btw u should apply like 3 months before u want benefits to start cuz processing takes forever these days!!!

One additional consideration: If you're planning to work while receiving benefits and you haven't reached your Full Retirement Age, be aware of the earnings limit ($21,240 in 2025). If you earn over that amount, $1 in benefits will be withheld for every $2 you earn above the limit. This might influence your decision about when to start benefits if you're continuing to work.

I'm really sorry about your sister. One thing I wish someone had told me—keep copies of EVERYTHING. Every form, every letter, every medical report. The SSA lost part of my file twice during my application process and having my own copies saved me months of delays.

This is exactly why we need medicare for all!!! This complex system of employer insurance, COBRA, social security waiting periods, medicare waiting periods - its inhumane to make sick people navigate this bureaucratic maze!!! Your sister deserves better than what this broken system provides.

when i had to call about my ssdi review last year i spent TWO DAYS trying to get through!!! this whole system is designed to make us give up i swear

Just to add my two cents - my husband is on SSDI and we bought a new-to-us car last year, never reported it, never had an issue. But we did keep the receipt and loan paperwork just in case they ever asked where the money came from.

i found out after my wife died that if you apply for survivors after FRA you can get up to 6 months of retroactive benefits, might be useful info for ur planning

Has anyone mentioned the RIB-LIM rule yet?? That caught me by surprise with survivor benefits. If you take your OWN retirement early before applying for survivor benefits, they limit your survivor amount later! The SSA website doesn't explain this clearly AT ALL!!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I'm going to try to plan the rest of my 2025 work schedule to keep my monthly earnings under the $1,860 limit after March. It's a relief to know my January and February earnings won't count against me. I'll definitely check out Claimyr to get official confirmation from SSA about my specific situation. One more question - if I do end up having some benefits withheld, how do they actually do that? Will my monthly deposits just stop for a while?

congrats on retireing!! i wish someone explained this earnings stuff to me before i started SS. would have waited til my FRA probly

To provide some clarification on the earnings test for self-employed individuals: 1. Social Security counts net earnings from self-employment (NESE), not gross income 2. NESE is calculated on Schedule SE of your tax return 3. For the earnings test in the year you reach FRA, only count earnings in months BEFORE your FRA month 4. For complex situations where you both work and materially participate in a business, the SSA may conduct a "7 test" evaluation to determine if monthly deductions apply In your situation, if your net income after expenses is $58,000, and after multiplying by 0.9235 it's about $53,563, you're under the 2025 limit of $62,160. However, if you expect variability in your income, it's wise to report changes to SSA throughout the year rather than waiting for year-end reconciliation.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! Just to summarize what I've learned: 1. SS counts NET earnings for self-employed people (not gross) 2. It's specifically the amount on Schedule SE line 6 3. They multiply net earnings by 92.35% when calculating for the earnings limit 4. Only earnings before my FRA month (November) count toward the 2025 limit 5. I might be able to shift some income to Nov/Dec to stay under the limit This is such a relief since my net earnings will be under the limit! I'm going to call SSA just to confirm everything (using that Claimyr service someone mentioned since I haven't been able to get through normally). Thanks again for all your help!

Thank you all for the helpful information! I just wanted to provide an update - I called SSA again and specifically asked about the "grace year" rule. The new representative confirmed what you all said - only my November and December earnings matter for 2025, and since I earned less than $1,850 in each of those months, I won't have any benefits withheld. She apologized for the confusion from my previous call. Such a relief! I appreciate this community so much.

Just to add my two cents - I know several people who've dealt with earnings limit issues and it's almost always better to proactively contact SSA if you think you might exceed the limit rather than waiting for them to catch it later. If they determine there's an overpayment after the fact, it can be much more stressful to deal with.

When the worker passed before receiving benefits, the survivor benefit is based on what the worker would have received at their full retirement age, even if they died before that age. Since your husband passed at 58 without claiming benefits, your survivor benefit should be based on 100% of his Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) if you claim at your full retirement age. If you claim survivors benefits before your FRA, they'll be reduced based on how many months early you claim.

Has anyone else noticed how RIDICULOUS it is that we have to figure all this out ourselves?? The rules are so complicated and then they make it impossible to get help understanding them. My dad paid into the system for 45 years and when mom tried to claim his benefits after he died, it was like pulling teeth to get straight answers from SSA. The whole system needs to be simplified!

One more important detail: if you're still working when you reach FRA, the earnings test no longer applies starting the month you reach FRA. So even though you reach FRA on May 15th, the earnings test would not apply for the entire month of May (and obviously beyond). This is different from the rule that applies before the year you reach FRA, where the earnings test applies to the entire year.

btw dont forget to check if you should apply for Medicare too if you haven't already! thats a whole other thing with different deadlines

YOUR DAUGHTER IS ENTITLED TO THOSE SURVIVOR BENEFITS!! The government makes these programs SO COMPLICATED ON PURPOSE to discourage people from claiming what they're owed!! The SSA reps themselves don't even understand their own rules half the time - I got 4 different answers from 4 different people when dealing with my son's benefits. BACKPAY IS ALWAYS A MESS - sometimes it comes in chunks, sometimes all at once, sometimes it's direct deposited, sometimes they mail a check. NO RHYME OR REASON!!

One more thing to consider: While your daughter's total monthly benefit only increases slightly, there are some potential advantages to receiving survivor benefits: First, survivor benefits don't have the same strict disability reviews as SSI, so that's one less thing to worry about in the future. Second, survivor benefits typically have fewer reporting requirements than SSI. Third, survivor benefits have no resource limits, so your daughter could potentially have over $2,000 in savings (though this would affect the SSI portion). Lastly, if your daughter's condition improves to the point where she no longer qualifies as disabled for SSI, she could still receive survivor benefits until age 18 (or 19 if still in high school).