diff --git a/src/library/user-state-manager.tsx b/src/library/user-state-manager.tsx
index 471b7064..128b2b48 100644
--- a/src/library/user-state-manager.tsx
+++ b/src/library/user-state-manager.tsx
@@ -89,28 +89,36 @@ const useYear62State = createPersistedState("Year62", global.sessionStorage);
  * and the birth year to specified retirement date of the user,
  * whichever is more complete. 
  * If no retire date is specified, set it to their 70th birthday
- * 
- * TODO : allow specified retire date to update length of array
- * e.g. let cleanRetireDate = retireDate === null? dayjs(birthDate).add(70,'year').toDate(): retireDate;
  */
 function mergeYears(
   earnings: EarningsRecord,
-  birthDate: Date | null
-  //,retireDate: Date | null
+  birthDate: Date | null,
+  retireDate: Date | null,
+  expectedLastEarningYear: number | null
 ): EarningsRecord {
-  /* if we don't have other info, just return what was passed in */
+  console.log(`expectedLastEarningYear:${expectedLastEarningYear}, birthdate: ${birthDate}, retireDate: ${retireDate}`)
   if (birthDate === null) return earnings;
-  //let cleanRetireDate = retireDate === null? dayjs(birthDate).add(70,'year').toDate(): retireDate;
-  let cleanRetireDate = dayjs(birthDate).add(71,'year').toDate();
+  const birthYear = dayjs(birthDate).get('year');
+  const maxRetireDate = dayjs(birthDate).add(71,'year').toDate()
+  const retireYearFromReport = dayjs(retireDate!).get('year') || null;
+
+  let cleanRetireDate: Date;
+  if ((expectedLastEarningYear && retireDate) === null) {
+    cleanRetireDate = dayjs(birthDate).add(71,'year').toDate();
+  } else if ((expectedLastEarningYear === null) && (retireYearFromReport! - birthYear) < 71){
+    cleanRetireDate = retireDate!
+  } else if ((retireDate === null) && ((expectedLastEarningYear! - birthYear) < 71)){
+    cleanRetireDate = dayjs().year(expectedLastEarningYear!).toDate()
+  } else {
+    cleanRetireDate = maxRetireDate
+  }
 
   const earningsRecord = earnings || {};
 
-  /*TODO(TDK) why do we need to create a new date object here, it is a string coming in? */
-  const birthYear = new Date(birthDate).getFullYear();
   const startEmploymentYear =
     (earnings && Object.keys(earnings) && Number(Object.keys(earnings)[0])) ||
     birthYear + 18;
-  const retireYear = cleanRetireDate.getFullYear();
+  const retireYear = dayjs(cleanRetireDate).get('year');
   const endYear = retireYear;
 
   var tempRecord = {} as EarningsRecord;
@@ -123,7 +131,6 @@ function mergeYears(
   }
   return tempRecord;
 }
-
 /**
  * Helper function to get a Date object equivalent to the start of the date given
  */
@@ -261,8 +268,8 @@ export default function UserStateManager(
       /* setEarnings & mergeYears is unlikely to fire retroactively on changes 
       of birthdate or retire date ideally we'd have a single function for all
        three alterations (or wrappers around each of them) if we go this way in the end*/
-      setEarnings: (earnings) => setEarnings(mergeYears(earnings, birthDate, retireDate)), 
-      /* note the entries in the dependency array for birthDate and retireDate */
+      setEarnings: (earnings) => setEarnings(mergeYears(earnings, birthDate, retireDate, expectedLastEarningYear)), 
+      /* note the entries in the dependency array for birthDate, retireDate, and expectedLastEarningYear */
       setEarningsFormat,
       setHaveSSAAccount,
       setIsEmploymentCovered,
@@ -295,7 +302,8 @@ export default function UserStateManager(
       setAwiTrendSelection,
       setExpectedPercentageWageIncrease,
       birthDate,
-      retireDate
+      retireDate,
+      expectedLastEarningYear
     ]
   );