Many believe that once you begin receiving your Social Security retirement benefits, it marks the end of your working years. This is untrue. You can continue to work for as long as you wish while collecting Social Security payments. Many seniors take this time to transition to part-time employment in order to bolster their monthly income or to stay active. But what happens to your Social Security benefits if you’re laid off or injured in the workplace? Let’s take a look at how part-time employment and unemployment might affect your retirement benefits.
Social Security and Part-Time Work
As always, the amount of Social Security benefits you can collect depends on your age of retirement. Your full retirement age is between 65 and 67, based on the year you were born, and calculated on your highest 35 years of income. (For more information on this, go here.) If you reach full retirement age and decide to keep your job or transition to a part-time job, you have no limits on the amount of money you can earn. You will receive your full benefit amount in addition to the paychecks you are earning. However, if you decide to retire early, your benefits may be affected if you earn too much.
Early Retirement And Earning Limits
There are limitations on how much you can make while collecting Social Security benefits if you are younger than full retirement age. For instance, if you are receiving early benefits and will not reach full retirement age throughout all of 2022, your Social Security benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $2 that you make above $19,560. So a part-time job that makes you less than that amount will not affect your benefits at all. If you are receiving early benefits, but you will reach full retirement age in 2022, your benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $3 you make above $51,960 until the month of your birthday.
Social Security and Unemployment
If you are at full retirement age, receiving your full benefits, enjoying an active part-time job, but find yourself laid off or injured, you may wonder if unemployment is an option. The answer is yes. Social Security does not count unemployment as earnings, and your unemployment will not affect your retirement benefits.
If you have more questions about your Social Security retirement benefits, call Drew L. Johnson, PC Attorneys at Law, today at (541) 434-6466
