Working After You Claim Social Security: How Earnings Can Both Lower and Raise Your Benefit
Social Security work rules are often framed only as a penalty, but the Social Security Administration also recalculates your benefit each year and can pay an increase when your recent earnings rank among your highest.
All Social Security Articles15 more
The Social Security Earnings Test: Why It Isn't the Permanent Penalty It's Often Called
The Social Security earnings test can reduce benefits for people who work before full retirement age, but SSA recalculates the benefit later and credits the months that were withheld. Here is how the rule actually works.
July 7, 2026
The Social Security Earnings Test, Explained: Why It Isn't the Permanent Penalty Many Fear
The earnings test can reduce Social Security benefits if you keep working before full retirement age, but the Social Security Administration recalculates your benefit later to give credit for withheld months. Here is how the rule actually works in 2025.
June 30, 2026
Age 62, 67, and 70: What Full Retirement Age Really Means for Your Social Security Check
Full retirement age is not the same for everyone, and the age you claim Social Security directly changes your monthly benefit. Here is how the key milestones actually work.
June 23, 2026
How Social Security Delayed Retirement Credits Actually Accumulate, Month by Month
Delaying Social Security past full retirement age raises your monthly benefit by 8% per year for people born in 1943 or later, but that increase stops at age 70. Understanding how the credits build helps explain why the exact month you claim matters.
June 16, 2026
The Social Security Earnings Test in 2026: How Working While Claiming Early Affects Your Benefits
The 2026 cost-of-living adjustment raises Social Security benefits by 2.8%, but for people who claim early and keep working, the earnings test can reshape how much they actually receive. Here is how the 2026 limits work.
June 9, 2026
The Social Security Earnings Test: Why 'Withheld' Doesn't Mean 'Lost'
The Social Security earnings test only applies before full retirement age, and the benefits it reduces are temporarily withheld rather than permanently taken away. Here is how the 2026 limits work.
June 2, 2026
When to Claim Social Security: How Your Timing Changes Your Monthly Check
Social Security lets you claim as early as 62 or as late as 70, and the age you choose permanently shapes your monthly benefit. Here is how the rules work and what to weigh before deciding.
May 26, 2026
How Married Couples Should Think About Social Security Timing: Spousal and Survivor Benefits Explained
For couples, deciding when to claim Social Security involves more than a single check. Spousal and survivor benefits make the timing of each claim a decision that shapes household income now and after one partner dies.
May 19, 2026
How Social Security Spousal and Survivor Benefits Shape a Couple's Claiming Strategy
Married couples face a web of Social Security rules that reward careful timing. Understanding spousal and survivor benefits can meaningfully change the income two people receive over a lifetime.
May 12, 2026
The 2026 Social Security Earnings Test: What Changes If You Work While Collecting
If you claim Social Security before full retirement age and continue working, the earnings test limits apply—and the 2026 thresholds have been updated in ways that affect how much you can earn before benefits are reduced.
October 24, 2025
When Should You Claim Social Security? The Breakeven Analysis
Claiming at 62, 67, or 70 each has real tradeoffs. Here's how to think through the breakeven math, spousal strategies, and the often-overlooked earnings test.
January 15, 2025
Social Security COLA 2025: The 2.5% Adjustment and What It Means for Your Check
The 2025 cost-of-living adjustment came in at 2.5 percent—the smallest in four years—raising the average retirement benefit by about $49 per month starting in January.
October 10, 2024
SSA Upgrades Its Online Portal: What Retirees Should Know About the New My Social Security
The Social Security Administration overhauled its homepage and tightened identity verification requirements in 2025—changes that affect how beneficiaries access their accounts and manage benefits online.
July 12, 2024
The Social Security Break-Even Analysis: Claiming at 62, 67, or 70
The decision of when to begin Social Security benefits is among the most consequential a retiree makes. The break-even analysis — grounded in SSA actuarial data — provides a framework for understanding what is actually at stake.
May 6, 2024
How Social Security Spousal Benefits Work: The 50% Rule, Eligibility, and Divorced Spouse Rules
Social Security spousal benefits allow a married or formerly married person to collect up to 50% of a spouse's benefit — but claiming age, filing rules, and eligibility requirements all affect the final monthly amount.
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July 9, 2026Free Weekly Briefing
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