One important point that hasn't been mentioned yet - if your husband's benefit is higher than yours even after the WEP reduction, you might want to consider survivor benefit planning. If he passes away before you, as his widow, you could receive his full benefit amount instead of your own (subject to GPO if applicable). This is something to factor into your long-term planning as well.

After using that service I mentioned to reach SSA, they explained to me that my husband's PIA was the key number I needed to know. Once I had that, I could calculate 50% of it and compare to my own benefit. Has your husband ever received a Social Security statement that might show his PIA? That could save you some time.

my neighbor worked for the post office and had the same question when she got promoted. she said her benefit estimate went up about $200/month after her higher salary was recorded but it took almost a year to show up in the system. might be different for you tho.

One more thing to consider: If you're within a few years of retirement, you might want to check whether your 2024 earnings will replace one of your 35 highest years. If you've consistently earned a good income throughout your career, a single year's increase may have less impact than if you have some lower-earning or zero years in your calculation. You can see your year-by-year earnings history in your my Social Security account to get a better idea of how significant this increase might be to your overall calculation.

I'm confused about something... if you're going over the limit in 2025 but they don't find out until 2026 when you file taxes, do they make you pay back the whole amount at once? Seems really unfair if you didn't know you were going over!

Thanks everyone for all these helpful responses! Based on what I'm hearing, I think my best plan is to: 1. File the SSA-131 form when I start working in October to notify them 2. Keep VERY careful records of my hours and earnings 3. Stay well under the limit to provide a safety buffer 4. Perhaps check in with SSA midway through 2025 (using that Claimyr service if needed to avoid long wait times) I appreciate all the advice and personal experiences. It's given me a much better understanding of how this works. I'm still a bit nervous about potential payment disruptions, but at least now I know what to expect and how to be proactive!

My friend tried to do this but found out her ex had barely worked under social security because he was a teacher with a pension. She ended up getting almost nothing from his record. Do you know if your ex worked consistently under Social Security?

One final tip - when you do file, make sure to specifically tell SSA you want to file for divorced spouse benefits. Sometimes they don't check automatically even though they should. Bring your marriage certificate and divorce decree to your appointment. You might also need his Social Security number, but if you don't have it, SSA can usually find it with his name and date of birth.

my condolences on ur loss. when my husband passed the ssa office told me something different than what they told u. they said just take the higher benefit and thats it. didnt mention anything about paybacks or limribs or whatever. maybe different offices have different rules?

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I've decided to gather all my paperwork and apply for the withdrawal of my retirement application. Based on the 4-year break-even calculation, it makes sense in my situation. I'm going to call SSA tomorrow to start the process (or try that Claimyr service if I can't get through). I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and knowledge - navigating this system while dealing with grief has been overwhelming, and your help has made a significant difference.

My husband was in this EXACT situation!!! His bday is in March but he waited till June to file (FRA) because we heard horror stories about the SSA messing up people's payment amounts when they file right at their birthday month! So we waited a few extra months just to be safe. Dunno if thats really necessary but we didnt want any mistakes!!!!

One other thing to consider - since your husband is still working at a good salary, his Social Security benefit amount might actually increase slightly if his current earnings are higher than some earlier years in his earnings record. SSA uses the highest 35 years of indexed earnings to calculate benefits. This is especially true if he had any years with low earnings or gaps in his work history. Each additional high-earning year can bump out a lower year in the calculation. So waiting those extra months could potentially increase his benefit by more than just avoiding the early filing reduction.

Based on all your responses, it seems I won't qualify for my ex's survivor benefits since I remarried before 60. I'm going to schedule an appointment with SSA to discuss my options regarding my own benefits and possibly spousal benefits from my current husband. Thanks to everyone for your help!

my bad about the wrong info i think my sister wasnt remarried when her ex died thats probably why she could get his ss

The SSDI limits are RIDICULOUS anyway. How is anyone supposed to live on that??? The government expects disabled people to survive on poverty wages while politicians make six figures. The whole system is BROKEN. I can barely pay rent with my SSDI check and now we have to worry about touching our own retirement money??

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies. Just to summarize what I've learned for anyone else in my situation: 1. TSP withdrawals will NOT count against SSDI's SGA limit (currently ~$1,550/month for 2025) 2. This is because TSP withdrawals are considered unearned/passive income 3. If I were on SSI instead of SSDI, it WOULD count (thankfully I'm not) 4. I'll still pay income tax + 10% early withdrawal penalty 5. A TSP loan might be better than a withdrawal in my situation 6. The withdrawal might affect Medicare premiums later via IRMAA This community is amazing - you've saved me so much stress!

do u get medicare at least? or do teachers have their own thing for that too?

Update: I finally got through to SSA after using the Claimyr service that someone suggested. The agent confirmed that with my projected pension of $4,200, I'll get zero spousal benefits (the GPO reduction exceeds what I would receive). However, she explained that if my husband passes away, I might still get some survivor benefits since those can be up to 100% of his benefit (before GPO reduction) instead of the 50% for spousal benefits. She also clarified that if I work a job with Social Security coverage for 5 more years (to get to at least 20 credits), it still won't help me get my own retirement benefit (need 40 credits), but it might slightly improve my situation with survivor benefits later. Knowing the real numbers is frustrating but at least now we can plan appropriately. Thanks everyone for your help!

Make sure you ask about retroactive benefits too! They don't always tell you that you can get up to 6 months of retroactive survivor benefits from your application date IF you're past your FRA. They never volunteer this information!

Thanks everyone for all this helpful information. I've called SSA three times today and can't get through. I'm going to try that Claimyr service to get an appointment scheduled. I've gathered all the documents mentioned and ordered certified copies of my birth certificate and our divorce papers. I'll update once I get an appointment and go through the process in case it helps someone else.