One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you understand how Social Security defines "earnings" for the earnings test. They count gross wages and net self-employment income, but there are some nuances that might affect your planning. For example, if you get a bonus or commission payment in 2025 for work you did in 2024, Social Security counts that toward your 2025 earnings limit even though the work was done in a previous year. Similarly, if you have any deferred compensation or salary that gets paid out, that typically counts too. On the flip side, things like employer contributions to your 401(k), health insurance premiums paid by your employer, and certain fringe benefits don't count toward the earnings limit. Since you mentioned your boss wants you to take on more hours and you're trying to plan carefully, it might be worth asking about the structure of any additional compensation - whether it's straight hourly wages, includes bonuses, has any deferred components, etc. This could help you be more precise in your calculations for those crucial January-May months. The SSA publication "How Work Affects Your Benefits" (Publication No. 05-10069) has all the detailed rules if you want to dive deeper into what counts and what doesn't.

This thread has been incredibly helpful for understanding the earnings limits! I'm in a similar situation (turning FRA next year) and had no idea about some of these nuances. A few additional points that might help others: 1. If you're married and file jointly, make sure your spouse understands that only YOUR earnings count toward the limit - their income doesn't affect your Social Security benefits under the earnings test. 2. For those who are self-employed, the calculation can be trickier since you need to use net self-employment income rather than gross wages. Make sure you're tracking business expenses carefully. 3. I learned the hard way that if you do go over the limit, Social Security will ask you to estimate your earnings for the following year too. They want to avoid future overpayments, so be prepared for that conversation. The advice about reporting expected earnings in advance through the SSA website is gold - I wish I had known about that option earlier. It really does help smooth out the process and avoid those dreaded overpayment notices. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially the practical tips about pay timing and bonus structures!

This has been an absolutely incredible thread to read through! As someone who's 65 and planning to retire in about 18 months, I've learned more practical information here than from all the official SSA materials combined. The real-world experiences and specific tips are invaluable - from applying 4+ months early to taking screenshots of confirmations to doing practice runs with draft applications. I'm especially grateful for the warnings about processing delays and lost paperwork. The tip about checking your earnings record beforehand is brilliant - I never thought about potential errors affecting my benefit calculation. I'm going to create my SSA account this week and start gathering all my documents now, even though I won't apply for over a year. Better to be over-prepared! One question for the group: has anyone had experience with how the SSA handles benefits if you have a gap in your work history due to caregiving? I took about 3 years off to care for my elderly parents, and I'm wondering if that affects anything beyond just having lower lifetime earnings during those years. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - both successful applications and cautionary tales. This thread is a treasure trove of practical wisdom!

This thread has been absolutely amazing - thank you to everyone who shared their experiences! I'm 67 and just went through this process myself, retiring in October with my first SS payment coming in November. I wanted to add a few things that helped me tremendously. First, I actually visited my local SSA office about 6 months before applying just to introduce myself and ask questions. The staff there were incredibly helpful and gave me a checklist of exactly what I'd need. They also caught an issue with my name spelling that would have caused delays - apparently my birth certificate had a slightly different spelling than what I'd been using on tax returns for decades. Getting that sorted out early saved me months of headaches. Second, I kept a detailed log of every interaction with SSA - dates, times, names of representatives, confirmation numbers, everything. This came in handy when I had to follow up on a missing document. Third, I set up automatic reminders in my phone to check my application status every week until my first payment arrived. The peace of mind was worth it! One last tip: if you're planning to travel internationally after retirement, make sure to research how that might affect your payments. Some countries have different rules about receiving US Social Security benefits. Good luck to everyone going through this process - the preparation really does pay off!

What an incredibly informative discussion! I'm 61 and have been agonizing over the filing decision for months. Reading through all these real experiences and detailed explanations has been more helpful than anything I've found in official SSA materials. The key insight for me is understanding that filing early while working isn't necessarily the "bad" decision I thought it was - especially with the annual recalculations for higher earnings AND the reduction factor adjustment at FRA for withheld benefits. I'm in a similar boat to many here - earning more now than earlier in my career and planning to work at least a few more years. The idea that I could start receiving some benefits now (even reduced), have them potentially increase each year due to my current higher earnings, AND get credit back at 67 for any months where benefits were withheld due to the earnings test makes early filing seem much more attractive. Thanks to everyone who shared their personal experiences - it's exactly this kind of real-world insight that helps cut through the complexity of Social Security planning!

This has been such an educational thread! I'm 63 and actually filed for early benefits last year while still working part-time. I can confirm what several people have mentioned - I did receive a notice from SSA in December showing my benefit increased by $31/month due to my 2023 earnings replacing a lower year from the 1990s. What I found particularly helpful was setting up automatic text alerts through my my Social Security account so I get notified whenever there are changes to my benefit amount or when they process the annual earnings review. One tip for those still deciding: I ended up calling SSA multiple times to run different scenarios before filing, and each representative gave me slightly different information about the earnings test calculations. I'd recommend getting any important details in writing if possible, or at least taking detailed notes with the rep's name and date. The peace of mind of having some income coming in, even if reduced, has been worth it for me personally - especially knowing it can still increase over time!

One more important thing to consider: while benefits are reduced if you earn over the limit before FRA, you actually get those reduced benefits back later. SSA recalculates your benefit amount when you reach FRA to account for months when benefits were withheld. So you're not permanently losing that money - it's more like a delay in receiving it. This is called the Adjustment to the Reduction Factor (ARF). The information in section 202(x) of the Social Security Handbook explains this recalculation. Your monthly benefit will increase starting at FRA to account for those months when you received reduced or no benefits due to excess earnings.

Just wanted to add from my own experience - make sure you understand the timing of when SSA actually processes these changes. When I retired mid-year, it took them several months to adjust my benefits for the monthly earnings test. I had to call multiple times to get it sorted out, and they had to do retroactive adjustments. The system isn't always quick to recognize when you've actually stopped working, so keep detailed records of your last day of work and be prepared to provide documentation if needed. Also, if you're planning to do any consulting or part-time work after you "retire," make sure you understand how that income gets counted too!

anyone know if IRA distributions count towards the earnings limit? i might retire next year too and was gonna use some of my IRA money

Just wanted to add one more important detail that I learned the hard way - when you do apply for Social Security, make sure to clearly indicate on your application that you're retiring mid-year and will only be earning self-employment income after your benefit start date. There's a specific section where you can explain your work situation. I'd also recommend keeping detailed records of your last day of W-2 employment and when you officially "retire" from that job, because SSA may ask for documentation. The clearer you are upfront about your earnings timeline, the less likely you'll have issues later. Also consider doing a trial work period calculation with SSA before you start benefits - they can walk you through exactly how the monthly earnings test will apply to your specific situation.