# The first year you start receiving Social Security - question about earnings limits **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2023, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-year-you-start-receiving-social-security-question-about-earnings-limits/985369 "2023-06-12T14:25:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-year-you-start-receiving-social-security-question-about-earnings-limits/985369/21 "2023-06-13T14:41:03Z")
I’m also a retired federal employee, but I had started working for the feds (at SSA, in fact) in 1976. So I’m covered under the CSRS (Civil Service Retirement System). Non of my federal work was subject to SSA withholding, although I am covered for Medicare. They started offering me early retirement after I turned 50, although my full retirement age under CSRS was 55. I finally decided to retire in 2006, a year or two early. Since I only paid into SSA before I started me federal work, I only have 19 of the 40 required quarters so I’m not eligible for SSA. And even if I had decided to get a job after I retired in order to earn the additional credits my SSA benefits would be reduced because I’m getting a federal pension. I’m also not eligible for survivor befits on my wife’s SSA account because there’s an offset that applies because I’m getting a federal pension. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-year-you-start-receiving-social-security-question-about-earnings-limits/985369/22 "2023-06-13T19:08:51Z")
Just a note that I was able to get through to a human on the phone at SS and she informed me that they go by when you are paid, not when you did the work, when considering your monthly income. In other words, use the date on the check (or direct deposit statement). mmm ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-year-you-start-receiving-social-security-question-about-earnings-limits/985369/23 "2023-06-14T00:10:21Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I’m also not eligible for survivor befits on my wife’s SSA account because there’s an offset that applies because I’m getting a federal pension. That’s what is keeping me teaching the next two years (well, that and next year’s 8.1% COLA.) The second I retire and start collecting a government pension (in this case State) I lose the survivor benefits I’m getting now. I _understand_ it, but I don’t _get_ it. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2023, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-year-you-start-receiving-social-security-question-about-earnings-limits/985369/24 "2023-06-14T16:03:39Z")
When my wife died I wasn’t old enough to collect survivor benefits (except for the $255.00 lump sum death benefit) and by the the time I was eligible I was already collecting my pension. Occasionally I hear that there are attempts to get the rules changed for people collecting federal pensions, but I doubt anything will ever come of it. One nice thing is that my CSRS pension is not subject to any sort of reduction if I work, so theoretically I could have found a job and earned the additional Social Security credits I needed. I actually did look into some part time jobs, but couldn’t get one. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2023, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-year-you-start-receiving-social-security-question-about-earnings-limits/985369/25 "2023-06-15T15:34:08Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > So, here are my questions: > > - Is the monthly limit based on when you _earn_ it, or when you are _paid_ for it? (for example, you may have actually worked toward the end of the month but you are paid in the beginning of the following month) > - How does SS know to withhold your check on the months where you go over the limit? Are they regularly informed of how much you earn each month? I visited our local SS office in person this morning to get definitive answers to these questions. The SS clerk was…let’s see, how can I phrase this…_underinformed_. She did confirm for me that the monthly earnings limit is based on the date of the pay stub, not the day(s) you did the work. However, she was very unsure about everything else. She said that, if during your first year of collecting SS you have earned more than $21k in the calendar months leading up to your first SS check, only then does the $1,770 monthly limit go into effect. So, if you have earned less than 21k, they ignore the monthly totals and just go by the 21k limit for the year. This is not what my online research has taught me (I will have to go back to the SS site to verify that I am not misremembering). She also gave other responses that directly contradicted what she had said earlier in the conversation. And, she was the only clerk. I had perhaps 20 people behind me in line, and I spent a good 20-25 minutes at her window, much of it waiting for her to re-appear after scurrying somewhere to presumably ask someone else the questions she did not know answers to. That was a fun morning. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2023, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-year-you-start-receiving-social-security-question-about-earnings-limits/985369/26 "2023-06-15T16:13:55Z")
> [@Raza](#): > > If you’re self-employed, income counts when you receive it Following up with citation and quote: > [@ssa.gov](#): > > If you work for wages, income counts > when it’s earned, not when it’s paid. If > you have income that you earned in 1 > year, but the payment was made in the > following year, it shouldn’t be counted > as earnings for the year you receive it. > Some examples are accumulated sick or > vacation pay and bonuses. Source (page 4): > **[EN-05-10069.pdf](https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10069.pdf)** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-year-you-start-receiving-social-security-question-about-earnings-limits/985369.md?page=1)