Will my Social Security benefit increase if I return to work after claiming 1 month before FRA?

Yes, your benefit can increase in two ways if you return to work after starting benefits: 1. If you earn enough to be among your highest 35 years of earnings, the SSA will automatically recalculate your benefit amount. This happens the year after you work, usually around October. 2. Since you claimed just 1 month before FRA, you're subject to the earnings test only until you reach FRA. If you earn above the annual exempt amount ($21,240 in 2025), they'll withhold $1 for every $2 you earn above that limit. BUT, when you reach FRA, they'll adjust your benefit upward to account for those months they withheld benefits. The good news is that since you claimed so close to FRA, your reduction for early claiming is very small (about 0.6%). And any months your benefits are withheld due to high earnings will ultimately result in a recalculation that essentially erases that reduction.

i did something similar. claimed at 66 and 6 months but kept working. my check went up like $76 a few months back. they send a letter explaining it was from recalculation due to my recent earnings. they do it automatically you don't have to call or do anything

Be careful about the earnings limit! I made that mistake and had to pay back a bunch of money to Social Security!!! They don't tell you clearly about this. If you make too much before FRA they will TAKE BACK benefits you already received. Make sure you notify them when you start working again!!!

One important detail nobody mentioned - when SSA recalculates your benefit based on additional earnings, they don't just look at whether the new year replaces one of your existing 35 years. They also apply an 'adjustment of the reduction factor' if you had months where benefits were withheld due to work. In your case, since you claimed just one month early with a 0.6% reduction, if you have ANY month where benefits are withheld due to earnings before FRA, they'll recalculate as if you claimed exactly at FRA (removing that small reduction). I went through this exact situation. Started benefits 2 months before FRA, then returned to work. My benefit increased about 1.5% after the recalculation.

good luck getting anyone at ssa to explain this clearly lol... i called 3 times and got 3 different explanations about how working affects benefits

When I went back to work after starting my SS benefits, my payment did go up the following year. The increase wasn't huge (about $43/month), but over time that adds up. The SSA does this automatically in the year after you work. Also, it's worth noting that only earnings covered by Social Security count toward potential benefit increases. So if you take a job that doesn't pay into Social Security (like some government positions), those earnings won't help increase your benefit.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! I'm feeling much better about going back to work now. Just to summarize what I've learned: 1. Since I'll hit my FRA next month, I only need to worry about the earnings limit for a very short time 2. Any new earnings that are higher than my previous 35 years could increase my benefit 3. The SSA will automatically recalculate my benefit (usually the following year) 4. If I have benefits withheld due to earnings, they'll adjust my benefit when I reach FRA to account for this This is all really good news. I was worried that claiming early would permanently lock me into a lower benefit, but it sounds like returning to work could actually help increase it. I appreciate all your insights!

Does anyone know if the benefit increase happens RIGHT AWAY after they do the recalculation?? Or is there another waiting period? With Social Security there's ALWAYS some complication they don't tell you about until afterwards!!!