Five Changes to Social Security in 2025

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New year, new Social Security rules. In January, several aspects of Social Security changed, including credits and taxes, check amounts and full retirement age rules. Being aware of the 2025 changes to Social Security can help you plan for the year and identify any adjustments you can make to maximize your eligibility for the most benefits.

These changes would have happened regardless of the result of the 2024 election. However, one thing to look out for in 2025 is what actions, if any, the incoming Trump administration takes regarding Social Security. Donald Trump's stances on Social Security and Medicare indicate some aspects of the programs could change in the future, and there are concerns about tariffs' impact on Social Security and Medicare funding. But that's for 2026-you to worry about. For now, these are the changes to really be aware of.

People who think these changes only impact retirees would be wrong. Current workers need to keep an eye on accumulating enough Social Security credits and understand how much of their wages will be subject to the 6.2% Social Security tax.

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The Social Security annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2025 is 2.5%, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced. This is the smallest increase since 2020, as expected, and follows an increase of 3.2% in 2024.

The 2.5% increase will translate to an additional $49 for the average retiree, increasing the average monthly check from $1,927 to $1,976, according to the SSA. Married couples will see an average increase of $75, raising their monthly benefit to $3,089 up from $3,014.

The final COLA number is based on the July, August and September 2024 CPI numbers. These three sets of numbers are used by the SSA to determine the annual COLA.

Keep in mind that while a lower inflation rate should lead to a smaller increase in prices, it does nothing to lower the current prices for groceries, utilities or housing that many are struggling to meet.

2. Full retirement age (FRA) in 2025

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Retirees will have to wait a little longer to reach their full retirement age (FRA) in 2025. The full retirement age is increasing gradually if you were born from 1955 to 1960, until it gets up to 67.

In 2025, the full retirement age is 66 years and 10 months. For those who turned 66 in 2024, FRA is 66 years and eight months.

Here is when you will reach your FRA, by birth year:

If you were born in 1958, your FRA is age 66 and six months and was reached in 2024
If you were born in 1959, your FRA is age 66 and 10 months and is reached in 2025
If you were born in 1960 or later, your FRA is age 67 and will be reached in 2026 and after
NOTE: People born on January 1 of any year, refer to the previous year.

If you retire at age 62, the earliest possible Social Security retirement age, your benefit will be lower than if you wait till your FRA. The more months remaining between age 62 and your FRA, the more your monthly payments will be reduced.

Early retirement will reduce your benefits by 5/9 of one percent for each month before normal retirement age, up to 36 months. If the number of months exceeds 36, then the benefit is further reduced by 5/12 of one percent per month.

If you choose to continue working beyond your full retirement age and delay applying for benefits, you can increase future Social Security benefits in two ways: each extra year you work adds another year of earnings to your Social Security record, and higher lifetime earnings can mean higher benefits when you retire.

Benefits will increase from the time you reach full retirement age until you start to receive benefits, or until you reach age 70. For each full year you delay receiving Social Security benefits beyond full retirement age, 8% is added to your benefit.

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In 2025, you have to earn more to qualify for Social Security credits.

You must earn a minimum number of Social Security credits to qualify for retirement benefits. The Social Security Administration cannot pay you benefits if you don’t have enough credits. You must earn 40 work credits to become eligible for benefits, and you are allowed to earn up to four credits per year.

The SSA also uses the number of credits you’ve earned to determine your eligibility for retirement or disability benefits, Medicare, and your family’s eligibility for survivor benefits.

To earn one credit in 2025, you must have wages and self-employment income of $1,810, and you must earn $7,240 to get four full credits. This amount increases annually, so it will rise in 2026. In 2024, you only needed to earn $1,730 to earn a credit, $80 less than what you need to earn in 2025.

Once you earn the 40 credits, earning more credits won’t increase your benefit payment. Instead, your retirement benefit is based on how much you earned during your working years.

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Also in 2025, the wage cap for Social Security taxes will increase.

Social Security caps the amount of income you pay taxes on and get credit for when benefits are calculated. The Social Security tax limit in 2025 is $176,100, up $7,500 from $168,600 in 2024. The tax limit is indexed to inflation and is therefore estimated to rise in 2026.

This means that if you're working, once you reach that income number for the year, the Social Security tax that is withheld from each paycheck stops, as you've hit the maximum amount of earnings subject to the tax.

5. Earnings test: you can earn more from work in 2025 while collecting benefits

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By continuing to work while collecting Social Security, you may end up reducing your monthly benefits check. This is due to a rule called the Social Security earnings test.

The Social Security Administration temporarily withholds $1 of a worker's benefits for every $2 earned over $23,400 in 2025, up from $22,320 for 2024. When you reach full retirement age, the test is more generous — you only forfeits $1 in benefits for every $3 in 2025 earnings above $62,160. That is a $2,640 increase over the 2024 limit of $59,520.

Donna joined Kiplinger as a personal finance writer in 2023. She spent more than a decade as the contributing editor of J.K.Lasser's Your Income Tax Guide and edited state specific legal treatises at ALM Media. She has shared her expertise as a guest on Bloomberg, CNN, Fox, NPR, CNBC and many other media outlets around the nation. She is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and the University at Buffalo.