Editor’s Note: After a long career in the data processing industry, Russell Gloor joined the Association of Mature American Citizens in 2013. Gloor received training from the National Social Security Association and was accredited by the NSSA® as a Social Security adviser in 2016. Currently part of the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory team, he annually counsels thousands of American seniors about their Social Security options. In addition to answering Social Security questions daily, he also authors the AMAC Foundation’s nationally syndicated weekly “Ask Rusty” advice column and has written three Social Security instructional books about Social Security.

Dear Rusty: I am currently receiving Social Security benefits while continuing to work full time. There are no restrictions on my wage earnings because I waited until full retirement age before beginning benefits. However, I was also told my benefit amount would be reviewed each year if my current earnings were higher than past earnings. That held true for the first two years but has yet to be adjusted for 2025. I thought it might be because of HR 82, which does not impact me directly, but I think it may be the reason my payment has not yet been changed. Has enough time passed so I should contact the Social Security Administration now to see if this is the case? Signed: Waiting Anxiously

Dear Waiting Anxiously:

If you are already collecting benefits, Social Security reviews your earnings each year to see if your more recent earnings are high enough to warrant an increase in your monthly benefit. They do this automatically, after they get your most recent earnings data from the IRS, and they typically do that review by the end of the third quarter of each year. If a higher benefit is indicated, they will increase your monthly amount and pay you retroactively to the beginning of the year for any difference in your benefit.

The Social Security Administration has, indeed, been vigorously working on changes resulting from HR82 (the Social Security Fairness Act), which may have affected the timeliness of their review of your recent earnings. However, I suspect that is not why your Social Security benefit has not yet changed. More likely, it has to do with the fact your past earnings have been adjusted for inflation (which is a normal part of Social Security’s process when calculating your benefit amount). Your earnings for each year in your lifetime (up to age 60) were adjusted for inflation when you originally claimed Social Security, and your recent earnings would need to be higher than the inflation-adjusted amounts used by Social Security when you claimed. They use the 35 highest earnings years (adjusted for inflation) over your lifetime to calculate your benefit, and inflation has a substantial effect. For example, $50,000 earned in 1990 would require over $100,000 in earnings today to cause an increase in your benefit. Thus, you cannot go by the actual dollars you earned in earlier years, because Social Security uses inflated amounts to calculate your benefit.

In any case, if you believe the Social Security Administration neglected reviewing your earnings from last year, or in any year since you claimed, you can make an appointment to review with them by calling 1-800-772-1213. The Social Security Administration typically does such appointments over the phone, so you likely won’t need to make a personal visit to your local office to investigate this.

This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association. 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 their website (amacfoundation.org/programs/social-security-advisory) or email ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.