my daughter got DAC 2 years ago but we never got any form? they just asked questions on phone then approved her. weird.

btw one more thing - make sure your keeping your daughters Medicare vs Medicaid situation in mind. When my sis switched to DAC she lost her Medicaid after a few months!!! Had to apply for a Medicare Savings Program thru our state to help with the costs. SSA doest tell u about this part!!!!

i wish i waited til 67 cuz my check woulda been like $600 more each month... adds up over time ya know

For the Mary Kay business, Social Security looks at your profit (revenue minus expenses) as reported on your Schedule C. This is considered self-employment income. For 2025, if you're receiving benefits before FRA, you'll be subject to the earnings limit (approximately $22,320 for the year). One important detail: Self-employment income counts when you receive it, not when you earn it. So if clients pay you in December 2025, that counts for 2025 even if the work was for January 2026. Regarding when to apply, the optimal time is 3 months before you want benefits to begin. You can specify a start date in your application, so you can apply before you retire and have benefits begin afterward.

There's a lot of misinformation floating around here. The adjustment at FRA is NOT the same as getting the same benefit as waiting until FRA to file. It ONLY applies to completely withheld monthly benefits. Let me break it down with an example: 1. You file at 63 and your monthly benefit is $1,800 (reduced from $2,400 at FRA) 2. You work and earn enough that 4 months of benefits per year are completely withheld 3. By the time you reach FRA at 67, you've had 16 months of benefits withheld total 4. At FRA, SSA recalculates as if you filed 16 months later than you did (at 64 years and 4 months instead of 63) 5. Your new monthly benefit would be higher than $1,800 but still less than $2,400 The people who benefit most from this rule are those who have benefits completely withheld due to high earnings.

One more important point: the earnings test only applies to wages and self-employment income. If you have investment income, rental income, pension payments, or distributions from retirement accounts, those don't count toward the earnings limit. So some people strategically shift their income sources to stay under the limit.

You've all been so helpful! Just to summarize what I've learned: 1) In my first year (2025), if I stop working in May, SSA will use a monthly earnings test for June-December 2) Even though my total 2025 earnings will be over the annual limit, I can still get my full $2,400 payment for each month after May as long as I earn under the monthly limit 3) I need to notify SSA when I retire and provide my estimated earnings 4) In 2026 and beyond, they'll switch to the annual earnings test Is that correct? One last question - if I do some consulting work after retiring that puts me over the monthly limit for just one month, do I lose benefits just for that month or for the whole year?

my friend said once they take your money away because you earned too much, you never get it back even when you reach full retirement age. is that true???

can she still have a friend go with her to the office on her behalf ? thats what i did for my brother he had a stroke and couldnt go to ss office so i took his id and they let me handle it

btw dont feel bad my dad fell for a simillar scam last year... these scammers are GOOD at what they do. they know exactly what to say to scare seniors. they stay on the phone so the person cant call family to check. and they create fake urgency so people dont think straight. its not your moms fault!!!

I want to add some clarification about when and how to report earnings to SSA in your situation: 1. Initial report: When you start working, call and inform them of your employment start date and estimated earnings. 2. Monthly reporting is NOT required for most beneficiaries. However, given your variable income, you might want to report quarterly or whenever you have a significant change from your estimate. 3. Annual reporting: You'll receive a form (SSA-632) at the beginning of each year to report your previous year's earnings. 4. Once your mother's benefits terminate in October, your earnings will no longer matter for Social Security purposes until you decide to file for your own retirement benefits in the future. 5. Keep documentation of all your communications with SSA (dates, representative names, what was discussed). The earnings test can be confusing, but in your case, focusing on the monthly limit until October is the correct approach.

When my husband passed a few years ago, I had a similar situation with the earnings test. My main advice is to OVER-report rather than under-report. I called SSA at the beginning of the year, mid-year when my income changed, and then again near year-end. It was annoying but I never had an overpayment issue. Just make sure you're tracking everything. Also, don't forget that your children's benefits continue until they graduate high school (if they're still in school at 18) - you'll need to complete some additional paperwork for that extension.

Did anyone have issues with their COLA not showing up correctly in the MySocialSecurity portal? Mine showed the wrong amount last year and it took MONTHS to get it fixed...

I want to thank everyone for the helpful responses! Based on what you've all shared, I'm going to apply for benefits to start in January 2025 so I can get the COLA increase right away. I'll make sure to submit my application a few months in advance as suggested. I'm also going to check out that Claimyr service for getting through to SSA - sounds much better than waiting on hold for hours. Really appreciate all the insights!

Thank you all for your insights! Based on your suggestions, I've done some more calculations and we're sticking with our plan to have my husband wait until 2027 to file. I've set a reminder to check the IRMAA thresholds each year since they can change. I'm also going to talk with our financial advisor about structuring our retirement withdrawals to minimize MAGI during those years. Maybe we can use some Roth conversions we did years ago to help stay under the threshold. Quick question: Does anyone know if HSA withdrawals count toward IRMAA calculations? We have about $24,000 in an HSA we could use for medical expenses during the gap years.

my friend said he got his IRMMA reduced after he retired by filing some special form with social security. forgot what its called but worth looking into

for the death certificate problem, try calling the vital records office in NJ and explain your situation. sometimes they can make exceptions if you explain its for social security benefits. or you could ask one of his children to request it since they are definitely eligible to get copies

Update: I called SSA this morning and got disconnected twice after waiting over 45 minutes each time. On my third try I finally got through to someone who told me they CAN verify his death internally, but that I need to make an in-person appointment to discuss survivor benefits. The earliest appointment is in FEBRUARY 2025 - almost 3 months away! Unbelievable. She did confirm that neither my pension nor deferred comp count toward the earnings limit, so that's at least one question answered. Still trying to figure out if I should take my own benefit at 62 or wait and take ex-spouse survivor benefit...

One more important point: When your brother starts receiving the higher benefit amount on your father's record, his benefit status will change from SSDI to Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits. This is important because DAC benefits have different rules than regular SSDI. For example, if your brother ever gets married, he could lose the DAC benefits unless he marries someone who is also receiving certain types of Social Security benefits. Also, make sure to bring your brother's birth certificate, your father's death certificate, and proof of your brother's disability to the SSA appointment.

UPDATE: I just spoke with my brother and he says you should also request the benefit verification letter from SSA once everything is processed. It took us another 2 months after approval to get all the payment amounts sorted out correctly. The letter will show exactly how much SSDI and SSI he qualifies for. If the math doesn't add up right (which happened to us), you'll have documentation to help get it fixed. Also, have your brother's current benefit verification letter with you when you go in so you can compare the old and new amounts.