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How Do I Get Social Security To Recalculate My Benefit Amount?

Hi Larry, I retired at age 62, that was 5 years ago , I continued working , in all of those five years I earned more than any of the five years I worked when I was much younger and those years were used to calculate my benefits when I retired. SSA has not recalculated my earnings since retirement, my question is how do I get them to recalculate my benefits ?

Hi. Your earnings since starting Social Security would only increase your benefit rate if the new earnings were higher than the wage-indexed amounts that you were credited with when your original benefit rate was calculated. Wage-indexing results in countable earnings amounts that are higher than the actual amounts earned. For an explanation and examples of wage-indexing, refer to the following Social Security website: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/retirebenefit1.html.

In any case, though, if you did earn more in recent years than you were previously credited with after indexing, then Social Security should automatically recompute your benefit rate. But, if they don't, you may want to try submitting proof of your recent higher earnings (e.g. copies of W-2 forms) to Social Security along with a written and signed request to have your benefit rate manually recomputed (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0300605570). You can use a form SSA-795 (https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-795.pdf) to make the request.

Best, Jerry

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Posted: 
Oct 30 2022 - 11:12am
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