I was told I could work and still get my s.s. check

Yes. You can still work and earn income while receiving your SS check.

You will report both your income from SS and from your 1099-NEC on your tax return

For your SS income:

You can enter your form SSA-1099 by following these steps:

1. In TurboTax, open your tax return
2. Click on Federal in the left-hand column, then on Wages & Income on top of the screen
3. Scroll down and locate the section Retirement Plans and Social Security and click on Show more
4. Click Start next to Social Security (SSA-1099, RRB-1099)​​​​​​​.

For your income from form 1099-NEC:

Please read this TurboTax Help topic for instructions.