Will suspending Social Security at 64 increase benefit to full FRA amount?

Unfortunately, suspending your benefits won't completely undo your early claiming decision. When you suspend benefits, you earn delayed retirement credits (DRCs) of 8% per year (or 2/3% per month) for the suspension period, but you don't get back to the full FRA amount. You'll still have the early filing reduction factor applied, just with some DRCs added on top. For example, if you claimed at 63 which is 3 years and 10 months early (assuming FRA of 66+10mo), that's about a 23% reduction. Suspending now until FRA would give you about 2 years and 4 months of DRCs, which is roughly 18.7% increase. The math isn't simple addition/subtraction, but you'd still end up with somewhat less than your full FRA amount.

Something to consider - r u hitting the earnings limit? If ur working & making more than $22,320 (2025 limit i think), they take $1 for every $2 over. That stops at FRA. So maybe just keep getting benefits but know some might be withheld if ur making good money. It all evens out later anyway.

You have a few different options here, but unfortunately, as the previous poster mentioned, you can't fully undo an early filing decision after 12 months have passed. Here's what happens: 1) If you suspend benefits now: You'll earn DRCs of 2/3% per month until FRA, but your base benefit amount still reflects the early claiming reduction. 2) If you're working: The earnings test might already be withholding some of your benefits if you're earning above the limit. This actually results in a recalculation at FRA that partially offsets your early filing reduction. 3) Benefit recalculation: If you're still working, your continued earnings might lead to a higher benefit through regular recalculations, especially if these are high-earning years replacing lower ones in your calculation. One thing to consider is that suspending means you'll have no benefits coming in until FRA, while the earnings test withholding might only take a portion of your benefits depending on your income level.

I claimed at 62 and tried to do exactly what ur asking about!! Total mess and NOT worth it!!! Called SSA like 20 times and nobody could give me straight answer! Different info EVERY TIME!! Better to just keep what ur getting IMO

I did TONS of research on this exact question when I was your age (I'm 68 now). Here's what I learned through painful experience: 1) The 12-month withdrawal option was your only chance to truly "reset" and that's gone now 2) Suspension will help somewhat but won't get you all the way back to FRA amount 3) The earnings test can actually be your friend! If you're working enough to have benefits withheld, the SSA will recalculate and adjust your reduction factor at FRA. This is a little-known benefit. In my case, I kept working at a decent salary after starting benefits early. Almost all my benefits were withheld due to the earnings test for about 2 years. When I hit FRA, my benefit was adjusted upward to account for those months of withholding - it wasn't as high as if I'd waited until FRA originally, but it was better than I expected. Hope this helps!

I think people are overcomplicating this. The simple answer is NO, you cannot get the full FRA amount after claiming early. Period. Suspending gives you DRCs from the point of suspension forward, but doesn't erase the early claiming penalty. Also, the explanation about the earnings test adjustment at FRA is correct but incomplete. Yes, SSA will adjust your benefit at FRA for any FULL months of benefits withheld. But this is a complex calculation and rarely brings you all the way back to the FRA amount. Your best bet is to book an appointment with your local SSA office and get a personalized calculation based on your exact circumstances.

After reading through all the responses, I wanted to clarify something important: The earnings test withholding and subsequent adjustment at FRA is NOT the same as DRCs from suspension. They're calculated differently. If you're working enough that most of your benefits would be withheld anyway, voluntary suspension might not make much practical difference to your cash flow, but would still provide additional DRCs on top of the earnings test adjustment. It's complicated enough that I'd recommend getting an official calculation from SSA based on your specific birth date, claiming date, and earnings. The precise numbers matter a lot.

Just curious, have u considered working more hours now to intentionally go over the earnings limit by a lot? If ur gonna get most benefits withheld anyway, might as well earn more $$ now, right?