i think yur overthinking this. just take ur own ss at 70 and forget about the spouse thing. my uncle got a teachers pension and his own ss and hes fine.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I had no idea about that restricted application strategy being eliminated - I guess I was reading outdated information. I'll definitely need to look more carefully at the GPO calculator. My state pension will be around $4,200/month, so it sounds like that would completely wipe out any spousal benefits. I guess my best strategy might be to just wait and collect my own Social Security at 70, even with the WEP reduction. I'll try to get specific calculations from SSA using that Claimyr service someone mentioned. This is all so much more complicated than I expected!

my cousin puts his in savings but he has to move money to checking every month its a pain

One additional consideration: if you're receiving both Social Security retirement benefits and a pension or other regular income, using separate accounts can help with budgeting and tax preparation. Some people find it useful to have SS benefits go to one account exclusively for fixed expenses (housing, utilities, insurance) while other income sources fund discretionary spending. This approach can provide peace of mind knowing your essentials are covered by your guaranteed lifetime benefits.

my sister got shorted on her check once and it turned out some old debt from like 20 years ago suddenly came up in their system!!! something about student loans but she never even went to college! took forever to fix but she did get backpay eventually

I just wanted to update you - I checked with my mother-in-law and she said using Claimyr was actually what finally got her issue resolved. After weeks of getting nowhere with the office visits, we used that service my husband found online, got through to a real person at SSA in about 15 minutes, and that rep was able to flag her case for expedited review. Within 48 hours she got a call from a supervisor who fixed the payment. Just wanted to share what finally worked for us after all the frustration.

Great question about Airbnb income! I work with retirees as a financial advisor, and this comes up frequently. The key factor is your level of involvement: • If you're just renting out property (cleaning between guests, providing linens, basic maintenance) = NOT counted toward earnings limit (unearned income) • If you're providing "substantial services" like daily housekeeping, meals, guided tours, etc. = LIKELY counted as self-employment income toward earnings limit The fact that your only involvement is basic cleaning between guests and messaging puts you firmly in the "rental income" (unearned) category. Just make sure to properly report it on your tax return (typically Schedule E rather than Schedule C). Also, keep in mind that at FRA (Full Retirement Age), which is 67 for most people now, the earnings limit goes away completely. At that point, you can earn as much as you want without affecting benefits.

WATCH OUT with Social Security! They can be really picky about these things and sometimes they make mistakes. My friend lost half her benefits because she didn't report some income correctly and then had to pay everything back! Make sure you document EVERYTHING about your Airbnb and maybe even get something in writing from SSA about your specific situation.

u kno whats CRAZY about all this?? my friend works for SSA and she says even some of THEIR EMPLOYEES get confused about these rules!!! no wonder we're all struggling to figure it out!!

Just wanted to add - if you're still working and getting those delayed retirement credits, make sure you understand how they're calculated. You get 8% per year (or 2/3% per month) that you delay past your FRA, up to age 70. So if you're 66 and 8 months now and delay until 70, that's an extra 26.67% on your monthly benefit for life! Pretty significant. I wish I had been able to delay mine.

My neighbor said she had to visit the office in person to sort this out. Apparently SS is really strict about who can access someone else's benefits and they want to see you face to face.

One important thing to know: Representative Payee status is different from having authority to handle other Social Security matters like appeals or reporting changes. If you need broader authority, there's another option called "Appointed Representative" (Form SSA-1696) that allows you to represent someone for claims and appeals. But for managing the actual benefit payments, Representative Payee (SSA-11) is what you need.

THE ONLINE SYSTEM IS A JOKE!! I applied online and they LOST my application TWICE!! Had to start over each time and it set me back MONTHS! The SSA is DELIBERATELY understaffed to deny us seniors the benefits WE PAID FOR our whole lives!! If you can get an in-person appointment TAKE IT but they're booked MONTHS in advance in most offices! The whole system is BROKEN!

Update: I decided to apply online last night after reading everyone's advice. It took about 45 minutes total. The questions were pretty straightforward, though I did have to dig through some files for exact dates. I'll post again when I hear something from SSA. Thanks everyone for your help - I feel much less stressed now knowing I'm still within the timeframe!

my sister went thru this last yr. the SSA took 3 whole payments from her becuz she was over the limit by just a little bit. make sure u know EXACTLY what ur gonna make those months. they dont just reduce ur payment, they SKIP whole months of payment if ur over!!!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! I called Social Security today using that Claimyr service someone mentioned and got through in about 10 minutes. The agent confirmed what most of you said - they'll only look at my January-June 2026 earnings (since July is my FRA month), and the 2026 limit will likely be around $59,000 for people reaching FRA that year. My 6-month income will be well under that, so I shouldn't face any benefit reductions. The agent also mentioned I should still report my earnings early in the year just to be safe, and they'll adjust if needed. I feel much better about my plan now!

Wait I'm confused about something... If your bf is 71 why hasn't he filed for SS yet? Is he still working? If he's working AND collecting SS and making over a certain amount wouldn't he have deductions? Or does that only apply before FRA? Social security rules are so CONFUSING!!

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! We've decided to talk to a financial advisor who specializes in retirement planning, specifically someone who understands Social Security rules. Since we're both over FRA, it sounds like I can keep my survivors benefits regardless, but we want to make sure we're optimizing both our benefits and understanding the tax implications. I'll try using that Claimyr service to get through to SSA directly too.

To clarify the confusion in this thread: @profile5 - I suspect there's some misunderstanding about your situation. It's possible that: 1. You were born before January 1, 1954 (making you eligible for the restricted application) 2. You may have filed for your own benefit, then your spouse filed later, making you eligible for the higher spousal amount 3. You might be receiving a spousal benefit because it's higher than your own benefit The rule is very clear in SSA's Program Operations Manual System (POMS): individuals born after January 1, 1954 cannot file restricted applications for just spousal benefits while their own retirement benefit grows. @OP - If you're experiencing difficulty getting consistent information, I recommend: 1. Get an appointment with an SSA claims specialist (not just a service representative) 2. Ask specifically about "deemed filing rules for people born after January 1, 1954" 3. Request a written explanation of your filing options

Something no one has mentioned yet - even though you're approaching FRA, working part-time earning $25K won't affect your benefits because you'll be past your FRA when you file. Also, don't forget to consider how these benefits would be taxed when making your decision. Up to 85% of your Social Security can be taxable depending on your combined income. Since you're working part-time, you might want to calculate how the additional SS income would impact your tax situation.