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dont 4get that SS pays based on when ur born in the month. like i get mine 2nd wednesday bc im born on the 8th. friend gets his on 4th wed bc hes born on the 29th. weird system
This is correct information about the payment schedule, but it doesn't address the OP's question about when benefits actually begin. The payment schedule (which Wednesday you receive payment) is indeed based on birth date, but that's separate from when entitlement begins, which is what OP was asking about.
Thank you all for the helpful information! I'll go ahead and select June as my benefit start month since I'll be reaching my FRA in June. I understand now that I'll receive my first payment in July (for June benefits), and that payment will arrive on the third Wednesday since my birthday is on the 17th. I appreciate everyone taking the time to explain this!
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One important point no one has mentioned: If benefits are withheld due to the earnings test, you'll actually receive a recalculation and HIGHER monthly benefit once you reach Full Retirement Age. SSA will adjust your reduction for early retirement to account for months when benefits were withheld. So you're not permanently losing that money - it's more like a deferral. Many financial advisors don't explain this aspect.
WHAT?? I've never heard this before! Are you SURE about this? I had benefits withheld in 2022 and 2023 and nobody told me I'd get an increase later! Do you have to apply for this increase or does SSA automatically adjust it?
When I started SS at 62, I kept working part-time at the grocery store. My daughter helped me figure out how many hours I could work without going over the limit. For 2025, if the limit is around $22,800, that means I can earn about $1,900 per month. If I made $15/hour, that's about 126 hours a month or around 29 hours per week. Hope that helps with your planning!
That's a really practical way to look at it - breaking it down to weekly hours. Thanks for sharing how you managed it!
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wait does anyone know if the 10 year rule applies to regular widows benefits too? asking for my aunt
No, the 10-year marriage duration requirement only applies to divorced spouse benefits. For widow/widower benefits, you generally need to have been married for at least 9 months before your spouse passed away (with some exceptions). There's no 10-year requirement for widow benefits.
To add some clarity here: The Application Summary should technically be factually correct about all marriages. However, the reason the representative didn't record the previous marriage is because it doesn't impact your benefit calculation or eligibility. Only marriages lasting 10+ years matter for divorced spouse benefits. For your widow benefits, only your marriage to the deceased matters (and that needs to have lasted at least 9 months in most cases). I still recommend getting it corrected for accuracy, but this won't affect your widow benefit eligibility or amount. When you call, mention specifically that you want to correct the marriage history on your Application Summary for accuracy purposes, but understand it doesn't affect your eligibility.
Thank you for the detailed explanation! That's very helpful. I'll definitely call and ask for the correction but it's reassuring to know it won't impact my benefits. This whole process has been overwhelming, and understanding these details really helps.
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Just want to add something most people don't realize - if your ex dies, the rules change completely! Then you'd be eligible for survivor benefits which could be up to 100% of what your ex was receiving (not just 50%). Since he's 68 and already collecting, this is something to be aware of for future planning, even though nobody wants to think about that scenario.
That's actually really helpful to know. I hadn't considered survivor benefits at all. So if my ex passes away, I could potentially receive his full benefit amount if it's higher than mine? Is there any way to know what he's receiving now so I can compare it to my own PIA?
You're correct that survivor benefits work differently. If your ex passes away, you could receive up to 100% of what he was receiving (not just 50% of his PIA). However, SSA won't tell you what your ex-spouse is receiving - that's private information. You'd only find out the survivor benefit amount if/when you apply for it after his passing. But you could make an educated guess based on his work history - if he had higher earnings than you throughout his career, his benefit might be higher than yours. If you're unsure, it's best to file for survivor benefits if that unfortunate event occurs, as SSA will automatically give you the higher of the two benefits anyway.
Thanks everyone for the helpful explanations. I feel much clearer about my options now. Since I was born in 1958, I'm subject to the newer rules and can't do a restricted application. I'm going to crunch some numbers to decide whether to claim now at my FRA or wait until 70. Given my family history of longevity (both parents lived past 90), I'm leaning toward waiting to maximize my lifetime benefit, but I need to make sure I can afford to wait financially. I still wish the SSA rep had explained all this to me on the phone! They just said "no" without explaining why or what my options were. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to walk me through this.
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one more thing - make sure ur getting the EXACT right amounts. my mom thought she was getting everything she should but my sister looked into it and found out mom was being underpaid by almost $200/month for like 3 years!!! ssa gave her backpay but only after a big fight
That's concerning! Did your mom have to provide any special documentation to prove she was being underpaid?
Just to add some clarity: When you reach FRA, you should receive a letter from SSA about your SSDI converting to retirement benefits. That's the perfect time to inquire about divorced spouse benefits. Be prepared with your marriage certificate and divorce decree. SSA should be able to look up your ex's record with his SSN, but if you don't have it, they can usually find it with his full name and date of birth. The divorced spouse benefit calculation is: 50% of your ex's PIA minus 100% of your own PIA. If the result is positive, you get that amount added to your benefit. If it's zero or negative, your benefit stays the same.
Thank you for explaining the exact calculation! I'll make sure to have my marriage certificate and divorce papers ready. I appreciate everyone's help in understanding this complex topic.
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I was actually self-employed for about 3 years before my regular employment! I always wondered if they calculated that correctly. That's another possibility that makes a lot of sense.
UPDATE: I finally got through to Social Security! You guys were right - it IS legitimate! During my continuing disability review, they found they had been using an incorrect calculation of my Average Indexed Monthly Earnings. They missed some of my self-employment income from 2016-2019 (good catch @casual_commenter!). The $23,475 is backpay for the difference in what I should have been receiving all along. AND my monthly payment is increasing by $428 going forward! I'm actually in tears right now. This is life-changing for me.Thank you all for helping me keep calm while I figured this out!
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To add a bit more clarity about the recalculation after FRA that someone mentioned: When benefits are withheld due to earnings, SSA treats this as if you had chosen to start benefits later. For example, if you claimed at 60 but had 12 months of full benefits withheld due to high earnings, once you reach FRA, SSA will recalculate your benefit as if you had started at age 61 instead of 60. This results in a higher monthly amount going forward.Regarding disability requirements for early widow benefits: The disability must have started before or within 7 years of your spouse's death (or within 7 years of last receiving mother's/father's benefits). That's another detail often missed in these discussions.
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My aunt tried to get benefits from her first husband (married 12 yrs) after he died last year but they told her no because she remarried when she was 45. She was SO MAD because they were married way longer than his second wife (only 5 yrs) but the second wife got all the survivor benefits!! Is that really how it works??
Yes, unfortunately that's exactly how the system works. The length of marriage only matters to establish the minimum threshold (10 years for ex-spouse benefits). After that, what matters is current marital status when applying, not who was married longer. The current spouse automatically qualifies for survivor benefits regardless of marriage length (even if just 9 months in most cases), while ex-spouses need to have been married 10+ years AND be unmarried (or remarried after 60) to qualify. Social Security was designed with the traditional assumption that a current marriage provides financial support, making benefits from previous relationships unnecessary. While this doesn't reflect the complexity of modern relationships, it's still how the system operates.
One thing nobody's mentioned yet - you should check your own earnings record compared to your exes. Sometimes your own Social Security retirement benefit is actually higher than what you'd get as a survivor benefit. If you've worked consistently and had decent earnings, you might be better off claiming your own benefit anyway. You can create an account at ssa.gov and see your estimated benefits based on your own work record. That might give you some peace of mind regardless of these ex-spouse rules!
That's a great point! I just checked my SSA account last month and my estimated retirement benefit is pretty solid. I've worked consistently for almost 30 years, so it's good to know I'll have that regardless of any ex-spouse benefit situation. Thanks for bringing this up - it's easy to forget our own earnings when thinking about these complicated spouse rules.
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Watch out for the WEP if you ever worked for state government that didn't pay into Social Security!!! My calculation got DESTROYED because of 8 years I worked for Ohio schools in the 90s!! No one warned me until it was too late!!
This is an important point about the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), but it only applies if you earned a pension from work not covered by Social Security. The original poster didn't mention government work, so they're likely not affected by WEP. But it's definitely something anyone with government employment should research before filing for benefits.
Thank you all for the great information! I just checked my Social Security statement online, and thankfully all my work history appears to be there. Based on your advice, I think I'll plan to work at least 2-3 years beyond my FRA to replace some of those zero years. The extra $150-200 per month would make a big difference over a 20+ year retirement. I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences!
Glad you got it sorted out! I did something similar and worked until 68. No regrets because that extra income really helps with inflation these days.
QuantumLeap
To clarify some confusion in this thread: SSI and SSDI are different programs. SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is needs-based and doesn't require work credits, but has strict income and resource limits. SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) requires work credits earned through employment but doesn't have the same resource limits. For the original poster: When they approve the medical portion but are still reviewing non-medical, it typically means they're calculating your benefit amount, checking work credits, and processing the administrative details. While the actual timeframe varies, the median time at this stage is about 3-4 weeks.
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Emma Wilson
•thx for explaining! i always get confused about which is which lol
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Javier Torres
When I got that letter last year, it took about 5 weeks for the final approval to come through. The back pay took another 3 weeks after that. Make sure all your contact information is up to date in the system so they can reach you if they need anything else. Also, if you haven't already, create a my Social Security account online - sometimes updates appear there before you get letters in the mail.
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Amina Diop
•I do have an online account but it just shows my application as 'pending' with no details. But that's a good point about making sure my contact info is current - I'll double check that today.
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