Will my state pension count toward Social Security earnings limit at age 62?

Good news! Your pension doesn't count toward the earnings limit. The earnings test ONLY counts wages from actual work or self-employment income. Pensions, investment income, interest, annuities, capital gains - none of these count toward the earnings limit. So your $1300/month pension won't affect your Social Security benefits at all under the earnings test. However, if you get a part-time job, those earnings WILL count against the limit. For 2025, if you're under Full Retirement Age (FRA) for the whole year, SSA will deduct $1 from benefits for each $2 you earn above the annual limit (which will likely be around $22,000-23,000 for 2025). Also, since you mentioned a state pension, be aware of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) which might reduce your Social Security benefit if you earned a pension from work where you didn't pay Social Security taxes. That's a separate issue from the earnings test though.

Your pension doesnt count toward earnings limit but beware of WEP - it can slash your SS benefit. My friends ex-husband worked for county government and his SS was cut almost in half when he started collecting! Its a way the govt. can take away benefits youve earned imho.

I just went through this exact situation last year! The pension definitely doesn't count toward the earnings limit - only actual work counts. But I did learn about the WEP thing the hard way when my benefit was about $450 less than I expected. You should call SSA directly to ask about your specific situation with the pension and WEP. The problem is getting through to them on the phone is nearly impossible these days. I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to a live agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting hours or days. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Totally worth it when dealing with complex pension situations!

Let me provide some additional clarification: 1. Pension income (regardless of source) does NOT count toward the earnings test limit. Only wages or self-employment income counts. 2. Regarding WEP: This applies if you receive a pension from work where you did NOT pay Social Security taxes. You mentioned you paid into Social Security at a "reduced rate" - this sounds like you might be affected by WEP, but the impact varies based on your specific work history. 3. For 2025, the earnings limit for someone under FRA will likely be around $22,680 (based on typical annual increases). 4. If you work part-time after starting SS benefits, only those work earnings count toward the limit, not your pension. I recommend creating an account at my.ssa.gov where you can see your personalized benefit estimates which should already factor in any WEP reduction if applicable. Be aware that taking benefits at 62 means a permanent reduction of about 30% compared to waiting until your FRA.

EVERYONE HERE IS MISSING something important!!! If your pension is from a job where you DIDNT pay full social security taxes (like many state and local govt jobs), then you MIGHT be subject to both WEP *and* GPO. WEP reduces your own benefit and GPO can reduce any spousal or survivor benefits!!! My husbands pension from teaching for 25 yrs completely eliminated my spousal benefit I was counting on. Check both!!!!!

Just adding my two cents... I retired early at 62 last year and have a similar pension situation. I'm now kicking myself because I didn't fully understand how much the early claiming reduction plus WEP would affect my monthly payment. I'm getting almost $700 less per month than I was expecting based on the estimates I saw years ago. If I could do it over, I would have waited until at least 65. Just something to consider.

I'm confused about something... i thought the earnings limit was going up to like $56,000 or something in 2025? I read that somewhere I think. Can anyone confirm? Also does WEP apply if you worked for a private company pension?

The whole system is rigged against regular people trying to retire with dignity! I worked 40+ years and paid in every paycheck and now they want to cut benefits if you try to still work a little to make ends meet??? And these complicated rules about WEP and GPO that nobody understands until its too late. Its designed to confuse us! Im sorry but im so tired of this system that takes and takes but doesnt want to give you what youve earned!

To address the original question one more time with absolute clarity: 1. Pension income DOES NOT count toward the earnings limit. Only income from active work (wages or self-employment) counts. 2. If you work part-time after starting benefits, only those work earnings count. 3. The earnings limit is adjusted annually. For 2025, it will likely be around $22,680 if you're under Full Retirement Age the entire year. 4. At 62, your benefit is permanently reduced by about 30% compared to your Full Retirement Age benefit. 5. Given your pension situation, I strongly recommend contacting SSA directly about potential WEP impacts before making your final decision about when to claim benefits.

I went through a similar situation a few years ago and wanted to share what I learned. Like others have said, your pension absolutely does NOT count toward the earnings limit - that was a huge relief when I found out! One thing I'd add is that you should also request a detailed benefit estimate from SSA that shows your projected monthly benefit with any WEP reduction already calculated in. This will give you a much clearer picture of what to expect. When I did this, I discovered my WEP reduction was only about $150/month, not the massive cut I was worried about. Also, since you mentioned having a deceased spouse, definitely look into whether your survivor benefit might be higher than your own benefit (even after any GPO reduction). Sometimes it makes sense to take your reduced benefit at 62 and then switch to survivor benefits at your FRA if that would be higher. The decision of when to claim is really personal and depends on your health, financial needs, and life expectancy expectations. Don't let anyone pressure you either way - just make sure you have all the facts first!

I'm in a somewhat similar situation and have been researching this extensively. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should also check if your state pension system participates in Social Security. Some state systems (like CalPERS in California) do participate, which means WEP wouldn't apply to you at all. Also, regarding the survivor benefit strategy that Danielle mentioned - this can be really valuable! Since your spouse worked in the private sector, you could potentially claim your own reduced benefit at 62, then switch to an unreduced survivor benefit at your Full Retirement Age (or even wait until 70 for delayed retirement credits on the survivor benefit). This strategy is called "claiming and switching" and it's one of the few remaining Social Security optimization strategies. The key is to run the numbers both ways: taking your benefit early vs. waiting, and comparing your own benefit to potential survivor benefits at different claiming ages. A fee-only financial planner who specializes in Social Security could help you model these scenarios. One last tip - if you do decide to work part-time after claiming, remember that the earnings test is annual, not monthly. So if you only work part of the year, you might stay under the limit even with a decent hourly wage.

This thread has been incredibly informative! As someone who's been putting off making decisions about my Social Security claiming strategy, reading through everyone's experiences has really opened my eyes to how many factors I need to consider. I'm particularly struck by how many people discovered important details about WEP, GPO, and claiming strategies that they wish they had known earlier. It seems like the key takeaways are: 1. Pension income doesn't count toward earnings limits (huge relief!) 2. Get your specific WEP impact calculated by SSA rather than assuming the worst 3. Verify whether your particular government position actually paid into Social Security 4. Consider survivor benefit strategies if you're widowed 5. Don't rush - take time to understand all your options For those who mentioned difficulty reaching SSA by phone, I'm wondering if anyone has tried using their online appointment scheduling system? I've heard it might be easier to get face-to-face appointments than phone consultations, and it sounds like complex pension situations really benefit from in-person review. Thanks to everyone for sharing your knowledge and experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world guidance that's so hard to find elsewhere!

As someone who recently navigated this exact situation, I can confirm what others have said - your state pension absolutely does NOT count toward the Social Security earnings limit. That was such a relief when I learned it! The earnings test only applies to wages from actual work or self-employment income. However, I'd strongly encourage you to dig deeper into the WEP question before making your final decision about claiming at 62. You mentioned paying into Social Security at a "reduced rate" during your government job - this might mean you were actually covered by Social Security the whole time, which would mean WEP doesn't apply to you at all. Many state employees assume they'll be hit by WEP when they actually won't be. Also, given that you're widowed, definitely explore the survivor benefit option that others mentioned. Even if your own benefit would be reduced by taking it at 62, you might be able to switch to a higher survivor benefit at your full retirement age. This "claim and switch" strategy could potentially give you income now while preserving access to a larger benefit later. The my.ssa.gov website should show you estimated benefits, but for a complex situation like yours with the pension and potential survivor benefits, I'd really recommend scheduling an in-person appointment at your local Social Security office. They can run detailed calculations and give you exact numbers to work with. Much better than trying to guess or worry about worst-case scenarios!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to express my gratitude for this incredibly comprehensive discussion! I'm 61 and have been wrestling with similar questions about my state pension and Social Security timing, and this thread has provided more clarity than months of trying to research this on my own. The reassurance that pension income doesn't count toward the earnings limit is huge - I had been operating under the assumption that my monthly pension payments would eat into that $22,000+ threshold, which was really limiting my thinking about potential part-time work after claiming benefits. What's particularly valuable is seeing how many different scenarios people have navigated. The WEP impacts seem to vary so much based on specific employment situations, and the survivor benefit strategies are something I hadn't even considered exploring. I'm definitely taking the advice about scheduling an in-person SSA appointment rather than battling the phone system. After reading about everyone's experiences, it's clear that complex pension situations really need that face-to-face review of your complete work history. One thing that really stands out is how this community has created such a supportive environment for sharing these complicated financial decisions. The willingness of members to share both their successes and their mistakes is incredibly valuable for those of us still figuring out our path forward. Thank you all for taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world guidance that makes such a difference when facing these life-changing decisions!