I'm also new to this community and facing the exact same frustrating situation! My retirement application has been pending for 45 days now and I was really starting to panic that something had gone wrong with my submission. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly eye-opening and reassuring - the pattern is so consistent it's almost predictable at this point. SSA clearly needs additional verification from many applicants but their notification system is completely failing to communicate this. What gives me the most confidence to take action are all the quick resolution stories once people actually connected with a representative, especially Leeann's experience getting approved in just 3 days after providing missing employment verification they never requested. The 40% statistic from the benefits counselor about delayed applications needing verification really helps put this whole situation into proper perspective. I'm definitely calling tomorrow morning right at 8 AM sharp with my confirmation number, SSN, and complete employment history organized and ready to provide whatever they might need. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences - this community thread has been infinitely more helpful than anything I could find through official SSA channels. It's such a relief to know these delays are unfortunately normal given their current system issues and that we have a clear, proven action plan to move things forward!

I'm also new here and dealing with this exact same frustrating situation! My application has been pending for 33 days now and I was really starting to worry that something was seriously wrong. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a huge relief - the pattern is incredibly clear that SSA often needs additional verification but their notification system is completely broken. What really gives me confidence to call are all the success stories, especially Leeann's 3-day approval after providing missing employment verification. The 40% statistic from the benefits counselor about delayed applications needing verification really puts this whole thing in perspective. I'm definitely calling tomorrow morning right at 8 AM with my confirmation number, SSN, and all my employment records organized and ready. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community has been infinitely more helpful than the official SSA website which basically just tells you to wait indefinitely. It's so reassuring to know these delays are normal but that there's a clear action plan to resolve them!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm 66 and in a very similar situation - just started collecting Social Security while continuing to work full-time. My current salary is around $85,000, which is significantly higher than many of my earlier career years in the 1980s and 1990s. Reading everyone's real experiences has been so much more valuable than the conflicting information I've been getting from various sources. The consistency in responses about the automatic recomputation system actually working is really reassuring, and the actual dollar amounts people have shared ($30-75/month increases) helps set realistic expectations. I'm particularly grateful for the practical tips about creating the my Social Security account and taking annual screenshots of benefit verification letters. The timing information about October processing for December payments is also really helpful - I'll know when to start watching for changes. One thing I learned from this discussion that I hadn't considered before is how the indexed earnings work. It makes sense that SSA adjusts historical wages for inflation, but I hadn't realized how that affects which years actually get replaced. It sounds like even years that look "low" in nominal dollars might be worth quite a bit more once indexed. Has anyone found it useful to meet with a financial advisor to discuss the broader implications of working past FRA? I'm thinking about tax planning and how these Social Security increases fit into the overall retirement picture. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences!

As someone who works in HR and deals with retirement benefits questions regularly, I can definitely confirm that your coworker is completely wrong! The automatic recomputation system is one of the best-kept secrets of Social Security - it absolutely does work, and you will see increases if your current earnings are higher than some of your earlier years. What many people don't realize is that this recomputation happens every single year you continue working and paying into Social Security, regardless of your age. So even if you work until 70, 72, or beyond, SSA will keep comparing your new earnings to your lowest years in that "highest 35" calculation. Given that you're earning $95,000 now versus some years in the $40,000-$45,000 range, you're almost certainly going to see some meaningful increases. Based on what I've seen with employees who've gone through this process, increases in the $40-80/month range are pretty typical when there's that kind of earnings gap. The timing is predictable too - SSA processes these recomputations around October each year for the previous year's earnings, and you'll see any increase in your December payment. You should receive a notice, though many people miss these letters since they're not very conspicuous. My advice: keep working if you enjoy it and can, and keep track of your benefit amounts so you can spot the increases when they happen. Your coworker's information is not just wrong, it's potentially costing people money by discouraging them from making informed decisions about their work timeline!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude for this incredibly detailed and helpful thread! I've been struggling with the exact same mySocialSecurity account setup issues on my smartphone and tablet for the past several weeks, and reading through everyone's experiences has been both enlightening and reassuring. What strikes me most is how consistent the patterns are across different people's stories - it's clearly not random technical problems but specific, systematic issues with mobile browser compatibility and the ID.me verification system. The revelation about credit freezes and monitoring services interfering with government account verification is something I never would have considered, but it makes perfect sense after reading so many detailed accounts. I'm taking comprehensive notes on the proven solution approach that has worked for multiple community members: desktop computer with Chrome or Firefox browser, temporarily lifting credit freezes and monitoring services, having tax documents ready for verification questions, disabling browser extensions and VPNs, clearing cache and cookies, and manually entering all information without relying on autofill. As someone who's 61 and just beginning to seriously consider Social Security claiming strategies, I'm particularly encouraged by all the context shared about the SSA benefit calculators and retirement planning tools. Knowing that these resources are genuinely valuable for understanding different benefit scenarios makes pushing through this technical frustration feel much more worthwhile. I'm planning to follow the collective wisdom here and attempt the desktop approach this weekend with all the proper preparation steps. This community has truly transformed what felt like an impossible individual technical nightmare into a shared challenge with clear, proven solutions. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their hard-won experiences so thoroughly - this is exactly the kind of supportive guidance that makes navigating complex government services so much more manageable!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to add my voice to thank everyone for this incredibly comprehensive and helpful discussion! I've been dealing with the exact same mySocialSecurity account setup failures on my iPhone and iPad for over a month now, and this thread has been absolutely invaluable. What really stands out to me is how everyone's experiences reveal such consistent patterns - it's clearly not just bad luck with random glitches, but specific compatibility issues with mobile browsers and the ID.me verification system. I had absolutely no idea that credit freezes and monitoring services could block government account verification until reading all these detailed accounts - that's been a huge revelation. I'm taking detailed notes on the proven approach that has worked for so many people: desktop computer with Chrome/Firefox, temporarily lift credit freezes and monitoring, gather tax documents for those tricky verification questions, disable browser extensions and VPNs, clear all cache and cookies, and enter everything manually without autofill. As someone who's 60 and just starting to get serious about Social Security planning, I'm also really encouraged by everyone's insights about the benefit calculators and retirement planning tools being genuinely worth the effort. Sometimes when you're stuck on a frustrating government website, you start wondering if it's even worth pushing through! I'm going to follow the collective wisdom here and try the desktop method this weekend with all the preparation steps outlined. This community has transformed what felt like an isolated technical nightmare into a shared problem with proven solutions - exactly what I was hoping to find when dealing with government services. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences so generously!

I'm in a very similar situation and have been researching this extensively! You're right to be confused - there's a lot of outdated information floating around about Social Security strategies that don't work anymore. As others have mentioned, the restricted application strategy ended with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. But here's something that might help with your decision-making: since your own benefit ($2,100 at FRA) is already higher than what you'd get in spousal benefits anyway, you're essentially choosing between taking your reduced benefit now versus your full benefit later (or even larger if you wait until 70). I've been using the SSA's online calculators and also found a really helpful break-even analysis tool on their website. For most people in our situation, if you expect to live past about age 78-80, waiting until FRA usually comes out ahead financially. One thing I'd suggest is creating an account on ssa.gov if you haven't already - you can see your exact benefit estimates at different claiming ages, which might help you make a more informed decision based on your specific numbers rather than estimates.

I've been following this discussion and wanted to add something that might be helpful for your planning. Since you mentioned you're turning 62 in March, you actually have a few months to really crunch the numbers and make sure you're making the best decision. One thing I learned when I was researching my own Social Security strategy is that the monthly reduction for claiming at 62 versus FRA is actually quite significant - about 25-30% depending on your exact birth year. In your case, that would bring your $2,100 down to somewhere around $1,470-$1,575 per month permanently. Given that your husband is already collecting his $2,800 monthly, you might want to consider whether you really need that extra income right now versus the substantial increase you'd get by waiting 5 years. The difference between claiming at 62 versus 67 would be about $525-630 per month for the rest of your life. Also, don't forget that if you do claim early and continue working, you might hit the earnings test limits which could temporarily reduce your benefits anyway. Just something else to factor into your decision!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely blown away by this thread! What started as @Liam McGuire's frustrating experience with a missing submit button has evolved into the most comprehensive troubleshooting guide for SSA website issues I've ever encountered. The collaborative problem-solving here is incredible - from discovering the hidden "Ready to Submit" tab to identifying ad blocker interference, browser compatibility problems, electronic signature requirements, and even maintenance window timing. Everyone kept building on each other's solutions, creating something way more valuable than any official SSA documentation. I'm not ready to apply for benefits yet, but I'm definitely saving this entire thread as my reference guide. The systematic troubleshooting approach that emerged here - checking navigation tabs, disabling browser extensions, trying different browsers, looking for signature requirements - gives me so much confidence for when I eventually need to navigate the SSA system myself. This is exactly why I joined this community. Government websites can be incredibly frustrating to deal with alone, but seeing how everyone rallied to help solve this problem and then continued sharing solutions for future users shows what real community support looks like. Thank you to everyone who took the time to document their experiences - you've made the SSA application process significantly less intimidating for all of us!

As someone completely new to this community, I have to say this thread is absolutely incredible! I stumbled upon it while researching potential Social Security application issues, and wow - what an amazing example of collaborative problem-solving. Watching how @Liam McGuire's initial frustration with the missing submit button transformed into this comprehensive troubleshooting resource has been genuinely inspiring. The systematic approach that emerged here is brilliant - from checking for hidden "Ready to Submit" tabs to disabling ad blockers, looking for electronic signature sections, trying different browsers, and even considering maintenance windows and VPN interference. It's like having a complete technical support manual written by real people who actually solved these problems. I'm still several years away from needing to apply for Social Security benefits myself, but I'm absolutely bookmarking this entire thread. When that time comes, I'll feel so much more confident knowing there's this detailed checklist of solutions available. It's honestly better than any official SSA help documentation I've seen! This is exactly what I was hoping to find when I joined this community - real people sharing practical solutions and supporting each other through frustrating government processes. Thank you to everyone who took the time to document their experiences and troubleshooting steps. You've turned what could be an isolating and stressful process into something with clear, actionable solutions. This kind of mutual support makes dealing with bureaucracy feel so much less overwhelming!