I'm so sorry for your loss, Chloe. Losing both parents within such a short time must be incredibly difficult to process, and I can completely understand why you'd have concerns about protecting your financial security during this overwhelming period. I wanted to add my voice to everyone else's reassurance - your inheritance will absolutely not affect your Social Security retirement benefits. As someone who works in estate planning, I see this question come up frequently, and the answer is always the same: inheritances are considered "unearned income" by Social Security and don't count toward the annual earnings test that applies to early retirees. Only wages from employment or self-employment income count as "earned income" for those calculations. You can receive your full $137,000 share without any worry about benefit reductions. One practical suggestion: when you meet with the real estate attorney for the house sale, ask them to ensure the closing documents clearly identify the proceeds as inheritance distribution. This won't be necessary for Social Security purposes, but having clean documentation makes everything easier down the line. Focus on taking care of yourself and your siblings during this transition - the financial side is one less burden you need to carry right now.

I'm so deeply sorry for your loss, Chloe. Losing both parents within a year is an unimaginable heartbreak, and dealing with estate matters while grieving adds such an overwhelming burden. I wanted to add my reassurance to what everyone else has shared - your inheritance will absolutely not affect your Social Security retirement benefits in any way. I went through a very similar situation when my mother passed and left me proceeds from her home sale (around $95,000). I was also collecting early retirement benefits at 64 and was terrified it would impact my monthly payments. But as everyone here has correctly explained, Social Security only considers "earned income" (wages, salary, self-employment) when applying the annual earnings test. Inheritances are classified as "unearned income" and are completely exempt from this calculation. Your $137,000 inheritance is yours to receive without any worry about benefit reductions. One thing that helped me during that difficult time was creating a simple file folder for all the estate paperwork - not because Social Security needed it, but because staying organized gave me a small sense of control during such a chaotic period. Please take care of yourself and lean on your siblings for support. You have enough to process right now without worrying about your Social Security benefits - that's one stress you can completely let go of.

I'm glad to see so many people sharing their experiences here! As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to add that if you're still feeling overwhelmed by all the representative payee requirements, you might want to consider reaching out to your local Area Agency on Aging or a SHINE (Serving the Health Information Needs of Everyone) counselor. These are free services that can help walk you through the Social Security process and representative payee responsibilities. Many people don't know these resources exist, but they can be incredibly helpful for understanding not just the rules, but also how they're typically enforced in your specific area. Since some folks mentioned that different SSA offices seem to have different standards, having a local expert who knows your regional office's preferences could be really valuable. Also, don't forget that as a representative payee, you have the right to contact SSA with questions about your responsibilities. While phone wait times can be long, getting official guidance directly from them can give you peace of mind that you're following the correct procedures for your specific situation.

Welcome to the community! I'm also new here but have been researching Social Security benefits extensively as I approach retirement age. Your question about representative payee accounts really resonates with me - it's one of those areas where the SSA website gives you the basics but doesn't explain the real-world practical aspects that everyone here has been so helpful in sharing. I wanted to add one thing I learned from my research: if you're concerned about the administrative burden of being a representative payee, you should know that you can actually designate someone else to be the representative payee for your children's benefits instead of doing it yourself. This could be a trusted family member, for example. The benefits would go directly to them, and they would handle all the reporting requirements. Of course, most parents prefer to maintain control over their children's benefits, but it's worth knowing you have options if the paperwork and account management feel like too much to handle alongside your own retirement transition. The advice everyone has given about separate accounts and simple record-keeping is spot on. It really does seem like the SSA is looking for reasonable accountability, not perfection. Your proactive approach to understanding the requirements before you even file shows you'll handle this responsibility well!

Don't forget that if she buys a home and has money LEFT OVER after the purchase, that excess will count toward her $2000 resource limit!! Also, if the stocks are worth a lot, she might still go over the limit even with the home purchase. The SSI program is designed to TRAP people in poverty!

That's true about leftover funds, but there are other excluded resources she could consider for any excess, like burial funds (up to $1,500), home improvements, or even ABLE accounts depending on when her disability began. She should definitely discuss all options with a benefits counselor before making any decisions.

Thanks everyone for the great information! I was definitely overthinking this. I'll stop worrying about the 2024 earnings not showing up yet. Does anyone know if I should be checking my earnings record for accuracy every year? I've never really paid attention to it before now that retirement is getting closer.

Great advice from everyone here! I'm in a similar situation preparing for retirement. One thing I'd add - if you do find any discrepancies when checking your earnings record, make sure to keep copies of your W-2s and tax returns as documentation. I learned this the hard way when I had to prove earnings from a job 15 years ago and had to track down old records. The SSA will accept various forms of proof including pay stubs, tax returns, and employer records, but having your own copies makes the process much smoother.

I'm experiencing the exact same thing and this thread has been such a relief to find! I filed my retirement application in early December for January 2025 benefits and have been stuck at "2/3 process complete" for about 4 weeks now. No confirmation letter yet either. I was starting to really worry that I had made some mistake on my application or that something was wrong, but seeing so many people going through this identical situation has been incredibly reassuring. The explanations about year-end processing backlogs and how SSA gets overwhelmed with January start date applications make perfect sense - I never thought about how that timing would create such a bottleneck. Like everyone else here, I've been guilty of checking that online status way too frequently! Reading all these responses has convinced me to stop obsessing over it and just wait patiently for the confirmation letter. It's amazing how much this community has helped turn what felt like an individual crisis into a shared, normal experience. Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories and expertise!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Filed my retirement application in late November for January 2025 benefits and have been stuck at "2/3 process complete" for over a month. No confirmation letter yet either. I was really starting to stress about it until I found this thread - it's been such a huge relief to see that so many others are experiencing the identical delay. The explanations about year-end processing backlogs make total sense, and I had no idea that SSA gets flooded with January start date applications during this time period. Like everyone else here, I've been guilty of obsessively checking that online status multiple times a day! Reading all these responses has really put my mind at ease and helped me understand that this is just the normal process during busy season rather than a sign that something's wrong with my application. I'm definitely going to follow the advice here and stop refreshing that status page every day. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's amazing how much better it feels knowing we're all going through this together!