Working full-time after 70 - will my Social Security benefits still increase?

Your benefit CAN still increase after 70 even while collecting. Each year, SSA looks at your earnings record and automatically recalculates to see if your recent earnings would increase your benefit. It's called an Automatic Earnings Recomputation (AERO). If your recent work years are higher than some of the 35 years used to calculate your benefit, they'll adjust it upward. The increase would start the following year. I retired at 70 but did some consulting after and saw small increases.

yes they do increase! my dad worked till 75 and his check went up every year. they do some kind of recalculation thing automatically. but dont expect huge changes maybe just a few dollars more each time.

I'm actually dealing with something similar right now and it's SO confusing! I'm 68 and still working but planning to file at 70 too. Does anyone know - do we have to actually REQUEST these recalculations from SSA or do they just happen automatically??? I'm worried I'll miss out if I don't specifically ask for it.

What nobody is mentioning is that the AERO recalculations are ONLY helpful if your recent earnings are replacing lower-earning years in your top 35. Since your SS benefit calculation uses your highest 35 years of earnings (indexed for inflation), if your recent $95K isn't higher than your previous earnings when indexed, you might see zero increase. Also remember that only earnings up to the max taxable amount ($168,600 for 2025) count toward your benefit calculation.

The benefit amount technically becomes "fixed" at age 70 in terms of delayed retirement credits (DRCs), which stop accumulating after 70. BUT as others mentioned, your benefit can still increase through the AERO process if new earnings replace lower earnings in your 35-year calculation. I've been in your exact situation. I filed at 70 but continued working at my engineering firm. My benefit has increased about 3.8% beyond COLA adjustments over the past 4 years due to these recalculations. For reference, my early career earnings were quite low, so the new years are replacing those.

I HATE HATE HATE how confusing the SSA makes all of this!!!! Why can't they just explain things clearly for once? You shouldn't have to be a rocket scientist to understand your benefits. I've been trying to get answers about my widower benefits for MONTHS and keep getting different answers every time I call. So frustrating!!!

One thing to keep in mind - the AERO recalculations typically happen the year AFTER you earn the higher wages. Also, the calculation is based on your earnings after they've been indexed for inflation, not just raw dollar amounts. So an indexed $50K from 1990 might be worth more than $95K today in the calculation. You can create an account at ssa.gov and see your entire earnings history, which helps you figure out which years might be replaced.

My sister worked till 72 and her check went up every year but not by much. The thing is she had to pay all that extra SS tax from her paychecks when honestly she probably didn't need to keep working, but she's a workaholic lol. So make sure ur really getting ur moneys worth if ur gonna keep paying in all those taxes!

I'd suggest checking what your current PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) is by looking at your my Social Security account online. If your current earnings would replace one of your lowest 35 years, you can roughly estimate the increase by calculating how much that would raise your AIME (Average Indexed Monthly Earnings). Every $1 increase in AIME translates to about 15 cents in monthly benefits for high earners. Also note that you'll get COLA increases regardless of whether you're working, so don't attribute all future increases to your continued work.

if your trying to get answers from social security directly, i tried calling for 3 weeks about my disability appeal and couldn't get through. my friend told me about this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at SSA in less than 15 minutes! totally worth it because they just keep calling for you until they get through. check out the video on how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or their website at claimyr.com. actually worked for me when i was about to give up!

So wait wait wait... I'm confused about something... if I claim at 70 but keep working but then I like REDUCE my hours or take a lower paying job later on... can my benefits actually GO DOWN based on these new calculations?? Or do they only ever go up? Please someone clarify I'm freaking out a bit!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar boat - turning 69 next year and planning to work past 70. One thing I wanted to add that might be useful: make sure you keep good records of your earnings after you start collecting benefits. While the AERO process is automatic, it's always good to double-check that SSA has processed your earnings correctly each year. I've heard of cases where there were delays or errors in their system updating earnings records. Also, @Ravi Sharma - since you're a financial analyst, you might find it interesting to run some calculations on whether the additional Social Security taxes you'll pay vs. the potential benefit increases make financial sense given your specific situation. The math can be pretty compelling if you're replacing those early low-earning years!

As someone who just went through this exact process last year at 70, I can confirm that your benefits CAN continue to increase after you start collecting! I was in a very similar situation - worked as a project manager making around $85K and was worried about the same thing. What I learned is that SSA automatically runs the AERO calculations each year, usually around October/November after they process all the tax data. If your new earnings would increase your benefit by replacing one of your lower-earning years in the 35-year calculation, they'll adjust it upward starting the following January. In my case, I saw a modest increase of about $28/month after my first year of continued work, which replaced a year from the early 1980s when I was making much less. The key thing to remember is that it only helps if your current earnings (when indexed) are higher than one of your existing 35 years. Since you mentioned you're making $95K now as a financial analyst, and assuming you had some lower-earning years early in your career, you'll likely see some increases. Just don't expect them to be huge - but every bit helps! Good luck with filing next month!

This is such valuable information for those of us approaching 70! I'm actually 68 and facing the same decision about when to file and whether to keep working. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly enlightening. One thing I'd like to add that might help others: if you're unsure about your earnings history and which years might be replaced, you can also request a Social Security Statement by mail if you prefer not to use the online portal. They'll send you a detailed breakdown of your earnings record for all years. Also, @Ravi Sharma, since you mentioned you're having trouble getting clear answers from SSA directly - I've found that visiting a local SSA office in person (if you can get an appointment) sometimes yields better results than calling. The representatives there often have more time to walk through the specifics of your situation. Thanks to everyone who shared their personal experiences with the AERO process - it really helps to hear real numbers and timelines rather than just the technical explanations!

I'm 69 and in a very similar situation - still working as a software engineer making about $110K and planning to file at 70 in a few months. This thread has been incredibly helpful! One thing I'd add that might be useful for others: I recently discovered that you can actually estimate your potential benefit increases by using the SSA's online benefit calculators along with your earnings history. If you plug in hypothetical future earnings, you can get a rough idea of how much your benefits might increase. Also, for anyone worried about the complexity of all this - I've been tracking my situation closely and the reality is that even modest increases can be meaningful over time. If you get an extra $20-30/month from continued work (like @Austin Leonard mentioned), that's $240-360 per year, and over a 20-year retirement that adds up to $4,800-7,200 in additional lifetime benefits. The key insight I've gained is that this really depends on your individual earnings pattern. If you had a traditional career progression with much lower earnings in your 20s and 30s, continuing to work past 70 can be quite beneficial. But if you've been at peak earnings for decades, the impact might be minimal. Thanks everyone for sharing your real experiences - it's so much more valuable than the confusing official documentation!

As someone who's been researching this exact scenario for months, I wanted to jump in and say how incredibly helpful this discussion has been! I'm 69 and currently working as a marketing director making around $88K, planning to file at 70 but continuing to work for at least a few more years. What's really struck me reading through everyone's experiences is how much the AERO process varies based on individual circumstances. @Victoria Stark's point about using the online calculators to model scenarios is something I'm definitely going to try - I never thought about plugging in hypothetical future earnings to see potential impacts. One additional resource I discovered that might help others: the SSA publication "How Work Affects Your Benefits" (Publication No. 05-10069) has some good technical details about the recalculation process, though it's not the easiest read. I'm particularly encouraged by the real-world examples people have shared - @Austin Leonard's $28/month increase and @Anastasia Sokolov's 3.8% beyond COLA over 4 years really help put concrete numbers on what to expect. Like many here, I had some pretty lean earning years in my 20s and early 30s, so I'm cautiously optimistic about potential increases. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed personal experiences - this has been far more informative than anything I've found through official channels!

As someone who's new to this community but currently navigating these same waters at age 68, I wanted to thank everyone for this incredibly informative discussion! I'm planning to file at 70 while continuing to work as a nurse practitioner making about $92K annually. What really strikes me is how much clearer this has become through everyone's real experiences versus trying to decipher the official SSA materials. The specific examples like @Austin Leonard's $28/month increase and @Anastasia Sokolov's 3.8% growth beyond COLA really help set realistic expectations. I'm particularly grateful for @Victoria Stark's suggestion about using the online calculators to model scenarios with hypothetical future earnings - that's such a practical approach I hadn't considered. And @Amina Sow's tip about scheduling an in-person SSA appointment instead of dealing with phone wait times is definitely something I'm going to pursue. Like many others here, my early career earnings in the late 70s and early 80s were quite modest, so I'm cautiously optimistic that continued work will result in some meaningful benefit increases through the AERO process. It's reassuring to know that these recalculations happen automatically and can only help, never hurt. Thanks to everyone for creating such a supportive space to share experiences and learn from each other!

As someone who recently went through a similar decision process, I wanted to share my experience that might help! I'm 71 and filed for benefits last year while continuing to work part-time as a consultant making about $65K annually. The AERO process has worked exactly as described by others here - I received my first automatic recalculation notice this past January showing a modest increase of about $22/month. What I found most helpful was creating a simple spreadsheet tracking my indexed earnings by year (you can get this from your my Social Security account) to identify which low-earning years from the 1970s were likely to be replaced. One practical tip: I set up automatic notifications in my my Social Security account so I get alerts when any changes are made to my benefits. This helped me catch the AERO increase quickly and verify it was processed correctly. @Ravi Sharma, given your background as a financial analyst and your current $95K salary, I'd bet you'll see meaningful increases if you have any years from the late 70s or early 80s in your calculation. The math works especially well for people like us who had traditional career progression with much lower starting salaries. It's been reassuring to see this process work automatically as promised - no paperwork or phone calls needed on my end!

As someone who's new to understanding Social Security but approaching this same decision, this has been an absolutely incredible thread to follow! I'm 67 and still working as a teacher making about $72K, planning to file at 70 but considering continuing to work for a few more years. What's been most valuable to me is seeing everyone's real-world examples - @Austin Leonard's $28/month increase, @Javier Torres's $22/month boost, and @Anastasia Sokolov's 3.8% growth beyond COLA really help set realistic expectations. Like many others here, I had very low earnings in my early teaching years in the 1980s (starting salary was under $20K!), so I'm hopeful that continued work could replace some of those lean years. I'm definitely going to try @Victoria Stark's suggestion about using the online calculators to model different scenarios, and @Javier Torres's approach of creating a spreadsheet to track indexed earnings sounds incredibly practical. The tip about setting up automatic notifications in my Social Security account is something I never would have thought of but makes total sense. It's so reassuring to learn that the AERO process happens automatically and can only help, never hurt your benefits. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed personal experiences - this community discussion has been far more helpful than anything I've found through official channels!

As someone who just turned 69 and is facing this exact same decision, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing such detailed real-world experiences! I'm currently working as a software developer making about $105K and planning to file at 70 while continuing to work for at least another year or two. What really stands out to me from reading through all these responses is how much the AERO benefit depends on your individual earnings history. Like many others here, I had some pretty lean years in the early 1980s when I was just starting out in tech (my first job paid $18K!), so I'm cautiously optimistic that my current salary could replace some of those low-earning years in the calculation. I'm definitely going to try several of the practical suggestions mentioned here: using the online calculators to model scenarios with future earnings, creating a spreadsheet to track my indexed earnings by year, and setting up automatic notifications in my Social Security account. The tip about visiting a local SSA office in person instead of dealing with phone wait times also sounds much more promising for getting personalized guidance. It's incredibly reassuring to hear from people like @Austin Leonard, @Javier Torres, and @Anastasia Sokolov who've actually been through this process and seen real increases. Knowing that it's completely automatic and can only help (never hurt) takes a lot of the stress out of the decision to keep working past 70. Thanks to everyone for creating such a helpful and supportive discussion!