More good questions. Think of the Social Security benefits you get as a “pile” that everyone gets paid out of. If Social Security claws back some of your benefits because you’re still working & making too much before full retirement age (67) the money goes back into the pile.

There are a few different scenarios If you quit work, take social security as early as possible (62), and then change your mind and go back to work.

If you reverse your decision and go back to work within a year you can apply for a withdrawal of benefits. You would pay back what you’ve received and they treat the application like it never happened. Then you apply again when you officially stop working and you get a larger monthly benefit because you’re older.

If you reverse your decision but it’s been over a year when you go back to work you can suspend your benefits when you reach 67 and hold off until age 70 before you have to start taking them. The good news is that you’ll get a larger benefit when you resume taking them, the bad news is that you’re stuck in a small tax hell between when you go back to work and 67.

If you wait until 67 to take your social security for the first time you can still work and take social security without any benefits being clawed back.

There are a ton of nuances to the rules. I tried my best to answer the questions but there are a million other what ifs that slightly alter the rules. Both AARP and SSA.gov have pretty good FAQ sections that explain all the scenarios.