In the case of any individual who is entitled for any month to benefits based upon the primary insurance amounts of two or more insured individuals, one or more of which primary insurance amounts were determined under section 415(a) or (d) of this title as in effect (without regard to the table contained therein) prior to January 1979 and one or more of which primary insurance amounts were determined under section 415(a)(1) or (4) of this title, or section 415(d) of this title, as in effect after December 1978, the total benefits payable to that individual and all other individuals entitled to benefits for that month based upon those primary insurance amounts shall be reduced to an amount equal to the amount determined in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (3)(A)(ii) of this subsection, except that for this purpose the references to subparagraph (A) in the last two sentences of paragraph (3)(A) shall be deemed to be references to paragraph (7).

Subject to paragraph (7) and except as otherwise provided in paragraph (10)(C), this subsection as in effect in December 1978 shall remain in effect with respect to a primary insurance amount computed under section 415(a) or (d) of this title, as in effect (without regard to the table contained therein) in December 1978 and as amended by section 5117 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, except that a primary insurance amount so computed with respect to an individual who first becomes eligible for an old-age or disability insurance benefit, or dies (before becoming eligible for such a benefit), after December 1978, shall instead be governed by this section as in effect after December 1978. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the phrase “rounded to the next higher multiple of $0.10”, as it appeared in subsection (a)(2)(C) of this section as in effect in December 1978, shall be deemed to read “rounded to the next lower multiple of $0.10”.

in which such individual is under retirement age (as defined in section 416(l) of this title) and for more than forty-five hours of which such individual engaged in noncovered remunerative activity outside the United States;

in which such individual, if a wife or husband under retirement age (as defined in section 416(l) of this title) entitled to a wife’s or husband’s insurance benefit, did not have in his or her care (individually or jointly with his or her spouse) a child of such spouse entitled to a child’s insurance benefit and such wife’s or husband’s insurance benefit for such month was not reduced under the provisions of section 402(q) of this title;

in which such individual, if a widow or widower entitled to a mother’s or father’s insurance benefit, did not have in his or her care a child of his or her deceased spouse entitled to a child’s insurance benefit; or

in which such an individual, if a surviving divorced mother or father entitled to a mother’s or father’s insurance benefit, did not have in his or her care a child of his or her deceased former spouse who (A) is his or her son, daughter, or legally adopted child and (B) is entitled to a child’s insurance benefit on the basis of the wages and self-employment income of such deceased former spouse.

Deductions shall be made from any child’s insurance benefit to which a child who has attained the age of eighteen is entitled, or from any mother’s or father’s insurance benefit to which a person is entitled, until the total of such deductions equals such child’s insurance benefit or benefits or mother’s or father’s insurance benefit or benefits under section 402 of this title for any month in which such child or person entitled to mother’s or father’s insurance benefits is married to an individual under retirement age (as defined in section 416(l) of this title) who is entitled to old-age insurance benefits and for more than forty-five hours of which such individual engaged in noncovered remunerative activity outside the United States.

The amount of an individual’s excess earnings (as defined in paragraph (3)) shall be charged to months as follows: There shall be charged to the first month of such taxable year an amount of his excess earnings equal to the sum of the payments to which he and all other persons (excluding divorced spouses referred to in subsection (b)(2)) are entitled for such month under section 402 of this title on the basis of his wages and self-employment income (or the total of his excess earnings if such excess earnings are less than such sum), and the balance, if any, of such excess earnings shall be charged to each succeeding month in such year to the extent, in the case of each such month, of the sum of the payments to which such individual and all such other persons are entitled for such month under section 402 of this title on the basis of his wages and self-employment income, until the total of such excess has been so charged. Where an individual is entitled to benefits under section 402(a) of this title and other persons (excluding divorced spouses referred to in subsection (b)(2)) are entitled to benefits under section 402(b), (c), or (d) of this title on the basis of the wages and self-employment income of such individual, the excess earnings of such individual for any taxable year shall be charged in accordance with the provisions of this subsection before the excess earnings of such persons for a taxable year are charged to months in such individual’s taxable year. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this paragraph but subject to section 402(s) of this title, no part of the excess earnings of an individual shall be charged to any month (A) for which such individual was not entitled to a benefit under this subchapter, (B) in which such individual was at or above retirement age (as defined in section 416(l) of this title), (C) in which such individual, if a child entitled to child’s insurance benefits, has attained the age of 18, (D) for which such individual is entitled to widow’s or widower’s insurance benefits if such individual became so entitled prior to attaining age 60, (E) in which such individual did not engage in self-employment and did not render services for wages (determined as provided in paragraph (5) of this subsection) of more than the applicable exempt amount as determined under paragraph (8), if such month is in the taxable year in which occurs the first month after December 1977 that is both (i) a month for which the individual is entitled to benefits under subsection (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), or (h) of section 402 of this title (without having been entitled for the preceding month to a benefit under any other of such subsections), and (ii) a month in which the individual did not engage in self-employment and did not render services for wages (determined as provided in paragraph (5)) of more than the applicable exempt amount as determined under paragraph (8), or (F) in which such individual did not engage in self-employment and did not render services for wages (determined as provided in paragraph (5) of this subsection) of more than the applicable exempt amount as determined under paragraph (8), in the case of an individual entitled to benefits under section 402(b) or (c) of this title (but only by reason of having a child in his or her care within the meaning of paragraph (1)(B) of subsection (b) or (c), as may be applicable) or under section 402(d) or (g) of this title, if such month is in a year in which such entitlement ends for a reason other than the death of such individual, and such individual is not entitled to any benefits under this subchapter for the month following the month during which such entitlement under section 402(b), (d), or (g) of this title ended.

As used in paragraph (1), the term “first month of such taxable year” means the earliest month in such year to which the charging of excess earnings described in such paragraph is not prohibited by the application of clauses (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), and (F) thereof.

For purposes of paragraph (1) and subsection (h), an individual’s excess earnings for a taxable year shall be 33⅓ percent of his earnings for such year in excess of the product of the applicable exempt amount as determined under paragraph (8) in the case of an individual who has attained (or, but for the individual’s death, would have attained) retirement age (as defined in section 416(l) of this title) before the close of such taxable year, or 50 percent of his earnings for such year in excess of such product in the case of any other individual, multiplied by the number of months in such year, except that, in determining an individual’s excess earnings for the taxable year in which he attains retirement age (as defined in section 416(l) of this title), there shall be excluded any earnings of such individual for the month in which he attains such age and any subsequent month (with any net earnings or net loss from self-employment in such year being prorated in an equitable manner under regulations of the Commissioner of Social Security). For purposes of the preceding sentence, notwithstanding section 411(e) of this title, the number of months in the taxable year in which an individual dies shall be 12. The excess earnings as derived under the first sentence of this paragraph, if not a multiple of $1, shall be reduced to the next lower multiple of $1.

For purposes of this subsection, wages (determined as provided in paragraph (5)(C)) which, according to reports received by the Commissioner of Social Security, are paid to an individual during a taxable year shall be presumed to have been paid to him for services performed in such year until it is shown to the satisfaction of the Commissioner of Social Security that they were paid for services performed in another taxable year. If such reports with respect to an individual show his wages for a calendar year, such individual’s taxable year shall be presumed to be a calendar year for purposes of this subsection until it is shown to the satisfaction of the Commissioner of Social Security that his taxable year is not a calendar year.

Where an individual’s excess earnings are charged to a month and the excess earnings so charged are less than the total of the payments (without regard to such charging) to which all persons (excluding divorced spouses referred to in subsection (b)(2)) are entitled under section 402 of this title for such month on the basis of his wages and self-employment income, the difference between such total and the excess so charged to such month shall be paid (if it is otherwise payable under this subchapter) to such individual and other persons in the proportion that the benefit to which each of them is entitled (without regard to such charging, without the application of section 402(k)(3) of this title, and prior to the application of section 403(a) of this title) bears to the total of the benefits to which all of them are entitled.

For purposes of paragraphs (3), (5)(D)(i), (8)(D), and (8)(E), the term “retirement age (as defined in section 416(l) of this title)”, with respect to any individual entitled to monthly insurance benefits under section 402 of this title, means the retirement age (as so defined) which is applicable in the case of old-age insurance benefits, regardless of whether or not the particular benefits to which the individual is entitled (or the only such benefits) are old-age insurance benefits.

if such failure is the first one with respect to which an additional deduction is imposed by this subsection, such additional deduction shall be equal to his benefit or benefits for the first month of the period for which there is a failure to report even though such failure is with respect to more than one month;

if such failure is the second one with respect to which an additional deduction is imposed by this subsection, such additional deduction shall be equal to two times his benefit or benefits for the first month of the period for which there is a failure to report even though such failure is with respect to more than two months; and

if such failure is the third or a subsequent one for which an additional deduction is imposed under this subsection, such additional deduction shall be equal to three times his benefit or benefits for the first month of the period for which there is a failure to report even though the failure to report is with respect to more than three months;

If the Commissioner of Social Security determines, on the basis of information obtained by or submitted to the Commissioner, that it may reasonably be expected that an individual entitled to benefits under section 402 of this title for any taxable year will suffer deductions imposed under subsection (b) by reason of his earnings for such year, the Commissioner of Social Security may, before the close of such taxable year, suspend the total or less than the total payment for each month in such year (or for only such months as the Commissioner of Social Security may specify) of the benefits payable on the basis of such individual’s wages and self-employment income; and such suspension shall remain in effect with respect to the benefits for any month until the Commissioner of Social Security has determined whether or not any deduction is imposed for such month under subsection (b). The Commissioner of Social Security is authorized, before the close of the taxable year of an individual entitled to benefits during such year, to request of such individual that he make, at such time or times as the Commissioner of Social Security may specify, a declaration of his estimated earnings for the taxable year and that he furnish to the Commissioner of Social Security such other information with respect to such earnings as the Commissioner of Social Security may specify. A failure by such individual to comply with any such request shall in itself constitute justification for a determination under this paragraph that it may reasonably be expected that the individual will suffer deductions imposed under subsection (b) by reason of his earnings for such year. If, after the close of a taxable year of an individual entitled to benefits under section 402 of this title for such year, the Commissioner of Social Security requests such individual to furnish a report of his earnings (as computed pursuant to paragraph (5) of subsection (f)) for such taxable year or any other information with respect to such earnings which the Commissioner of Social Security may specify, and the individual fails to comply with such request, such failure shall in itself constitute justification for a determination that such individual’s benefits are subject to deductions under subsection (b) for each month in such taxable year (or only for such months thereof as the Commissioner of Social Security may specify) by reason of his earnings for such year.

The Commissioner of Social Security shall develop and implement procedures in accordance with this subsection to avoid paying more than the correct amount of benefits to any individual under this subchapter as a result of such individual’s failure to file a correct report or estimate of earnings or wages. Such procedures may include identifying categories of individuals who are likely to be paid more than the correct amount of benefits and requesting that they estimate their earnings or wages more frequently than other persons subject to deductions under this section on account of earnings or wages.