Thank you all for the helpful advice! I've scheduled a meeting with our accountant for next week to discuss restructuring our payroll. It sounds like it's definitely worth getting my wife on the books properly for these remaining years. I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and knowledge - this has been really eye-opening for us.

Great to hear you're taking action! One additional thing to consider when meeting with your accountant - ask about the timing of when to start the new payroll structure. Since you're already 67 and ready to file for your Social Security, you might want to coordinate the timing of your claim with when you begin paying your wife. Also, make sure to discuss the self-employment tax implications if you're currently structured as a sole proprietorship vs. other business entity types. The way you split income can affect both your current tax liability and her future Social Security benefits. Good luck with the meeting - sounds like you're on the right track to optimize both of your retirement situations!

I'm also approaching 70 and found this discussion incredibly reassuring! One thing I wanted to add from my recent experience with SSA - if you're worried about the online application, you can actually call the national number and ask them to walk you through it over the phone while you're on their website. I did this last month and the representative was very patient, staying on the line while I filled out each section. It gave me the confidence of doing it online (which they prefer) but with live support when I had questions about specific fields. The whole process took about 45 minutes with their guidance, and I felt much more confident knowing someone was there to help if I got confused. This might be a good middle ground for those who are tech-savvy enough for online applications but want that extra reassurance from speaking with an actual person!

I'm in almost the exact same situation - turning 70 in November and just received that same letter from SSA! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. I was particularly stressed about the online application requirement, but hearing that it typically takes 20-30 minutes and that you can save your progress makes it feel much more doable. One question I have after reading through everyone's experiences: has anyone dealt with having multiple state pensions along with Social Security? I worked for two different state governments during my career and I'm wondering if this complicates the application process or affects the benefit calculation due to WEP. The SSA website mentions it but doesn't give clear guidance on how to report multiple government pensions. Based on everything I've read here, I'm planning to apply in August (3 months before my November birthday) and will definitely create my Social Security account beforehand to check my earnings record. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences - this community support makes such a difference when navigating these major decisions!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and have been reading through this incredibly informative thread. As someone who's been putting off applying for my Social Security benefits because the whole process seemed overwhelming, all of your shared experiences have been so reassuring! I wanted to add one more tip that might be helpful - I called my local library yesterday and they mentioned that many libraries offer free assistance with government forms and applications, including Social Security. Some even have volunteers who are trained to help with these processes. While it sounds like the phone application is definitely the way to go based on everyone's experiences here, it's nice to know there's another support option available if anyone needs in-person help understanding their documents or preparing for the call. Also, for anyone who might be concerned about privacy during the phone application (like I was initially), the SSA representatives are bound by strict privacy laws and handle thousands of these applications. Reading about everyone's positive experiences with how professional and thorough they are has really put my mind at ease. Thank you to this amazing community for sharing so many helpful real-world experiences. You've all made what felt like navigating a confusing government maze seem completely manageable!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and just wanted to say thank you for all the incredibly helpful advice in this thread. As someone who's been anxious about applying for Social Security benefits, reading through everyone's positive experiences with the phone application process has been such a relief! I'm particularly grateful for all the practical tips - calling right at 8:00 AM, having documents organized beforehand, and knowing that the representatives are patient and thorough. The idea that I can complete the entire application from home in 30-45 minutes instead of spending hours waiting at an office is amazing. I'm planning to call the 1-800-772-1213 number next week and feel so much more confident now. It's wonderful to have found such a supportive community where people are willing to share their real experiences navigating these government services. Thank you all for making this process feel approachable instead of overwhelming!

My brother never got his 1099 last year and had to file taxes late because of it. Make sure you check your mySocialSecurity account by early February if you don't get it in the mail. Don't wait until April like he did and then panic!

Just wanted to add that if you're married and file jointly, the income thresholds for taxation are different - $32,000 and $44,000 instead of the single filer amounts mentioned earlier. Also, don't forget that if you do end up owing taxes on your Social Security benefits, you can arrange to have federal taxes withheld from your monthly payments by filling out Form W-4V. This can help you avoid a big tax bill at the end of the year. I learned this the hard way my first year!

As someone who works in financial planning, I want to emphasize a point that's been touched on but deserves more attention: the tax efficiency angle of your decision. Since you're continuing to work and earning $72K, claiming Social Security now would likely push your combined income to around $110K (salary + SS benefits), which means you'll be paying taxes on up to 85% of your SS benefits AND potentially facing those IRMAA surcharges for Medicare. However, if you wait until 70 and then retire from work (or reduce your hours significantly), you might find yourself in a lower overall tax bracket when you do start claiming the higher benefit. This could partially offset the higher Medicare premiums and result in better after-tax cash flow. Also, consider this: at 69, you're essentially "buying" an extra $250/month for life by forgoing one year of benefits ($38,400). That's like purchasing an immediate annuity with a 7.8% payout rate - something that would cost well over $38,400 in today's market. The math strongly favors waiting in your situation, especially given your good health and family longevity history. I'd definitely recommend using that Claimyr service to get your exact numbers, but based on what you've shared, waiting until 70 seems like the optimal strategy.

This discussion has been incredibly thorough and helpful! As someone who's 68 and working through similar considerations, I wanted to add one more angle that might be relevant for your decision, Connor. Since you mentioned you're widowed and don't have survivor benefit concerns to factor in, you have the luxury of making this decision purely based on what's optimal for your own situation. That actually simplifies things compared to married couples who need to coordinate strategies. Given everything discussed here - your good health, family longevity, the guaranteed 8% return, potential benefit increases from continued high earnings, and the IRMAA implications of claiming while still working at $72K - waiting until 70 seems like a clear winner for your circumstances. One practical suggestion: since you're planning to use Claimyr to get your specific numbers, ask them to run a comparison that includes the IRMAA costs in both scenarios. That will give you the true net benefit difference rather than just the gross Social Security amounts. The tax efficiency points that Anastasia raised about potentially being in a lower bracket at 70 if you reduce work hours are also worth exploring with them. You seem to have approached this decision really thoughtfully, and this community discussion has covered all the major considerations I can think of. Best of luck with whatever you decide!