Working at 67 after starting Social Security benefits at FRA - will this increase my SS payments?
Just turned 67 last month and started collecting my Social Security retirement benefits at my Full Retirement Age (FRA). I've been continuously employed since I was 16, with only a few short gaps when my kids were born. Now my question is - since I'm still working full-time at my accounting job and plan to for another 2-3 years, will these additional earnings affect my monthly Social Security payment? I'm currently getting $2,650/month but wondering if continued work will increase this amount. My current salary is $74,500 annually. Does Social Security automatically adjust my benefit amount each year based on new earnings, or do I need to contact them? Anyone have experience with this situation?
18 comments
QuantumQuest
Great news! Since you're past your FRA, there's no earnings limit to worry about, and yes, Social Security WILL automatically recalculate your benefit each year if your current earnings are higher than one of your previous 35 highest earning years used in your original calculation. The adjustment would typically appear around October of the following year after they process your tax returns from the previous year. No need to contact them - it happens automatically!
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Paolo Rizzo
•That's really helpful, thank you! So I don't need to do anything special to trigger this recalculation? Will they notify me if/when my benefit increases, or will it just show up as a higher amount in my direct deposit one month?
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Amina Sy
my mom works too and shes 70. she gets a little more each year. not much but something is better than nothing right??
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Oliver Fischer
•Good for your mom! Working keeps us young. I'm hoping for more than "a little" increase though LOL
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Natasha Petrova
Working after FRA is gr8! You get to keep ALL your SS benefits no matter how much you earn (unlike before FRA where they reduce benefits). After each year of work, SSA looks at your new earnings. If they're high enough to replace one of your lower 35 years, your benefit increases a bit. It's not huge, but it's something. They've been doing mine automatically for 3 yrs.
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Paolo Rizzo
•Thanks for sharing your experience! If you don't mind me asking, what kind of increase did you see? Was it like 1%, 2%, or more substantial?
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Javier Morales
Be careful because this might push you into a higher tax bracket and also increase your Medicare premiums through IRMAA!!! The government LOVES to take more money from seniors who work. My benefits went up a tiny bit but then I got hit with higher Medicare costs that basically cancelled it out. The system is RIGGED against working seniors!!!!!
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Emma Davis
•While it's true that additional income can affect your tax situation and potentially increase Medicare premiums through Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA), that's separate from whether your Social Security benefit increases. The benefit recalculation is based solely on your earnings record and can only increase your benefit (never decrease it). Tax implications should be considered, but they shouldn't discourage someone from working if they want to.
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GalaxyGlider
I've been in almost exactly your situation! I worked full-time until 70 after starting benefits at 66 (my FRA). Here's what happened: Social Security did automatically recalculate my benefit each year, but the increases were quite small - about $28 the first year, $35 the second year, and $42 the third year. The new amount just showed up in my January payment each year with a letter explaining the adjustment a few weeks later. One big frustration was trying to confirm this was happening correctly. I tried calling SSA for months and could NEVER get through - constant busy signals or disconnects after waiting forever. I eventually used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to a real person at SSA who confirmed everything was working correctly. There's a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU if you're interested. Saved me hours of frustration!
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Paolo Rizzo
•Thanks for the detailed info! Those increases aren't huge, but they add up over time I guess. I'll probably try to check with SSA early next year to make sure the recalculation is happening correctly. That Claimyr service sounds useful if I have trouble getting through.
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Oliver Fischer
congratulations on working so long!! ive always wondered about this too. does anybody know if the increase is retroactive or only starts when they do the calculation?
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QuantumQuest
•The increase isn't retroactive. When SSA processes your earnings from the previous year (usually completed by September/October), any benefit increase will begin with your December payment (which you receive in January). They don't pay you the higher amount for the months before the recalculation is complete.
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GalaxyGlider
I was in a similar situation and found that my benefit increased by about 0.5-1.5% each year I continued working after FRA. The key factor is whether your current earnings are high enough to replace one of your 35 highest earning years in your calculation. If most of your 35 highest years were already relatively high compared to your current earnings (adjusted for inflation), the increase might be minimal. You can check your earnings history on the MySocialSecurity portal to get a better idea.
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Paolo Rizzo
•That's helpful context. I should probably check my earnings history. Some of my early years were pretty low, so hopefully these final years working will replace some of those and give me a decent bump.
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Amina Sy
my uncle said something about requesting a recalculation but that was years ago, maybe its all automatic now?
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Natasha Petrova
•Yeah it's automatic now - they do it every year. Your uncle probably had to request it in the old days before everything was computerized. The SSA systems handle it all now without you having to do anything.
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Emma Davis
To give you more technical details: SSA calls this process the Automatic Earnings Reappraisal Operation (AERO). It happens automatically every year, usually completed by September or October, and any increase will be reflected in your December payment (received in January of the following year). The calculation is based on your highest 35 years of indexed earnings. Each new year of substantial earnings has the potential to replace a lower-earning year in that calculation, which would increase your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). The actual increase you'll see depends on several factors, including how your current earnings compare to your previous 35 highest years after indexing for inflation. For many people continuing to work at your age, the increases are modest but worthwhile - typically 0.5% to 2% per year of additional work.
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Paolo Rizzo
•Thank you for explaining the AERO process - that's exactly the kind of technical explanation I was looking for! I appreciate knowing the specific timeline of when to expect any potential increases.
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