One more thing - make sure you understand that even with a recognized common-law marriage, the spousal benefit rules still apply. You'll only get 50% of your partner's benefit amount if taken at your Full Retirement Age (and less if taken earlier), and only if that amount is higher than your own earned benefit. And remember that if you take benefits before your FRA, you'll be subject to the earnings test if you're still working.

my brother n his gf tried to claim they were common law for ss and got DENIED even tho they lived together 15+ years... ss said they needed MORE PROOF they were acting like married people. make sure u have tons of paperwork!!!

Your sister needs to apply right away and specifically ask about the "deemed filing date" rules. Even if she gets denied now because of GPO, having an application on file might help her get retroactive benefits once the GPO phases out. At least that's what my financial advisor told me for my similar situation.

wait does this new law help people who worked in jobs with pensions AND had some social security covered jobs? my dad worked for the post office for 25 years but also had enough social security credits from earlier jobs but got his SS benefit reduced because of WEP

Quick update on my situation from January. After checking mysocialsecurity.gov, I realized my first payment was reduced because of: 1) It was prorated for 18 days in December, 2) Medicare Part B + D premiums ($242 total), 3) Federal tax withholding at 12%. My second payment was the full amount minus just the Medicare and tax withholding. Hope this helps you understand what might be happening!

Just to clarify for everyone: Social Security benefits for a month are paid the following month. This is the standard payment schedule. If your birthday is on the 10th, your February payment will arrive on the second Wednesday of March. First payments can be confusing because they might be prorated based on your exact entitlement date. For the original poster: your next payment should reflect your full benefit amount minus any deductions for Medicare premiums and tax withholding. If you're still concerned after receiving your March payment, you should request a benefit verification letter through your my Social Security account, which will show your gross benefit amount before deductions.

dont 4get about taxes 2! if ur working AND getting benifits, more of ur SS might be taxable. my sister got hit with a big tax bill she wasnt expecting

Thank you all so much for the advice! I think I need to speak with SSA directly to understand exactly what my benefit amounts would be at different ages. The earnings limit is definitely a concern since I need to keep working. I'm leaning toward waiting a bit longer to claim, but I'll try to get through to SSA first to get personalized calculations. I'll look into that Claimyr service too since it sounds like it might save me hours of frustration on the phone.

My husband thought the same thing when he was on disability! But nothing changed at 62. The only thing that happens is when you hit full retirement age (which is higher now, like 66-67 depending on when you were born), they just call it "retirement" instead of "disability" but the check stays the same amount.

Im getting disability too but I also worked a part time job allowed under the earnings limit. Does that make any difference when I turn 62? They told me I could earn up to $1,550/month without affecting SSDI but don't know if that changes at 62?

i heard there's a special exception to GPO if you were receiving half of your spouse's social security benefit before you started getting your pension? does that apply to your situation?

wait so if you get survivor benefits do you still get your own ss payment too or just the higher one?

This whole system is SO UNNECESSARILY COMPLICATED! Why can't they just make it simple? My husband and I both got different answers from different SS representatives when we called. One told us the application date determined everything, another said it was the benefit start date. Honestly, I think half the time THEY don't even know their own rules. Document EVERYTHING.

To wrap things up for the original poster: During your April 1st phone appointment, you'll go through the actual application process. At that time, you'll be asked when you want your benefits to begin. Specify June 2025 (your FRA month). Applying in April for June benefits is completely fine and won't reduce your benefit amount as long as you select the correct benefit start month. I recommend taking detailed notes during the call, including the name of the representative you speak with. After the application is submitted, you'll receive a confirmation letter - review it carefully to ensure the benefit start date is shown correctly as June 2025.

Let me clarify this with the actual rules from SSA: For self-employed individuals, Social Security applies TWO tests: 1. The Earnings Test: In 2025, if you're under Full Retirement Age, you can earn up to $23,400 without reduction in benefits. 2. The Services Test: This is where the 45-hour guideline comes from. It states that if you work more than 45 hours per month in self-employment, you are considered not retired regardless of earnings. If you work between 15-45 hours, they consider other factors. Less than 15 hours and you're generally considered retired. HOWEVER - and this is key - the Services Test is not automatically applied to everyone. It's primarily used when there's a question about whether income is being deferred or misreported to avoid the earnings test. So the SSA rep was technically correct that most people just need to worry about the earnings limit, but incomplete in not explaining that the hours rule does exist in their policies.

my uncle had his benefits stopped cuz they said he wasnt really retired from his plumbing business even tho he was under the money limit!! he had to appeal and everything. such a headache

Another important difference: If your father ever wants to try working again (even part-time), SSDI and SSI have COMPLETELY different rules about earnings. SSDI has a Trial Work Period where he could test his ability to work for 9 months while keeping full benefits. SSI reduces benefits gradually based on earnings. It's really important to know which one he has before he earns any income.

The WHOLE SYSTEM is designed to be confusing!!! They make it complicated on purpose so people don't get all the benefits they deserve! I've been fighting with them for YEARS about my benefits. Every time I call I get different answers!!!!!

One thing that really helped me decide when to claim between my FRA and 70 was calculating my "break-even point." Basically, I figured out how long I'd need to live for the higher monthly payment from waiting to be worth more than collecting sooner. For me, waiting until exactly 68 made the most sense based on my family health history and financial needs. The SSA actually won't give you break-even analysis (they stopped doing that years ago), but there are online calculators that can help. Everyone's situation is different!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! What a relief to know I have complete flexibility between FRA and 70. I think I'll probably wait at least a year past my FRA since I'm still working, but it's great to know I can claim anytime if circumstances change. Really appreciate all the insights about delayed retirement credits being calculated monthly too - that wasn't clear from what I was reading online.