don't need to request them. Any increase would be reflected in your January payment for the following year.

My spouse started claiming at 63 while still working part-time, just like you. After two years of additional work, her monthly check increased by about $45/month. Not life-changing but definitely adds up over time!

careful with the earnings limit!!!!! my brother went over by like $3000 and they took back a bunch of his benefits. big mess to fix