I waited until I was 70 years and 8 months to file last year and everyone here is right, they only gave me 6 months of backpay. But I'm wondering - does the backpay come as one big lump sum? Does that affect taxes? I got hit with a huge tax bill because suddenly my income was much higher for that year. Just something to consider when you're planning!

Thank you all for your helpful responses! This clarifies things - it sounds like I should: 1. Plan to apply 3-4 months before my 70th birthday in June 2025 2. Specify that I want benefits to start the month I turn 70 3. Be aware of the potential tax implications of receiving benefits And most importantly - there's absolutely no advantage to waiting beyond age 70 to file. I'm glad I asked here before potentially losing months of benefits!

Something nobody mentioned yet - even if she has to wait til 62, she should check if taking divorced spouse benefits early would permanently reduce them. Sometimes better to wait!!! My cousin took early and regrets it now!!!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I spoke with my sister and we're going to: 1) Have her call SSA and specifically ask about "disabled divorced spouse benefits" 2) Request to speak with a technical expert who knows these rules 3) Ask for a written explanation of her options and 4) Make sure she understands any potential reductions if she has to wait until 62. I'll update if we get a clear answer!

My wife is also July 1958 and we just went through this whole thing with planning her retirement. Her FRA is definitely 66+8 months, so March 2025 is right. But remember that Social Security pays a month behind, so her first FULL payment at FRA would be in April 2025 (for March).

Everyone here is focusing just on your FRA date, but have you considered whether waiting until your FRA is actually the best strategy for you? Depending on your health, family longevity, current savings, and whether you're still working, filing before or after FRA might be better. I initially planned to file at my FRA (66+4mo), but after running the numbers, I decided to wait until 70 for the maximum benefit since I'm still working part-time and don't need the income yet. Just something to think about beyond just confirming your correct FRA date.

To summarize what happens with the IRMAA adjustment process: 1. SSA will automatically adjust your Medicare premium for 2025 based on your 2023 tax return data. 2. You should receive a notification letter in late November or December 2024. 3. The new premium amount will be reflected in your January 2025 Social Security payment. 4. If you don't receive a notice by mid-December, contact SSA. 5. Verify your January payment amount to ensure the adjustment was properly applied. The only time you need to take action yourself is if you experienced a qualifying life-changing event (retirement, death of spouse, divorce, etc.) and want your IRMAA recalculated based on your current income rather than waiting for next year's automatic adjustment.

One more thing to be aware of - the IRMAA income thresholds typically increase slightly each year with inflation. So even if your 2023 income is just slightly below the 2024 IRMAA threshold, it might actually be below the 2025 threshold by a more comfortable margin when they announce the new brackets later this year.

i had something like this happen but then realized it was cuz they were showing me different ages!! my estimate at 62 vs 64 vs full retirement age were all different numbers! double check which age its showing you the estimate for

I wanted to add that the Social Security Administration also periodically updates their actuarial assumptions and projection methodologies. This can affect how they calculate future benefits even if your earnings record hasn't changed. For 2025, they've made some technical adjustments to how they project future benefits based on current data. This is separate from COLA and affects estimates, not current payments. If you want complete certainty, you can request a detailed earnings statement by filing Form SSA-7004 (Request for Social Security Statement) or by creating/logging into your my Social Security account online to verify all your earnings are correctly recorded.

Just to clarify for everyone - while PTO payouts do count toward the earnings limit, remember that once you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA), the earnings limit no longer applies. So if you're close to your FRA, this might only be a temporary concern. Also, any benefits withheld due to exceeding the earnings limit aren't truly \

That's really helpful info. My FRA is 67, so I still have a few years to go. At least it's good to know any withheld benefits aren't permanently lost. Makes me feel a bit better about the situation.

Looking back at your numbers more carefully - if your benefit will be $3,200 and half of that is $1,600, but your wife's own benefit is $1,750, then she won't receive any additional spousal benefit because her own retirement benefit is already higher than what she'd get as a spouse. The error message makes perfect sense now - the system won't let her apply for spousal benefits because it can already see she's getting more on her own record than she would get as your spouse. Still worth calling about your delayed application though!

Regarding calling SSA - if you're having trouble getting through on their 800 number, try calling your local office directly. The number should be on the SSA website when you search for office locations. Sometimes it's easier to get through to a local office, and they can check on your application status just as well as the national call center. Also, if your application has been pending for over 3 months, you can contact your Congressional representative's office. They have liaisons specifically for helping constituents with federal benefits issues, and they can often get information more quickly than you can on your own.

Thanks everyone for the detailed explanations! Looks like I need to wait until 2027 to see any benefit based on the calculations. It's frustrating to wait, but at least there's finally some relief coming. I'm going to gather all my documents (marriage certificate, pension award letter, etc.) and keep them ready. And I might try that Claimyr service when it gets closer to 2027 since the SSA phone lines are impossible. I really appreciate all of you taking time to explain this complicated mess!

Don't forget about inflation!!! Your husband's SS benefit will get COLA increases each year, which means the 50% spousal benefit amount will increase too. So by 2027 when you start getting benefits, it might be more than the $140/month calculated above. Small consolation for having to wait so long, but at least it's something! And DOCUMENT EVERYTHING when dealing with SSA - they lose paperwork constantly!!!

just wanna say make SURE ur actually eligible for ex-spouse survivor benefits!!! the ssa worker told me you have to have been married at least 10 yrs AND not remarried before age 60 to get them. sounds like u qualify but double check!!

I want to emphasize something important that nobody has mentioned yet. When you apply, make it CRYSTAL CLEAR to SSA that you are applying ONLY for surviving divorced spouse benefits. Some SSA representatives will automatically process your application as applying for all benefits you're eligible for, which would force you to take your reduced retirement benefit now too (deemed filing). This defeats your entire strategy. Use the specific language: "I want to restrict my application to survivor benefits only." Get the representative's name and make notes of your conversation.

i thought the same thing till last yr when my husband got disability! we were shocked it was alot more than what he woulda got at 62. he got approved pretty fast but only cause he had a heart attack and couldn't work his truck driving job anymore. don't listen to people who say everyone gets denied the first time, it depends on your condition.

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I had no idea the difference between SSDI and early retirement could be so substantial. I'm going to talk to my brother about applying for disability first, and we'll gather all his medical documentation. It sounds like even with the difficult approval process, the financial difference makes it worth trying before just defaulting to early retirement. I'll also look into that call service someone mentioned since we've been struggling to get through to SSA by phone.