Can’t get a straight answer

I am about to turn 65 years old, and I have been on disability for several years with a progressive muscular dystrophy. At this point, I would say I am very disabled, walking with two sticks maybe a few hundred steps and unable to get out of chairs, etc. My full retirement age is 66 years and 10 months. Just a few months ago I started doing a little work doing counseling by telehealth/video – something that became available due to the shift to Telehealth since Covid. . I have called Social Security five or six times this year to try to figure out how this all works. I am not sure I am getting the right information anymore. The person I spoke with before I started doing a little work told me that I can make over $1050 for eight months and then on the ninth month if I make over $1450 I come off of disability after an additional three month transition. Over the past 8 1/2 years, I have lived off savings mostly and I’m really trying to figure out this transition as things are getting harder financially. Social security systems do not allow me to go in and put my income every month so I have been calling them to report. Starting in April I was making minimal, maybe a few hundred dollars a month, but the last three months I have made over the limit – September, October and now in November. But I am not sure that the information I got about the 8+1+3 months is accurate. Social Security tells me to call my local office. Their phone systems are a disaster and after waiting 30 minutes it transfers me and disconnects me. I am afraid that I am going to get into one of these situations where I will have to pay them back lots of money later if I don’t figure out the right way to do this. I guess I just need some information on how long I can stay on disability as I try this work thing out to make sure it is viable. And if I need to be taken off of disability because of the money I am making I need to get some straight answers about how I can immediately go on regular Social Security, even if it’s a little before my full retirement age. Help.

Terry Says

I have asked my contact at SS to give me the correct answer (sent him your entire post) and I will respond as soon as I hear!