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- Connect you to a human agent at the SSA
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- Redial until on hold
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If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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Mei Wong
wait im confused. is ssdi different from ssi??? i thought they were the same thing. i get ssi and they told me i can only have like $2000 in my bank account and every dollar i earn reduces my payment
SSI and SSDI are completely different programs with different rules: SSI (Supplemental Security Income): - Needs-based program for people with limited income/resources - Resource limit of $2,000 for individuals ($3,000 for couples) - Benefits reduce with other income (roughly $1 reduction for every $2 earned) - Funded by general tax revenues SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance): - Insurance program based on your work history/FICA contributions - No resource or asset limits - All-or-nothing benefit (not reduced until you reach SGA limit) - Funded through payroll taxes Some people receive both if their SSDI benefit is low enough.
PixelWarrior
To answer your specific questions about reporting work: 1. You can download the SSA-821 (Work Activity Report) at https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-821.pdf 2. You should report work activity BEFORE you start working if possible, or immediately when you begin. 3. Options for reporting include: - Calling the main SSA number (but prepare for long waits) - Visiting your local office (make an appointment first) - Faxing the completed SSA-821 to your local office - Using your my Social Security online account (limited functionality) - Mailing the form (not recommended - too slow and things get lost) 4. For ongoing reporting after initial notification, monthly wage reporting is best. Keep in mind that SSA is very backlogged, so even if you report correctly, they may not process your report immediately. This can lead to overpayments if they continue paying full benefits while you're earning over SGA after your TWP. This is why documentation of your reporting is critical.
This is incredibly helpful information - thank you! I think I'm going to download that form and try to call them before I even apply for jobs. I'm still nervous about the whole process, but at least now I understand what I need to do. Really appreciate everyone's help here!
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Chloe Davis
One more important point - since you're planning to claim at your Full Retirement Age of 67, you'll receive 100% of your primary insurance amount (PIA). But you could potentially increase your benefits by 8% per year if you delay beyond FRA up to age 70. Given your work history, this could be significant. Something to consider in your planning.
AstroAlpha
•THIS!!! 👆 We're delaying to 70 because the 8% annual increase is guaranteed. With 25 years of max contributions, that extra 24% from delaying 67 to 70 could mean serious money over your lifetime.
We've definitely considered waiting until 70. Currently leaning toward 67 because we'd like to travel while we're still in good health, but the 8% per year is very tempting. We're fortunate to have other savings so maybe we can use those first and delay SS until 70.
Omar Farouk
btw make sure u look at spousal benefits too...might be worth having lower earner take early and higher earner wait. thats what my parents did
This strategy has changed since the 2015 budget act eliminated some file-and-suspend and restricted application options. Today, spousal benefits are automatically combined with your own retirement benefit, and you get the higher of the two amounts. Still worth calculating different claiming strategies though.
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Kai Santiago
This is all really helpful information. I'm starting to think maybe I should just wait until FRA to claim since I plan to keep working at least part-time anyway. Seems like claiming at 62 while still working could create a bookkeeping nightmare with potential overpayments and benefit reductions. I still need to figure out exactly what my benefit would be at 62 vs. 67 to see if waiting makes financial sense. Sounds like I really need to talk to someone at SSA directly about my specific situation before making any decisions.
Lim Wong
•That's probably the wisest approach. If you can afford to wait, you'll get a higher monthly benefit (approximately 30% more at FRA than at 62), and you won't have to worry about the earnings test at all. Make sure to create a my Social Security account on ssa.gov if you haven't already. It will show you estimates of your benefit at different claiming ages based on your actual earnings record.
Dananyl Lear
everyones situation different tho. i HAD to take ss at 62 cuz of health problems even tho i still work some. dont regret it at all!! even with the hassle of earnings limit stuff, that monthly check helped me cut back hours when i needed to for doctors appointments and stuff. just sayin maybe waiting isnt best for everyone
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Mae Bennett
They ALWAYS deny everything the first time, don't get discouraged!!! My brother has Down syndrome and we had to appeal twice before they approved him. The system is designed to wear people down so they give up. Keep fighting!
Pedro Sawyer
•This is sooo true they denied me 3 times even with obvious problems just cuz they hope people give up!!
Lena Schultz
When you file the appeal, be sure to request a complete copy of your daughter's claim file through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. This will show you exactly what medical evidence they considered and what they overlooked. You might be surprised at what's missing from their files despite what you've submitted. Also, since your daughter was 18 when benefits on her father's record stopped, you should ask specifically about filing for both DAC benefits (on her father's record) AND SSI for the interim period if there's a gap in coverage.
I didn't know about the FOIA request - that's really helpful! I'll definitely do that to see what they're actually looking at. And yes, there's been a significant gap since she turned 18 (she's 24 now), so I'll ask about SSI for that period too.
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Just wanted to add - if you need copies of vital records from another state, most have online ordering systems now. I had to get a copy of my birth certificate from Illinois even though I live in Florida now, and it was pretty easy to order it online. Cost me about $25 and took maybe 2 weeks to arrive. Might not be as bad as you think to get those documents if you end up needing them!
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I'll call SSA first to confirm what documents I'll need for my specific situation, and I'll start the process of getting copies of my marriage/divorce documents just in case. Better to be prepared than to have my application delayed. Really appreciate all the advice!
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Based on the numbers you provided, let's do a quick calculation: Your monthly benefit at 64 = $2,725 Applying early retirement reduction factor (approximately 93.3% of PIA at age 64) Your estimated PIA ≈ $2,920 Your husband's monthly benefit at FRA = $1,430 This is 100% of his PIA Spousal benefit = 50% of your PIA = $1,460 Since $1,460 > $1,430, your husband may be eligible for a supplemental spousal benefit of approximately $30/month. He should contact SSA to verify these calculations and apply for the dual entitlement if applicable.
Ravi Patel
•omg thank you for doing the actual math! this is exactly what happened with us - my husband got an extra $47 a month on top of his regular SS. doesn't sound like much but adds up over time! and they gave us like 3 months backpay when we finally got it straightened out
LunarLegend
Just to close the loop here - once you've confirmed with SSA whether your husband qualifies for the additional amount through dual entitlement, make sure to ask about how this affects future cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). Both portions of his benefit (his own and the spousal component) will receive COLAs, but they're applied separately to each benefit component. Also, if your husband is under the full retirement age for the spousal benefit (which may be different than his FRA for his own benefit), there might be additional reductions to consider.
Emma Davis
•Thank you! I hadn't even thought about how this affects future COLAs. I'll definitely ask about that when we talk to SSA. I appreciate everyone's helpful information - I understand the situation so much better now!
Can using the same login.gov account for multiple agencies affect my Social Security online access?
I recently transitioned to login.gov for my Social Security account without any problems. Now I need to register with a completely different federal agency and noticed they also use login.gov for authentication. Has anyone used their same login.gov credentials across multiple government agencies? I'm worried it might somehow mess up my existing SSA account access. Don't want to get locked out of my benefits info right when I need to check something important! Any experience with this multi-agency login situation would be helpful.
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AstroAlpha
my sister tried to use her login.gov for something with customs and border patrol and got locked out of everything had to start over
Yara Khoury
•That sounds like she might have hit the authentication attempt limit or had a verification issue. This isn't because she used multiple agencies, but more likely because something in her verification process went wrong. For anyone having similar problems, before you try connecting to a new agency, make sure: 1. Your email is verified in login.gov 2. Your phone number is current 3. You have set up a backup authentication method These steps will prevent most lockout issues.
Thanks everyone for the responses! I went ahead and tried it - used my existing login.gov account with the new agency and everything worked perfectly. My SSA access is still working fine too. Seems like the system is working as designed for most people, with a few exceptions. I appreciate all the advice!
Glad it worked out! That's been my experience too. For what it's worth, I've found the login.gov help section to be surprisingly helpful if you do run into any future issues.
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Yuki Tanaka
When my husband died I had to wait 8 weeks just to get an APPOINTMENT to apply for survivor benefits! and then another 3 months to actually get my first payment. start the process now even if you decide to suspend payments until later.
Ethan Wilson
•OMG same!!! The wait times are RIDICULOUS. And they backdate payments to your application date, not the death date, so every week you wait is $$ lost forever!
Jamal Brown
My sister in law tried to claim on her exs record and SSA sais she couldnt because she didnt have her marriage certificate anymore after all those years. Make sure you have all your paperwork before you go!!
Good point about documentation. If you don't have your marriage certificate, you can obtain a certified copy from the vital records office in the county/state where you were married. For the divorce decree, contact the court that handled your divorce. SSA might be able to find these records in their system, but having them yourself speeds up the process considerably.
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KhalilStar
does anyone know if this affects direct deposit setup? my brothers payment went to wrong account when his was processed out of state
That shouldn't be related to which office processes the claim. Direct deposit information is entered into the same national system regardless of location. Your brother should contact SSA immediately if his payment went to the wrong account - that sounds like a data entry error that needs correction.
Check your my Social Security account online regularly! You can see updates there without having to call. Your claim status should show up there within a week or two with an estimated completion date.
Maya Lewis
•Good idea. I set up my account when I applied, so I'll keep checking there. Hopefully it will be processed smoothly!
Lucas Lindsey
I went over by like $1,200 in 2023 and I just got a letter and they took part of my February 2024 payment and all of March. Make sure u have some savings to cover bills during the months they withhold!!!
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Christian Bierman
•Same here!!! No warning just BOOM no money that month. the system is so unfair to seniors who r just trying to make ends meet with these tiny cost of living increases that dont even cover real inflation!!!
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Emma Olsen
If you're concerned about budgeting, you could also consider proactively making a small direct payment to SSA for the overpayment rather than having benefits withheld. It's not commonly discussed, but you can contact your local office and ask about paying the overage directly to avoid benefit interruption. Just another option to consider based on your financial situation.
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Mason Stone
•I had no idea this was even an option! I'm definitely going to ask about this. Being able to pay a smaller amount directly would be much better than losing a whole month's check. Thank you for this information.
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