Will my $66,000 earnings before FRA affect Social Security benefits starting after FRA in June?
I'm turning 66 and 8 months (my Full Retirement Age) in June and planning to start my Social Security benefits then. But I'm still working and will have earned approximately $66,000 between January and June this year. Once I reach FRA in June, I know there's no earnings limit, but I'm confused about whether my income from the first part of the year (before reaching FRA) will affect my benefits. My financial advisor told me different information than what I read online, and now I'm getting worried. Will the SSA reduce my benefits because of that pre-FRA income? Do I need to wait until January 2026 to avoid any earnings test issues?
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Malia Ponder
Good news! If you're starting benefits IN THE MONTH you reach your FRA, the earnings limit doesn't apply to the money you earned before that month. The earnings test only affects people who are collecting benefits BEFORE they hit their full retirement age. Since you're waiting until your actual FRA month to start, you're fine. The $66K won't affect anything. I learned this the hard way when I started mine last year and freaked out over nothing!
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Holly Lascelles
•Are you absolutely sure about this? My brother-in-law said he got hit with some kind of reduction because of his earnings in the months before his FRA, even though he waited until FRA to collect. Now I'm more confused than ever!
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Kyle Wallace
The previous comment isn't quite right. There IS a special rule for the year you reach FRA. In 2025, the earnings limit for the months BEFORE you reach FRA is $59,520. Since you'll earn $66,000 before reaching FRA in June, you're over the limit by $6,480. However, the reduction only applies if you START receiving benefits before reaching FRA. Since you're starting IN the month you reach FRA, you won't face any reduction. The Social Security website explains it clearly: if you start benefits in the month you reach FRA or later, there is NO reduction regardless of your earnings before that month. You've planned this correctly!
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Ryder Ross
•This is RIGHT on the money. I just went through this exact situation. As long as you're not collecting checks BEFORE your FRA month, your January-June earnings don't matter at all. The earnings test is about WHEN YOU COLLECT, not just what you earn. You'll get your full benefit amount starting in June.
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Gianni Serpent
INCORRECT INFO EVERYWHERE!! The earnings test ABSOLUTELY applies to the months in the year before you reach FRA!!! My husband had $70K earnings before his FRA last year and they DEDUCTED $1 from benefits for every $3 over the limit even though he waited!!!! YOU NEED TO REPORT YOUR WORK ACTIVITY AND EXPECTED EARNINGS TO SSA IMMEDIATELY!!!! Don't listen to these people saying everything will be fine!!!
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Kyle Wallace
•I think there might be some confusion here. Did your husband start receiving benefits BEFORE he reached his FRA? The rule is that if you START benefits in the same month you reach FRA or later, there's no reduction. But if he started receiving benefits earlier in the year before reaching FRA, then yes, the earnings test would apply to those months. The key is when benefits begin, not just when you reach FRA.
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Henry Delgado
my dad had similar situation.. he made like $58k before FRA and waited til his FRA month to file... SSA didn't take anything away from him... but thats just our experience
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Holly Lascelles
•Thanks for sharing your dad's experience. That's reassuring. I'm going to try calling SSA directly to confirm, but I've been on hold for hours and keep getting disconnected.
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Olivia Kay
I spent 3 days trying to get through to SSA about this exact issue last month. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a rep in 15 minutes who confirmed what others are saying here - if you start benefits IN or AFTER your FRA month, your pre-FRA earnings don't matter at all. No reduction. Their video shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me so much stress since I needed an answer quickly for my retirement planning.
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Holly Lascelles
•Thanks for the tip! I'll check out that service. I've been trying to get through to SSA for days and it's so frustrating. I just need a definitive answer from an actual SSA rep to feel comfortable with my decision.
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Joshua Hellan
The months before u reach FRA in the same year DO COUNT toward the yearly earnings limit! but you aren't collecting benefits in those months so theres no penalty. Thats what confuses people. The earnings test only applies to months when ur actually getting a check AND under FRA. U won't get payments until June so Jan-May earnings aren't relevant.
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Henry Delgado
•yep thats exactly it... the test only applies when ur actually getting ss checks before FRA
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Kyle Wallace
To clarify everything once and for all: 1) The 2025 earnings limit for months BEFORE reaching FRA is $59,520 2) You'll earn $66,000 before reaching FRA in June 3) BUT - this only matters if you're receiving benefits during those months 4) Since you're starting benefits IN JUNE (your FRA month), the earnings test DOES NOT APPLY 5) You will receive your full benefit amount with no reduction The SSA website states: "In the year you reach full retirement age, we deduct $1 in benefits for every $3 you earn above a different limit, but we only count earnings before the month you reach your full retirement age." Since you're not collecting before your FRA month, there's nothing to deduct from.
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Holly Lascelles
•Thank you so much for breaking this down clearly! I finally got through to SSA today and they confirmed exactly what you're saying. I feel so relieved now knowing my benefits won't be reduced. I'm going to go ahead with my plan to start collecting in June.
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Ethan Clark
Congratulations on getting the confirmation from SSA! That's such a relief when you've been worried about it. For anyone else reading this thread who might be in a similar situation, the key takeaway is really about the TIMING of when you start collecting benefits, not just when you earn the money. The earnings test is designed to reduce benefits for people who are collecting Social Security while still working before their FRA - but if you wait until your FRA month to start, you're in the clear regardless of what you earned earlier in the year. It's great that you planned it this way from the beginning!
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Cameron Black
•Exactly right! As someone new to understanding Social Security rules, this whole thread has been incredibly educational. It's amazing how much confusion there is around this topic - even among financial advisors apparently! The distinction between earning money before FRA versus actually collecting benefits before FRA is so important but seems to trip up a lot of people. Holly's situation is a perfect example of smart planning - waiting until the FRA month to start benefits really does make all the difference. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and clarifying the rules!
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Evelyn Rivera
This thread has been so helpful! I'm in a similar situation - turning 67 next year and was worried about the same earnings test issue. Reading through everyone's experiences really clarifies how the timing works. @Holly Lascelles - I'm glad you got the official confirmation from SSA! It's frustrating how even financial advisors sometimes give conflicting information about these rules. For anyone else following along, it seems like the golden rule is: if you can wait until your actual FRA month to start collecting, you avoid the earnings test entirely, no matter what you earned earlier in the year while working. This is definitely going into my retirement planning notes!
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Camila Jordan
•@Evelyn Rivera - You re'absolutely right about the importance of timing! As someone just starting to navigate these Social Security rules, I ve'found this whole discussion really eye-opening. It s'reassuring to see so many people sharing their real experiences and helping clarify the confusion. The fact that even financial advisors can give conflicting information really shows how complex these rules can seem on the surface. But the community here has done such a great job breaking it down - wait until your FRA month to start benefits and you re'golden, regardless of earlier earnings in that year. I ll'definitely be bookmarking this thread for future reference when I get closer to my own retirement planning!
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