Will my Social Security monthly benefit increase if I keep working after starting to collect?

Yes, your benefit can increase! Social Security will automatically review your earnings record each year. If your current work produces higher earnings than one of the 35 years used to calculate your original benefit, SSA will recalculate and increase your monthly payment. The adjustment typically happens in October of the following year. However, since you claimed early, remember that any increase will still reflect the reduction for claiming before your Full Retirement Age.

my brother in law had this happen. he worked at walmart after taking ss at 62 and his check went up about $58 after 2 years. not huge but better than nothing lol

This is one of those things where the SSA systems are supposed to work automatically but sometimes don't. I strongly recommend checking your my Social Security account online EVERY year in December to verify they've properly credited your earnings. If you see your benefit hasn't increased despite higher earnings, you may need to call them. And GOOD LUCK getting through on their 800 number - I tried for WEEKS last year when they missed my recalculation!

Wait I'm confused do u still have to pay SS taxes if ur already collecting??? My dad says that's double dipping and unfair!!

One thing nobody mentioned - if you're working under the earnings limit, make sure you understand how SSA counts income. They count GROSS wages in the year earned, not when paid or after deductions. I had a surprise overpayment notice because my December 2023 paycheck wasn't actually paid until January 2024, but SSA counted it for 2023 and said I exceeded the limit!! Had to file an appeal and everything. Just watch those year-end paychecks carefully.

theres NO POINT continuing to work they just take it all back anyway the whole system is RIGGED against workers

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies! I'm going to keep working at my part-time job, staying under the earnings limit, and I'll check my Social Security account online each December to make sure any recalculations are applied correctly. It's good to know that my continued work might actually increase my benefit over time, even if the increases aren't huge.

Just want to add that the automatic recalculation process can sometimes take longer than expected. When I continued working after starting benefits at 64, it took about 14 months for my first increase to show up instead of the usual 12. SSA told me they had a backlog of recalculations to process. So don't panic if you don't see the adjustment right away in October - it might come a few months later with retroactive payments included. Also, the increases compound over time, so even small bumps each year can add up to meaningful amounts over the long run.

Something important to keep in mind - if you're planning to work for several more years, you might want to consider the tax implications too. Since you're collecting Social Security and earning wages, depending on your total income, some of your SS benefits might become taxable. The IRS uses a "combined income" formula (your adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of your SS benefits) to determine if you owe taxes on up to 85% of your benefits. Just something to discuss with your tax preparer so you're not surprised come tax time! The benefit increases from continued work are definitely worth it though.

Great question! I'm in a similar situation - started collecting at 62 and now working part-time. From what I've learned through my own experience, yes, your benefits can definitely increase through automatic recalculations. The key thing to understand is that Social Security uses your highest 35 years of earnings to calculate your benefit. So if your current part-time earnings are higher than one of those 35 years they originally used, they'll substitute the higher year and recalculate your monthly benefit upward. Just remember that since you started collecting early, any increases will still reflect that early filing reduction, but every little bit helps! I've seen small increases in my own benefit over the past couple years of continued work.

As someone who's been working with Social Security benefits for years, I can confirm what others have said - yes, your benefits can increase! The automatic recalculation happens every year around October, and SSA will look at your previous year's earnings to see if they're higher than any of the 35 years used in your original calculation. One tip I'd add is to keep good records of your earnings each year so you can verify the increases are applied correctly. Also, don't forget that once you reach your Full Retirement Age, the earnings limit disappears entirely, so you can earn as much as you want without any benefit reduction while still getting these annual recalculations. Keep up the good work - every dollar you earn now could potentially boost your monthly check for the rest of your retirement!

I'm in a very similar boat - started collecting at 64 and now working a flexible part-time job. One thing I've learned is to pay attention to your Social Security Statement which gets updated annually. You can access it through your my Social Security account online, and it shows your earnings history year by year. This makes it easier to spot when those recalculations actually happen and by how much. Also, if you have any years with zero earnings (like if you took time off to raise kids or were unemployed), your current work is almost guaranteed to improve your benefit since anything is better than zero! The process really is automatic, but checking your account periodically gives you peace of mind that everything is working as it should.

One thing that might be helpful to know is that the timing of when you see benefit increases can vary depending on when during the year you're working. Since SSA does the recalculation based on the previous year's earnings, if you started your part-time job partway through last year, you might see a smaller increase this October, but then a more substantial one the following year when they have a full 12 months of your current earnings to work with. Also, I'd recommend keeping a simple spreadsheet or notebook tracking your monthly gross pay - it makes it much easier to estimate whether you'll stay under the earnings limit and helps you predict roughly what kind of benefit increase you might see. The peace of mind of knowing you're on track is worth the few minutes of record-keeping each month!

I went through this exact situation a few years ago! Yes, your monthly benefit will increase through automatic recalculations if your current earnings are higher than any of the 35 years SSA originally used to calculate your benefit. Since you took benefits early at 63, you likely have some lower-earning years in your calculation that your part-time work could replace. The key is staying under that $22,320 earnings limit you mentioned. I'd suggest creating a simple tracking system for your monthly earnings to make sure you don't accidentally go over - I learned this the hard way when I miscalculated one year! Also, be patient with the timing - the recalculations typically show up in October of the year following your work year, and sometimes there can be processing delays. Even small increases add up over time and are definitely worth the continued work. Keep contributing to the system and you should see those monthly checks grow bit by bit!

I'm actually dealing with a similar situation right now! Started collecting at 62 and have been doing freelance consulting work to stay busy and supplement my income. One thing I learned recently is that if you're self-employed (like I am), you need to be extra careful about how SSA counts your earnings - they look at your net self-employment income, not gross revenue. So if you invoice $30,000 but have $10,000 in business expenses, they count the $20,000 net amount toward the earnings limit. This might not apply to your part-time job situation, but I thought it was worth mentioning since the rules can vary depending on how you're earning the money. The automatic recalculation process works the same way though - any year where your net earnings are higher than one of your original 35 years will boost your monthly benefit. Just wanted to add that perspective since most of the other responses focused on traditional W-2 employment!

This is such a comprehensive and helpful discussion! As someone who's considering working after starting to collect benefits, I'm really grateful for all the detailed responses here. One question that came to mind reading through all this - does anyone know if there's a maximum number of times your benefit can be recalculated upward? Like, if you work for 10+ years after starting to collect, will SSA keep doing these annual recalculations indefinitely as long as you're earning more than your lowest years? Also, I'm curious about the interaction between these recalculations and cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) - do they happen separately or does one affect the timing of the other? The advice about checking your online Social Security account annually and keeping detailed earning records seems like a must-do. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences - it really helps to hear from people who've actually navigated this process!

This is such valuable information for anyone in a similar situation! I'm really impressed by how detailed and helpful everyone's responses have been. One thing I'd like to add from my own research is that it's worth understanding that the recalculation process uses your highest 35 years of indexed earnings - meaning SSA adjusts your historical earnings for wage inflation before comparing them to your current earnings. So even if your current part-time wages seem lower than what you earned decades ago, they might still result in a benefit increase because of how the indexing works. Also, I've found it helpful to think of continued work after claiming as essentially "buying" small annuity increases that last for the rest of your life - even a $20/month bump from one year of work represents $240/year for potentially 20+ years of retirement. The math really does work in your favor if you can stay under the earnings limit and replace some of those lower earning years from your work history!