Isn't it crazy how many terms they use?? I got so confused between SSI and SSDI when I first applied. Thought they were the same thing and almost applied for the wrong program! For anyone who needs a quick reference, I found that the AARP website actually has a pretty good plain-English guide to Social Security terms. Not as comprehensive as the official SSA glossary others mentioned, but easier to understand.

To answer your question about WEP applying to disability: Yes, WEP applies to both Social Security retirement and disability benefits (SSDI). Unfortunately, there's no way to completely avoid the WEP reduction if you receive a non-covered pension and don't have 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security. However, for your appeal, make sure they correctly applied the guarantee provision, which ensures your benefit won't be reduced by more than half of your pension amount. You should also verify they counted all your years of covered employment correctly, as sometimes earnings records have errors that affect the WEP calculation.

Thank you all for the helpful information! I'm disappointed that I can't change my decision to file early, but at least I understand my situation better now. I'm going to look into whether any recent work I did might increase my benefit through recalculation. I'm also going to call SSA (using that Claimyr service someone mentioned because I've tried calling before and it's impossible to get through). I'll check about the earnings limit too since I might pick up some part-time work. I really appreciate everyone taking time to explain this to me. The FRA system is more complicated than I realized!

Dont forget to look at other benefits too! My mom got widows benefits that were higher than her own SS check after my dad passed. They automatically should give you the higher amount but sometimes they miss things.

One other thing worth noting: the determination of whether you're exempt from WEP due to 30+ years of substantial earnings is made at the time you become eligible for Social Security benefits. So even if you leave your county job before vesting, those years of non-covered employment will still count as "zeros" in the substantial earnings calculation. This doesn't sound like it will affect you since you already have 36 substantial years, but it's an important nuance for others who might be close to the 30-year threshold. Each year of non-covered employment essentially "uses up" one of your potential substantial earnings years.

To clarify what the previous commenter said: Whether you vest in the pension or not doesn't affect your WEP calculation. What matters is whether you have 30+ years of substantial earnings under Social Security. Since you already have 36 years of substantial earnings, you're fully protected from WEP regardless of whether you vest in your county pension or not. Your Social Security benefits will be calculated using the regular formula, not the reduced WEP formula. Vesting only determines whether you get the county pension - it doesn't change how your Social Security is calculated. So you might as well stay and get that pension!

My sister lost EVERYTHING after working part time with SSDI!!! They made her pay back TWO YEARS of benefits because she didn't report properly. They don't care about your situation, they just want to cut people off! Be VERY careful!!

Thanks everyone for the advice! I think I'll start with just a few hours weekly to stay well under that $1,110 threshold while I figure everything out. I'll definitely report everything properly and maybe try that Claimyr service to actually talk to someone at SSA first. I don't want to risk my Medicare or get hit with an overpayment. I appreciate all your help!

Thanks everyone for the help! I'm going to print out those SSA-4-BK forms tonight and drop them off at the local office tomorrow with a cover letter mentioning our July PFD. Then I'll try to get through on the phone to schedule proper interviews. At least I feel better knowing we haven't lost our filing date protection yet!

one more thing - dont forget you need to set up bank accounts for your kids benefits. some banks have special accounts for minors receiving ss benefits with no fees. might want to check into that before the interview

That's a really excellent point about subsidies and special conditions! If her employer makes significant accommodations or if she's less productive than other workers but receives the same pay, SSA can adjust the countable earnings accordingly. Your daughter should document any accommodations she receives.

Thank you all SO MUCH for this helpful information. I feel much better about her trying to work now. I'm going to help her look into Ticket to Work and make sure we document everything carefully. It sounds like a part-time minimum wage job should be safe as long as we stay under that SGA amount and report everything promptly. It would mean so much for her self-esteem to have even a small real job after everything she's been through.

Regarding Medicare enrollment: You'll need to complete a form called "Request for Employment Information" (CMS-L564) from your husband's employer when you apply. This proves you had qualifying health coverage and helps avoid late enrollment penalties. You can apply for Medicare through SSA up to 3 months before you need coverage to start. Also important: Since you'll both be transitioning to Medicare at the same time, you each need to complete your own enrollment. Your husband's retirement doesn't automatically enroll you, even though you're both on his employer plan currently.

One more thing to consider - if your husband starts SS benefits in October but continues working, he'll still be paying FICA taxes on his earnings which slightly increases his benefit amount through something called the Annual Earnings Test Recalculation. SSA automatically recalculates his benefit each year to account for additional earnings. So he could see a small bump in benefits after he fully retires. Most people don't know about this little bonus!

just wondering what kind of repairs ur doing with the 18k? i need to redo my bathroom but getting quotes for like 30k!!

One more thing to be aware of - you mentioned you're 65. When you reach your Full Retirement Age (66 or 67 depending on birth year), you might want to look into whether you qualify for retirement benefits on your own record. Sometimes people can get higher benefits by switching from survivor benefits to their own retirement benefits (or vice versa). It's worth checking with SSA about this when you reach FRA.

You should be fine! I read somewhere that they're increasing those tax thresholds soon anyway.

One more thing to consider - if you're concerned about exceeding income thresholds, you might want to look into whether contributing to a traditional IRA or 401(k) makes sense for your situation. Those contributions can lower your adjusted gross income, which might help keep you under certain thresholds. It's worth discussing with a tax professional who understands how retirement accounts interact with Social Security taxation.

I was in almost exactly your situation last year! I took retirement at 62, then got MUCH worse health-wise at 63. My doctor actually suggested I apply for SSDI since I had to stop working completely. The phone interview was mostly gathering info and was less stressful than I expected. The thing nobody told me was how LONG the whole process would take. It was almost 5 months from my phone interview until I got the decision letter. Then it took another month for the payment adjustment to actually happen. So be prepared to wait... a lot. Oh, and having all your medical records and doctor contact info ready really helps speed things up. And don't get discouraged if they deny you the first time - something like 70% of applications get denied initially. I had to appeal but eventually got approved.

Honestly I wouldn't even bother applying for SSDI if you're already getting retirement. My brother-in-law tried this exact thing and got denied TWICE even though he literally can't walk without a walker now. The whole system is RIGGED against us. They make it impossible to get approved unless you hire a lawyer who takes a huge chunk of your backpay. It's all a scam!