my sister found a loophole! she started a small business and pays herself as a consultant AFTER she hits full retirement age so she doesnt have to deal with any of this. not sayin its for everyone but thought id mention...

When my husband retired we went through the EXACT same thing! We thought we were being so clever with the 401k idea but NOPE! Social Security taxes still came out and the earnings still counted for the limit. He ended up just fully retiring 6 months earlier than planned because the math worked out better that way. Sometimes simple is better.

My cousin took her ex spousal benefit at 62 and regrets it SO MUCH cause it got reduced like 30%! Def wait for ur FRA if u can afford to!

wait im confused does this mean my ex taking SS early screws me over? or not? can someone explain this in simple terms plz

DONT TRUST WHAT SSA TELLS YOU ON THE PHONE!!! I got THREE different answers from THREE different reps about my widow benefits!!! Get EVERYTHING in writing and talk to a supervisor if possible. The first rep told me I'd get full benefits and then when I applied they said I was getting way less because of some rule nobody mentioned before. FIGHT FOR YOUR BENEFITS!!!

Here's some additional information that might help you: 1. Regarding the pension: Federal pensions for ex-spouses typically end when the retiree dies unless your divorce decree included a survivor benefit clause. This is something you should verify by reviewing your divorce decree or contacting the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). 2. About Social Security survivor benefits: As others have mentioned, the GPO would reduce your survivor benefits by 2/3 of your government pension. However, since your pension will likely terminate upon your ex-husband's death, the GPO may not apply to you at that point (since you won't be receiving the pension anymore). 3. If your ex-husband was under CSRS, he likely had substantial quarters of coverage under Social Security from other employment to qualify for any Social Security benefit. Given your current income is only $14,000 annually, survivor benefits could be significant for your financial security. I strongly recommend setting up an in-person appointment at your local Social Security office where they can access all the relevant records.

can someone tell me if they take taxes out automatically or do i need to request that? i dont want a surprise tax bill next year

Just wanted to update everyone - I called SSA this morning (waited 45 minutes!) and finally got through to an agent who confirmed that yes, the early payment is normal for first-time benefits. She said all future payments will follow my regular schedule on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Thanks to everyone who helped explain this!

does he take his meds regularly? make sure to mention that on the forms. my aunt says thats super important for mental health reviews

One more important tip: when completing the function report portion of the CDR, be very specific about bad days versus good days. Many people with bipolar disorder have some good days where they can function better, but what matters is consistency. Make sure to explain how many bad days he has per week/month and what those look like. SSA needs to understand that even if he can do something occasionally, he can't do it reliably enough to maintain employment. Focus on specifics like: - How often he has episodes of severe depression or mania - How long these episodes typically last - What triggers worsen his symptoms (especially work-related stressors) - How his condition affects sleep, concentration, and ability to complete tasks - Specific examples of difficulties with social interactions This level of detail helps paint an accurate picture of why he remains unable to work despite medication compliance.

did you sign up for direct deposit? sometimes they send the backpay as a separate deposit or even a paper check even if your regular benefits are direct deposit. check your informed delivery from usps if you have it to see if theres a check coming

After you call SSA and get this sorted out, I recommend creating a my Social Security account online at ssa.gov if you haven't already. You can see your payment history there, which makes it easier to track what you've received and when. The online account also shows your payment dates and amounts, and you can request benefit verification letters if needed for your medical billing.

OK I'M CONFUSED!!! I thought that if you were married for 10+ years you could claim 50% of your ex's benefit REGARDLESS of when they claim??? Isn't that the WHOLE POINT of the divorced spouse benefit?? That you don't have to coordinate with them?? Why is everyone saying you have to wait until your ex is 62? That makes NO SENSE to me and defeats the purpose of the benefit!! Also my cousin's friend got divorced after 11 years and she's getting benefits on her ex-husband's record RIGHT NOW even though he hasn't filed yet so I KNOW it's possible!!!

Been there done that with the ex-spouse stuff. Just remember you need ur marriage certificate AND divorce decree when you apply! They made me go home and come back when I didn't have both. Super annoying since I had to take another day off work.

To clarify the Medicare point: Yes, if the husband is covered under the wife's current employer health insurance (from her active employment), AND the employer has 20+ employees, then he can delay enrolling in Medicare Part B without penalty. He would need to get a form called \

This is all super helpful information. I definitely don't want to file early just to enable his spousal benefits if it's going to permanently reduce my benefit. It sounds like the best approach might be for him to wait until his FRA at 67 to claim his own benefit, and then I can file for mine when I reach my FRA (which would be 67 too, I think).

its SO DUMB that they make these rules so complicated!!!! why cant they just explain things clearly?? everytime i call ssa i get diffrent answers too

To summarize what everyone's said: While your son is earning above SGA during his EPE, his benefits are suspended (not terminated). During months of suspension, you would not be eligible for Child-in-Care benefits because he's not receiving benefits. For any months he earns under SGA during the EPE, both his benefits and your Child-in-Care benefits could be reinstated for those specific months. After the EPE ends, if he's still working above SGA, his benefits would be terminated, which would permanently end your eligibility for Child-in-Care benefits (unless he files a new application later).

has anyone actually CALLED the social security office about this?? wat did they say?

After doing more research on your situation, I want to add that there is a process for requesting an earnings record correction with Social Security, but it requires evidence that you actually paid the self-employment taxes for those years. The difficulty of care exemption creates a unique situation that many tax preparers misunderstand. Moving forward, make sure your tax preparer includes Schedule SE with your tax returns to pay self-employment tax on this income. For past years, you can: 1. Amend returns for the past three tax years by filing Form 1040X along with Schedule SE 2. For years beyond the amendment window, you may still be able to file a request with SSA using Form SSA-7008 (Request for Correction of Earnings Record), but success will depend on your specific circumstances This is definitely a situation where speaking directly with someone at SSA who specializes in earnings record issues would be beneficial.