Just want to add that if you were on SSI (Supplemental Security Income) instead of retirement benefits, the trust would ABSOLUTELY count and probably make you ineligible! But that's completely different from retirement benefits. Some people get them confused. SSI has strict income and asset limits, retirement benefits don't once you reach FRA.

Based on everything discussed here, you're in a great position! At full retirement age (67), the earnings test completely disappears, so your $39,000 trust income won't reduce your Social Security benefits at all. This is true regardless of whether the income is considered "earned" or "unearned" - once you hit FRA, there are no income limits for retirement benefits. The only impact will be on taxation. Your trust income will be added to your "combined income" calculation, which will likely mean 85% of your Social Security benefits become taxable. But that's very different from having your benefits reduced - you'll still receive your full benefit amount, just pay taxes on most of it. Your financial advisor was correct, and your brother's situation was probably different (either he was under FRA or maybe receiving SSI instead of retirement benefits). You can file with confidence knowing your benefits won't be reduced!

One other consideration: if you take your benefits at 62 and continue working before your FRA, you'll be subject to the earnings test. In 2025, if you earn more than $22,750, SSA will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. After FRA, there's no earnings test. Just something to factor into your planning if you're still working.

Just wanted to add one more important detail that might help your planning - when you do eventually switch to survivor benefits, you can do it at any time after your husband passes, not just at your FRA. If you're already past FRA when he dies, you'd get the full survivor benefit immediately. But if you're younger than FRA, you can choose to take reduced survivor benefits right away OR wait until your FRA to get the full amount. This gives you flexibility based on your financial needs at the time. Given your age difference, this timing flexibility could be really valuable for your long-term planning.

As a newcomer to this community, I have to say this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I was in the exact same boat as the original poster - completely confused about which numbers to compare and getting frustrated trying to match my 1040 to my Social Security statement. The explanation about W-2 Box 3 being the critical number (plus Box 7 for tips) instead of anything from the 1040 has been such a game-changer! I never realized that Social Security and federal income tax are two completely separate systems. It makes perfect sense now that things like investment income show up on my tax return but don't count toward SS earnings. I'm also really grateful to learn about the annual wage base caps and the time limits for corrections - these are crucial details that should definitely be more widely known. The practical tips about multiple W-2s needing to be added together for the same year are exactly the kind of real-world advice that makes all the difference. Reading through everyone's experiences has given me the confidence to finally tackle this task myself. I've been putting off checking my Social Security records for way too long because it seemed so overwhelming, but now I know exactly what to look for. Creating my my.ssa.gov account is going on my to-do list for this weekend! Thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge and making this intimidating government process so much more approachable.

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I was in the exact same situation as the original poster - completely confused about how to verify my Social Security earnings and making the classic mistake of trying to reconcile my 1040 with my SSA statement. The key insight about focusing on W-2 Box 3 (and Box 7 for tips) instead of anything from the 1040 has been a total game-changer for me! I never understood that Social Security and federal income tax are two completely separate systems measuring different types of income. It makes so much sense now that my dividend income and rental property earnings show up on my tax return but don't factor into my SS earnings record at all. I'm also really grateful to learn about the annual wage base caps and the roughly 3-year time limit for corrections - these are critical details that I wish were more widely publicized. The practical tips about adding up multiple W-2s from the same year and expecting identity verification delays for my.ssa.gov are exactly the kind of real-world guidance I needed. Reading everyone's experiences - both the success stories and the discrepancies that were found and corrected - has finally given me the confidence to tackle this task myself. I've been putting off checking my Social Security records for months because the whole process seemed so intimidating, but now I know exactly what to look for and how to fix any issues if I find them. This community is amazing for breaking down these confusing government processes into manageable steps. Thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge and real experiences - it makes all the difference for those of us trying to navigate these systems for the first time!

The quarter counts used to be included in the annual Social Security statements that were mailed out, but they've been moving everything online and somehow left that detail out of the portal. One option is to request an official Social Security Statement by completing Form SSA-7004 (Request for Social Security Statement), which sometimes includes quarter information. But honestly, the fastest way is calling SSA directly if you can get through.

I had this same issue recently! What worked for me was creating a my Social Security account and looking at the "Earnings Record" section. While it doesn't show quarters directly, I was able to estimate by looking at my annual earnings and comparing them to the historical quarter credit amounts. SSA publishes a table of the minimum earnings needed for each year going back decades - you can find it by searching "Social Security quarter credit amounts by year" on their website. For your work in the 90s and early 2000s, the amounts were much lower (like $640 per quarter in 1995). If you earned more than 4x the annual threshold in any given year, you got the maximum 4 quarters for that year. It's tedious but gives you a good estimate without having to wait on hold!

I just want to echo what everyone else has said - this thread has been absolutely incredible! I've been dealing with the same MySocialSecurity login loop for about 10 days now and was starting to feel like I was the only person having this problem. Finding this discussion has been such a relief - not only am I not alone, but there are actual proven solutions to try! I've been making pretty much every mistake mentioned here: multiple daily login attempts (definitely triggering those security flags), using my saved bookmark, being impatient with verification codes, and I had zero knowledge about the "MYSSA portal reset" vs regular authorization codes. Based on all the amazing collective wisdom shared here, I'm going to follow the comprehensive protocol: 24-hour complete break from the site, then try with incognito browser from the main SSA.gov homepage, autofill disabled, and wait at least 45 seconds before entering codes. If that doesn't work, I'll head to the local office early morning with the specific language to request a portal reset. What really amazes me is how this community has created a more comprehensive and useful troubleshooting guide than anything the SSA provides officially. Thank you all for turning what felt like an impossible technical nightmare into a manageable problem with real, tested solutions. I'll definitely report back with results!

This thread has been such a goldmine of information! I've been locked out of my MySocialSecurity account for about 8 days now and was getting incredibly frustrated until I stumbled across this discussion. Reading through everyone's detailed experiences and solutions has given me so much hope that this is actually solvable. I've definitely been guilty of most of the mistakes mentioned here - trying to log in multiple times throughout the day (probably setting off all kinds of security flags), using my bookmarked login page instead of navigating from the main site, getting impatient with verification codes, and I had absolutely no idea there was a distinction between regular authorization codes and "MYSSA portal reset" requests. I'm going to implement the comprehensive strategy that's emerged from everyone's collective wisdom: complete 24-hour break from attempting any logins, then try using incognito mode starting fresh from the main SSA.gov homepage with autofill completely disabled, and force myself to wait at least 45 seconds before entering any verification codes. If that approach fails, I'll visit my local office first thing in the morning and specifically request a "MYSSA portal reset" rather than just asking for help with login issues. It's honestly both impressive and a bit depressing that this community has had to reverse-engineer solutions to what should be basic government website functionality, but I'm incredibly grateful for everyone's willingness to share their experiences and help fellow members navigate this technical nightmare. This is exactly what online communities should be about - people helping people solve real problems with practical, tested solutions!