Has anyone on here had their Social Security Benefits increased?

Has anyone here, over 62, had their Social Security benefits increased from earnings from mystery shopping?

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It is certainly possible. The MS earning (or yearly earnings plus MS earnings) would have to be greater than one of the years used for computing SS benefits. Some people have reported very low wages, and for them, a really good MS year might be enough to replace a low wage year. I am curious to see if anyone has been able to attribute an increase solely to MS income. Of course, it has to be net income, not gross income. The only chance is for people who do not reach the maximum yearly income which is subject to SS tax who have lower years to replace. In 2019, that is $132,900 in 2019 , up from $128,400 in 2018. It is very complicated, because earlier basis year income is indexed for inflation.

@johnb974 wrote:

Has anyone here, over 62, had their Social Security benefits increased from earnings from mystery shopping?

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

I should know if a few months, since my MS income for 2018 was higher than my income in the early 70's. 1973 minimum wage was $1.60 an hour. That was a decent wage back than.

I know that every year I worked before I started my social security replaced a very low income year back in the dark ages when I was a student, a traveler, a part time worker, a only sometimes worker etc. Some of those years that were replaced had some pretty low amts. I remember one year was under $`1000...must have been a summer job when I was in grad school. I also lived overseas for a while so those years never figured into my soc sec. I doubt I even earned $1000 on my summer jobs back in the day when the min wage at my restaurant was 75 cents and tips were few and far between back then in a college town.

I did the numbers. My earnings from mystery shopping will not make any difference. In 1972 I made about $1800. Adjusted for inflation that's about $13,000 today. I would have to make over $15,000 a year to make any difference.

Really? They don't take just straight numbers? That sucks.

@johnb974 wrote:

I did the numbers. My earnings from mystery shopping will not make any difference. In 1972 I made about $1800. Adjusted for inflation that's about $13,000 today. I would have to make over $15,000 a year to make any difference.

Kim

@kimmiemae wrote:

Really? They don't take just straight numbers? That sucks.

@johnb974 wrote:

I did the numbers. My earnings from mystery shopping will not make any difference. In 1972 I made about $1800. Adjusted for inflation that's about $13,000 today. I would have to make over $15,000 a year to make any difference.

They take the rate of inflation.

@kimmiemae wrote:

Really? They don't take just straight numbers? That sucks.

@johnb974 wrote:

I did the numbers. My earnings from mystery shopping will not make any difference. In 1972 I made about $1800. Adjusted for inflation that's about $13,000 today. I would have to make over $15,000 a year to make any difference.

They take the rate of inflation.

@kimmiemae wrote:

Really? They don't take just straight numbers? That sucks.

@johnb974 wrote:

I did the numbers. My earnings from mystery shopping will not make any difference. In 1972 I made about $1800. Adjusted for inflation that's about $13,000 today. I would have to make over $15,000 a year to make any difference.

They take the rate of inflation.

@johnb974 wrote:

@kimmiemae wrote:

Really? They don't take just straight numbers? That sucks.

@johnb974 wrote:

I did the numbers. My earnings from mystery shopping will not make any difference. In 1972 I made about $1800. Adjusted for inflation that's about $13,000 today. I would have to make over $15,000 a year to make any difference.

They take the rate of inflation.

kImmiemae...I did not know they take the "inflated rate" but it actually much better that they use the dollars you earned years ago in today's dollars. To figure how much you get they take your earnings from your highest quarters/years. For many people the years they use go back many years when your earnings in the dollars of those days were much less. So as john said the money he earned in 1972 was $1800. With inflation they calculated those numbers in today's dollars and gave him credit for $13,000 in today's dollars (based on what he says. I did not verify). So your average earnings that they base your social security on which you are receiving in today's dollars then are based on an income of those long ago years in today's dollars...giving you much more money. You are getting a better deal. Otherwise some people who may have worked for 10 years 30 years ago and then earned very little for the next 20 years would get very little money as the incomes 30 years ago were tiny compared to today.

I don't think it's a better deal. For me to replace the $1800 I made in 1974, I would have to make over $13,000 today. Since I cannot make that much, what I pay into Social Security today, I will not get any of that back.

John, just live longer. I guarantee you will draw much, much more from SS than you ever paid in.

All you have to do is live a really long time!

My top 35 years, I made $850,000. Social Security adjust for inflation, so they see me earning over $2 MILLION.

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