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How Working at Seventy and Beyond Affects Your Social Security - MSN.com
People often ask whether continuing to work beyond age 70 will increase my Social Security benefit. The correct answer is that it depends on your previous earnings. Your Social Security benefit is based on your highest 35 years of earnings, and if you don’t have 35 years, Social Security adds zeros to make 35 years. Of course, if you have zeros, working will replace those zeros, and your benefit will increase. Another thing to consider is that all your earnings through age 59 have been adjusted for inflation, meaning they are worth more now than when you actually earned them. Adjusted amounts do not show on your Social Security statement, even though they are used to calculate your benefit. Take, for example, someone turning 70 in 2026 who earned $34,000 in 1992; those earnings are now worth $74,229. Are your current earnings higher than that amount? If you are curious what your earnings are worth now, click on this link to access SSA’s Indexing Factor chart.
Maurie Backman has written an article on continuing to work at 70 and beyond. There is no earnings limit, so you don’t have to worry about withheld Social Security payments, and you might even increase your Social Security benefit. To read the full article, click here.
This posting is presented for informational purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. Any opinions or interpretations presented are either those of the original author or, in the case of articles authored by the AMAC Foundation, are the opinions of AMAC Foundation staff, originally trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA) and certified via the AMAC Foundation. Any links included in the article are valid on the posted date; socialsecurityreport.org cannot guarantee the duration of the links’ validity. NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (https://amacfoundation.org/services/) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org. Because we are a non-profit organization, there is no charge for these services.