One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that you might want to check with any professional associations or unions you belonged to while working abroad. I worked in Australia for 7 years and completely forgot I had been a member of an engineering association there. When I contacted them years later for my totalization claim, they had records of my membership dates which helped corroborate my employment timeline. Some professional organizations keep member records going back decades and can provide letters confirming your professional activity during specific periods. It's another piece of evidence that can support your case with SSA, especially if you're in a field that typically requires professional licensing or association membership.

I'm in a similar boat with foreign work credits! I worked in Japan for 4 years in the early 2000s and was panicking about the same documentation issues. One thing that really helped me was contacting my old university's career services office - they actually had records of international placement programs and could provide letters confirming my participation in their overseas work program. Also, if you filed US tax returns while abroad (even if you didn't owe anything due to foreign earned income exclusion), the IRS has those records going back years and they show your foreign addresses and can help establish your timeline. You can request transcripts online. Another tip - if you used any international money transfer services like Western Union to send money home to family or to transfer funds between countries, they sometimes keep transaction records that can show regular income patterns. It's worth checking! The key is building a complete picture from multiple small pieces of evidence rather than relying on one perfect document.

This conflicting information about withholding calculations is really concerning and highlights a serious problem with SSA's communication and systems consistency. As a newcomer who's been following this discussion, I think we need to approach this systematically to get clarity. @Rick B and @Dana Mulvany have provided direct evidence that withholding is being calculated AFTER Medicare deductions, which contradicts what multiple other members have experienced. This suggests either: 1. Recent policy/system changes that weren't properly communicated 2. Different calculation methods for online vs. paper submissions 3. Implementation errors in SSA's systems 4. Inconsistent training among SSA staff I think the best approach right now is for anyone setting up new withholding to: - Document everything (keep copies of all forms and correspondence) - Monitor your first few benefit statements very carefully - Calculate the withholding percentage yourself to verify which method SSA actually used - Report any discrepancies immediately Has anyone considered filing a formal inquiry with SSA's Office of the Inspector General about these calculation inconsistencies? This level of confusion about a basic tax procedure could affect thousands of beneficiaries and needs official clarification. For now, I'm going to start with a slightly higher withholding percentage to be safe, then adjust once I see how my specific case gets handled.

I'm a newcomer here and this discussion has been incredibly eye-opening but also really concerning! The conflicting information about whether withholding is calculated before or after Medicare deductions is exactly the kind of confusion that makes dealing with Social Security so frustrating. What's particularly troubling is that we have multiple people with actual experience saying completely opposite things - some saying withholding is on the gross amount before Medicare, others like @Rick B and @Dana Mulvany providing evidence that it's calculated after Medicare deductions. If SSA's own online system might have implementation errors as @Dana Mulvany suggested, that's a huge problem affecting everyone who trusts it. I think @Chloe Harris made excellent points about documenting everything and considering an OIG inquiry. This isn't just confusing - it's potentially affecting people's tax situations in significant ways. A calculation error of even a few percentage points could mean hundreds of dollars difference over a year. For anyone setting up withholding right now, I'd recommend: 1) Keep detailed records of everything you submit, 2) Calculate the withholding yourself once you get your first statement to verify which method they used, 3) Start conservative with a slightly higher percentage until you know for sure how YOUR case gets handled, and 4) Report any discrepancies immediately. Thanks to everyone for sharing their real experiences - even the conflicting info is valuable because it shows this process isn't as standardized as it should be!

Smart decision to take your time and research all your options! One more thing to consider - you might want to ask SSA about "deemed filing" rules when you meet with them. If you're eligible for both your own retirement benefit and divorced spouse benefits, there are some complex rules about how they handle the application that can affect your strategy. Also, keep in mind that even if your own benefit ends up being higher now, your ex's benefit might grow more over time if he continues working, so the comparison could change. Good luck with everything - you're asking all the right questions!

Just want to add one more important tip - when you do apply, make sure to ask specifically about "restricted application" strategies if you're eligible for both your own benefit and divorced spouse benefits. Also, if your ex-husband is significantly older than you and already receiving benefits, you might want to check if his benefit amount has increased due to delayed retirement credits (he gets 8% per year for each year he delays past full retirement age until age 70). This could make the divorced spouse benefit more attractive than it appears on paper. The SSA representatives don't always volunteer this information, so you have to ask directly. Document everything they tell you and get it in writing if possible - I've heard too many stories of people getting different answers from different representatives!

As someone who navigated this exact situation two years ago after a 22-year marriage, I completely understand your confusion and overwhelm - the SSA system really is incredibly complex to figure out on your own! One thing that helped me tremendously was creating a simple timeline comparing my options. I mapped out what I'd receive monthly at different claiming ages (62, FRA, 70) for both my own benefit and the ex-spouse benefit, then calculated the cumulative amounts I'd receive by ages 75, 80, and 85. This visual really helped me see the trade-offs more clearly. In my case, I discovered that while claiming at 62 would give me immediate income, the reduction was so significant that I'd need to live past 79 just to break even compared to waiting until my FRA. Since I'm in good health and have longevity in my family, waiting made more financial sense. The earnings test was definitely a factor for me too since I was still working. What I learned is that if you're earning significantly above the limit ($23,560 for 2025), you might end up with very little actual benefit after the withholdings, making early claiming less attractive anyway. One practical tip: when you make your SSA appointment, ask them to print out the benefit comparison sheets for you. Having those numbers on paper made it so much easier to review my options at home without the pressure of making an immediate decision. The hardest part is accepting that there's no "perfect" choice - just the choice that best fits your individual circumstances. Good luck with your decision!

I'm new to this community but found this discussion incredibly valuable as I'm facing a very similar situation after my 24-year marriage ended. Reading through everyone's experiences has been so helpful! One thing I wanted to add that might be useful for anyone still researching: I recently discovered that some local libraries offer free AARP tax preparation services and Social Security counseling sessions during tax season. The volunteer counselor I spoke with was extremely knowledgeable about ex-spouse benefits and helped me understand some of the nuances that even the SSA website doesn't explain clearly. She mentioned that many people don't realize you can actually do a "practice run" with SSA - meaning you can file an application and then withdraw it within 12 months if you change your mind (though you can only do this once). Obviously this isn't something to take lightly, but it's good to know the option exists if you're really uncertain about timing. @Eva St. Cyr, after reading all the excellent advice here, it sounds like you have a really solid plan for moving forward with that SSA appointment. The preparation tips everyone shared about bringing documentation and specific questions will definitely serve you well. I'm planning to follow the same approach myself - this thread has been like a masterclass in Social Security planning! Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences so generously. It's amazing how much clearer these complex decisions become when you hear from people who've actually navigated them successfully.

Welcome to the community, Aisha! I'm also relatively new here but have found this to be such a helpful resource for navigating Social Security questions. Your situation with the stay-at-home parent years sounds very similar to mine - I had about 5 years of zero or very minimal earnings when my kids were young. It's reassuring to see from everyone's experiences that those early low-earning years can definitely be replaced by current higher earnings, even after 70. One thing I've learned from this thread is to keep good records of when you notice any benefit increases, since SSA doesn't send notifications about automatic recalculations. I'm planning to set a reminder for next October to check my payment amounts carefully. Best of luck with your research and planning!

As someone who's been researching this topic extensively, I wanted to add another resource that might help. The SSA's publication "How Work Affects Your Benefits" (Publication No. 05-10069) has a section specifically about post-70 earnings and benefit recalculations. You can download it from their website or request a paper copy. What I found particularly useful is that it includes examples of how the recalculation works with actual dollar amounts, which helped me understand the potential impact better than the general explanations I found elsewhere. The document also clarifies that there's no limit to how many times your benefit can be recalculated - it happens automatically every year you have earnings that would improve your calculation, regardless of your age. For those still confused about the timing, the recalculation typically shows up in your December payment (reflecting the October processing that others mentioned). Hope this additional resource helps!