Veteran Truckers Can Avoid Social Security Cuts at 67 as $60,000 Pay May Raise Benefits
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Jul 26
Veteran Truckers Can Avoid Social Security Cuts at 67 as $60,000 Pay May Raise Benefits
1 articles · Updated · Yahoo Finance · Jul 26
Summary
$60,000 in trucking wages can either trigger Social Security withholding or permanently lift future checks, depending on whether the worker has reached full retirement age of 67.
Before 67, the 2026 earnings test withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 earned above the annual limit, or $1 for every $3 above a higher limit in the year a worker reaches FRA.
That threshold matters because median heavy-truck pay is about $57,440 a year, and experienced long-haul drivers can earn more than $1,500 a week—enough to hit the test quickly after claiming benefits.
After FRA, the earnings test disappears, and a strong year can replace a zero in Social Security's 35-year formula, adding as much as $30 a month before future cost-of-living increases.
Veterans are a key recruiting pool for trucking—about 1 in 10 U.S. truck drivers is a veteran—and military pensions do not trigger the WEP penalty, though combined income can make up to 85% of benefits federally taxable.