As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to add something that hasn't been mentioned yet - the importance of documenting your home's "tax basis" thoroughly before you sell. Since you bought in 1989, you'll want to gather not just your original purchase documents, but also records of any major improvements, additions, or capital investments you've made over the years. Things like a new roof, HVAC system, kitchen remodel, bathroom upgrades, or even accessibility modifications can all be added to your original $98,000 purchase price to increase your "adjusted basis." This could significantly reduce your capital gains calculation. For example, if you spent $40,000 on improvements over 35+ years, your basis would be $138,000 instead of $98,000, giving you even more cushion under that $250,000 exclusion. Also, I wanted to echo what others have said about the timing advantage you have. Since IRMAA looks back 2 years, selling in 2025 means any potential impact wouldn't hit until 2027 - giving you plenty of time to plan and potentially appeal if needed using Form SSA-44. One practical tip from my own experience: start gathering those improvement records now, even before you list the house. You'd be surprised how much documentation you might find in old files that could help reduce your taxable gain. This community has given such comprehensive advice - it's exactly the kind of support that makes navigating major financial transitions so much easier!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to add something that might be helpful for your downsizing situation. Since you're planning to sell in spring 2025, you might want to consider getting a pre-sale appraisal or CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) now to better estimate your potential capital gains. This could help you plan more precisely for any tax implications. Also, I noticed everyone has covered the federal aspects thoroughly, but depending on your state, there might be additional considerations. Some states have their own capital gains taxes or different treatment of retirement income that could affect your overall tax picture. A few states also have special programs for seniors that could be impacted by having additional assets. One thing I learned from my own recent experience is to keep detailed records of all selling expenses too - realtor commissions, title insurance, transfer taxes, attorney fees, and any repairs or improvements you make specifically to prepare the house for sale. These can all be deducted from your capital gains, further reducing any taxable amount. The fact that you're planning ahead and asking these questions now really puts you in a great position. Most people don't think about the Medicare implications until they get that surprise premium increase two years later! This community has provided such comprehensive guidance - it's exactly why forums like this are so valuable for major financial decisions.

dont overthink this. as long as the money goes to taking care of your dad thats what matters. i just keep a notebook where i write down what i spend on my brother each month from his benefits. never had any problems with the annual reporting.

I'm just starting this journey as a new rep payee for my mom's Social Security benefits, and reading through all these responses is both helpful and overwhelming! It sounds like the key takeaways are: 1) legally you CAN use the same account for both benefits, 2) the VA has their own separate fiduciary program with different requirements, and 3) keeping extremely detailed records is absolutely critical. For those who've been doing this for years - what's your best advice for a newcomer? Should I start with separate accounts from day one to avoid potential headaches, or is one account really manageable if I'm super organized with record-keeping? I'm pretty detail-oriented but don't want to make things harder on myself if I don't have to.

I'm a homeschooling parent in Idaho and went through this exact same battle with my 16-year-old daughter's survivor benefits just 3 months ago. After reading all these incredibly helpful success stories, I want to emphasize something that really made a difference for us - creating a formal "Student Enrollment Verification Letter" on official letterhead. I designed it like the enrollment verification letters that traditional schools send to insurance companies or other agencies. It included: - Student's full name and "student ID number" (I just used her SSN) - Enrollment dates (start and projected graduation) - Current grade level and full-time status - List of current courses with credit hours - My signature as "School Registrar" with official school stamp The key was making it look exactly like what SSA staff would expect to receive from any other private school. When I submitted this along with the SSA-1372 and all the other documentation people mentioned here, it was approved immediately. What really struck me from reading everyone's experiences is that this isn't about SSA being anti-homeschool - it's about undertrained staff not understanding that homeschools operate as legitimate private schools under state law. Once you present everything in the format they're used to seeing, the process becomes much smoother. Your daughter's $1,875/month benefit is substantial and she absolutely deserves every penny of it. Don't let bureaucratic confusion cost your family nearly $25,000 per year! With all the proven strategies shared in this thread, you have everything you need to get this resolved. Stay strong and keep fighting for what's rightfully hers!

I'm a homeschooling parent in New Mexico and just successfully got my 17-year-old son's survivor benefits approved last month after reading through resources similar to what's been shared here! This entire thread is absolutely gold for families dealing with SSA challenges. One additional tip that helped us: I created what I called a "School Accreditation Statement" on letterhead explaining that our homeschool operates under New Mexico's private school statute and meets all state educational requirements. I referenced the specific law code and included language about being "duly authorized to issue transcripts and diplomas" as a legitimate educational institution. The SSA Claims Specialist seemed particularly impressed by this formal accreditation language - I think it helped bridge the gap between what they expect from traditional schools and what homeschools actually are under state law. For the original poster in Texas - you're in one of the most homeschool-friendly states in the country! Texas Education Code § 25.086 treats homeschools exactly like private schools, which means you have strong legal standing. The strategies shared in this thread, combined with Texas's clear legal framework, should definitely get your daughter's benefits approved. Don't give up fighting for that $1,875/month - it's what she's legally entitled to and your family depends on it. All these success stories prove that persistence and professional documentation work when you get to the right person who understands federal policy!

As someone who just found this community and is dealing with a very similar situation, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing such detailed and helpful experiences! I've been on SSDI for about 5 months due to severe depression and anxiety, and I'm still receiving royalty payments from a mobile app I developed back in 2021, well before my mental health declined to the point where I couldn't work. Reading through this entire thread has been incredibly reassuring and educational. The consistency in advice across so many different types of delayed payments - whether real estate commissions, consulting fees, insurance renewals, or app royalties - really shows there's a clear, proven approach for handling these situations with SSA. I'm especially grateful for the practical tips like creating a disability timeline, using specific language such as "payment received for work completed before disability onset," and keeping detailed records of all SSA communications. The suggestion about getting third-party verification is something I hadn't considered, but I should be able to get documentation from the app store showing when the development work was actually completed. Anna, your original question has created such a valuable resource for anyone dealing with delayed payments while on SSDI. It's clear that being proactive and transparent with comprehensive documentation is the safest approach, even though the anxiety about potentially affecting benefits is completely understandable. Thank you to this amazing community for turning what felt like a scary, isolating situation into something manageable with clear steps forward!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful for how thorough and supportive this discussion has been! I just started receiving SSDI about 2 months ago due to a traumatic brain injury, and I'm in a very similar situation with delayed payments from freelance writing work I completed in early 2023 before my accident. The anxiety about potentially affecting my benefits has been keeping me up at night, but reading through everyone's experiences here has given me such clarity and confidence about how to handle this properly. What really stands out is how consistent the advice is across all these different scenarios - real estate commissions, app royalties, consulting fees, insurance renewals - the core principle remains the same: immediate reporting with clear documentation showing when the actual work was performed. I'm going to follow the roadmap laid out here: create a detailed timeline showing my injury date versus when all the writing work was completed, gather my contracts and correspondence as documentation, use the specific language "payment received for work completed before disability onset" when I report, and keep meticulous records of all my SSA communications. Anna, thank you for asking this question - you've created an incredible resource that's going to help so many people in similar situations. And thank you to everyone who shared their experiences so openly. This community support makes navigating these complex SSDI challenges so much less overwhelming!

My neighbor said the tax thing depends on what state you live in too. Some states don't tax SS at all. I'm in Illinois and they don't touch my SS.

One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - if you're thinking about working part-time at your cousin's landscaping business, make sure you understand whether you'll be classified as an employee or independent contractor. This affects how taxes are handled and what forms you'll need to file. If you're an employee, your cousin will withhold taxes and provide a W-2. If you're an independent contractor, you'll need to handle quarterly estimated tax payments yourself and receive a 1099. The self-employment tax rate is about 15.3% on top of regular income tax, so it's important to plan for this if you're going the contractor route. Also, since landscaping is seasonal work in many areas, you might want to estimate your annual earnings to see if you'll cross those Social Security taxation thresholds mentioned earlier. Better to plan ahead than be surprised at tax time!