Dear Rusty: I try to read your article in the Carmichael Times each week and appreciate the information you provide. I am 62 and considering my retirement options and when I should do that to get the most benefit. I understand my full retirement age is 67, but what I don’t understand, and I hope you can answer, is why there is such a thing as the Social Security earnings limit? I know that if I was to retire before 67, my benefits would be reduced. But since I have been paying into SS for 45+ years, and that money is technically money I have earned, why does SS care if I make more than the earnings limit? It doesn’t affect them or my benefits. Can you tell me about the reasoning behind the earnings limit? I will, for many years after “retiring,” continue working in my field. Signed: Working American Dear Working American: This is a great question and, as a point of interest, our parent company, the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC), advocates doing away with Social Security’s earnings test which affects those collecting benefits before reaching their SS full retirement age (FRA). In AMAC’s view, it discourages people from working and, thus, paying Social Security taxes on their earnings. It is, after all, SS taxes from the earnings of working Americans which largely pays for the benefits provided to Social Security beneficiaries. Eliminating the restriction would tend to improve Social Security revenue and help ease Social Security’s current financial stress.
