I'm in a very similar situation - turning 63 next year and living in Costa Rica. After reading all these experiences, I'm definitely leaning toward flying back to file in person. The thing that really stands out to me is how many people mention that SSA reps in the US caught errors or complications that could have cost thousands over time. Since we're talking about benefits that will hopefully last 20+ years, even a small mistake in the calculation can add up to huge money. Plus, with the WEP calculations and international agreements, it seems like the FBU staff's expertise varies wildly between locations. At least in a US office, you know they have access to all the systems and can pull up everything immediately. The travel cost is a one-time expense, but benefit errors last forever. Has anyone had experience with the SSA office in Miami? I'm thinking that might be my best bet given the high number of international cases they probably handle.

Reading through all these experiences really reinforces how much the decision depends on your individual situation. For anyone else following this thread who might be on the fence, here's what seems to be the key factors: 1) If you have a straightforward work history with only US earnings, FBU can work fine (though timelines vary widely), 2) If you have foreign earnings, multiple countries involved, or potential WEP calculations, the US route seems overwhelmingly better, and 3) The peace of mind factor is huge - knowing you can get everything resolved in one sitting vs. potentially months of back-and-forth. One additional consideration I haven't seen mentioned much is that if you're planning to travel back to the US anyway for other reasons (family visits, medical appointments, etc.), the timing could work out perfectly. Also worth noting that some of the newer SSA offices have really streamlined their processes - it's not the same bureaucratic nightmare it used to be if you come prepared with all your documents. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences!

As a newcomer to this community, I have to say this thread has been absolutely incredible for someone trying to understand Social Security strategy! I'm 64 and was completely confused about whether COLAs apply while delaying benefits - my local SSA office gave me conflicting information when I called last month. Reading through everyone's real experiences here has been so much more helpful than trying to navigate the official website. What really stands out to me is how this COLA benefit while delaying seems to be such a well-kept secret. I've talked to several friends about Social Security planning and NONE of them knew about this! It's honestly a bit frustrating that such important information isn't more widely publicized. I'm definitely going to delay now after seeing the actual numbers people have shared. One question for the group - has anyone dealt with family members or financial advisors who tried to talk you out of delaying because they also didn't know about the COLA protection? I'm getting pushback from my kids who think I should "take the money while it's still there" but after reading this discussion, I feel like delaying is actually the safer long-term strategy. Thanks to everyone for creating such an informative discussion!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely amazed by the wealth of real-world experience shared in this thread! I'm 66 and just hit my FRA two months ago, so I'm facing the exact same decision as many of you. Like several others have mentioned, I had NO idea that COLAs continue to apply while you're delaying benefits - this completely changes my calculations! I've been going back and forth on this for weeks, and honestly, the SSA website just made me more confused. But reading everyone's actual experiences here - especially the detailed numbers people shared - has been incredibly eye-opening. The fact that you get BOTH the guaranteed 8% delayed credits AND inflation protection through ongoing COLAs makes delaying seem like a much stronger strategy than I originally thought. I'm particularly grateful for the professional perspective that was shared about how the COLA gets applied to your PIA first, then the delayed credits get calculated on top of that adjusted amount. That explanation finally made the math click for me! I think I'm going to follow the advice here and create a tracking spreadsheet to monitor my benefit growth over the next few years. One quick question for the group - for those of you who successfully delayed, did you set up any kind of annual review process to reassess whether continuing to delay still made sense? I'm thinking of targeting age 69 but want to stay flexible if my health or financial situation changes. Thanks again to everyone for creating such an informative and supportive discussion!

Great discussion here! I'm actually facing a similar decision and this thread has been incredibly helpful. One thing I'd add is that you might want to consider running the numbers through the SSA's online benefit calculators or getting a personalized benefit statement to see exactly how those replacement years would affect YOUR specific situation. I used the "anyPIA" software (it's free from SSA) to model different scenarios, and in my case, replacing three $35k years with $75k years only increased my monthly benefit by about $45 total - nowhere near the $320/month I'd get from the 24% increase by waiting until 70. Also, don't forget about Medicare premiums being deducted from your SS benefits if you're already enrolled. That reduces your net benefit amount when doing these calculations. The consensus seems right - unless you have immediate financial needs or health concerns, the delayed retirement credits are usually the better mathematical choice for most people.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who recently went through this exact decision process. I'm 66 and was planning to claim at FRA while continuing to work, but after reading through resources like this thread, I decided to wait until 70. What really sealed it for me was running the numbers on my specific situation. Like others mentioned, I had several low-earning years in my 20s and 30s (around $25k-35k), and I'm now making $85k. But when I calculated the actual impact of replacing those years, it was surprisingly small - maybe $30-40 per month increase total over 3 years of additional work. Compare that to the guaranteed 8% per year (24% total) I'll get by waiting until 70, which would be about $480 more per month on my estimated $2,000 FRA benefit. That's a huge difference! The tipping point for me was also considering my wife's situation. She'll likely rely on survivor benefits from my record someday, and that extra 24% will make a real difference in her financial security. I know it's hard to leave money on the table for 3 years, but the math is pretty clear if you're in good health and don't have immediate financial pressures. The breakeven analysis shows I'd need to live past about 82 to come out ahead - and given my family history, that seems likely. Good luck with your decision! This community has been incredibly helpful in thinking through all the angles.

This has been such an informative discussion! I'm currently 60 and starting to seriously consider my Social Security strategy. Reading through everyone's experiences has really highlighted how important it is to understand the calculation process before filing. The discrepancy between phone estimates and actual payments seems to be incredibly common - it's both reassuring to know I'm not alone in finding this confusing, but also concerning that the system seems to consistently provide inaccurate verbal estimates. The explanation about sequential reduction factors and the mandatory rounding down rule has been eye-opening. I had always assumed benefits would be rounded to the nearest dollar like most financial calculations. The advice about creating a my Social Security account for more accurate estimates and getting everything in writing is definitely something I'll be implementing in my planning process. One question for the group - has anyone noticed if the accuracy of phone estimates has improved over time, or does this seem to be an ongoing systemic issue? I'm wondering if it's worth even calling for estimates or if I should just rely entirely on the online tools. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences - this community is invaluable for navigating these complex decisions!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! As someone who's 58 and starting to think seriously about Social Security planning, I'm honestly shocked by how widespread these calculation discrepancies seem to be. The fact that so many people received verbal estimates that were $30-50+ off from their actual payments is really concerning when you're trying to plan your retirement budget. The technical explanations about sequential reduction factors and the mandatory rounding down rule have been incredibly helpful - I had no idea the calculations were so complex. It really makes sense now why phone representatives might struggle to give accurate estimates on the spot. The advice about using the my Social Security online account for planning and getting everything documented has definitely changed my approach. I'm particularly grateful for the practical tips like having recent tax documents ready when applying and taking screenshots of all estimates. The suggestion about Claimyr for actually getting through to SSA when needed is also something I'm bookmarking for the future. This community wisdom is exactly what makes navigating these government programs manageable. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed real-world experiences - it's clear this kind of peer support is invaluable for understanding what to actually expect from the Social Security process!

Update: I finally got through to someone at Medicaid who seemed to really know what they were talking about. They confirmed that my children's survivor benefits are NOT counted towards MY income for Medicaid eligibility purposes! They are considered the children's income. However, they said I should bring all the award letters showing the separate payments to my in-person appointment. Thank you everyone for your help - this forum saved me so much stress!

That's fantastic news! I'm so glad you were able to get a knowledgeable caseworker who could clear this up for you. This is such an important distinction that can make or break someone's eligibility. Your experience will definitely help other people in similar situations who might be dealing with the same confusion. It's frustrating that there's so much inconsistency in how different caseworkers handle these cases, but at least you got the right answer in the end. Best of luck with your application!