This thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone who's been working for about 10 years but never really understood how Social Security tracking worked, this clears up so much confusion I've had. I had the same misconception as the original poster - I thought the earnings record included everything I paid FICA taxes on. Now I understand it's ONLY the Social Security portion (6.2% up to the cap), not the Medicare portion (1.45% on all earnings). The W-2 Box 3 vs Box 5 comparison is going to be really useful for me to verify this. One thing I'm curious about: I've switched jobs several times and had some periods of unemployment between jobs. Does SSA automatically get updates from all employers, or is there ever a situation where I might need to manually report earnings to make sure they're properly credited to my record? I want to make sure I'm not missing any earnings that should be counting toward my future benefits. Also, @Sofia Perez - your explanation about the 35-year calculation was really eye-opening. I never realized that working extra years could potentially replace lower-earning years from earlier in my career. That actually makes me feel better about those early jobs where I was making very little!

On my SS earnings statement there are two columns, SS Earned and Medicare Earned. For two years there are ZEROS listed in the SS earnings column but my salaries for those years are showing in the Medicare column. When I talked to SS Representative on the phone she said not to worry that they have my earnings listed which are the same figures in my Medicare column for those two years but throughout the phone call she seemed a little confused and abrasive with me. She said she did not have the same form as me in front of her.

Update: I was able to get through to SSA this morning! Called right at 8am using the "check application status" option as suggested. Only waited about 10 minutes. The representative was very helpful and deleted my expired application. She said I can start a new one immediately, which I just did. Thanks everyone for your help!

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else dealing with this - I had a similar situation with my spouse's survivor benefits application last year. The key thing I learned is that even though the system seems broken, SSA representatives are actually very helpful once you get through to them. For anyone calling, I'd recommend having your Social Security number and the approximate date you started the original application ready. The rep will ask for these to locate your incomplete application in their system. Also, don't be discouraged if you get disconnected - it happened to me twice before I finally got through and got it resolved. The whole process took less than 5 minutes once I had someone on the line, and I was able to start fresh immediately after. Sometimes the old-fashioned phone call really is the best solution!

As someone who's been following this incredible discussion and learning so much from everyone's experiences, I wanted to add my perspective as a newcomer to Social Security planning. What's really struck me throughout this thread is how the decision between claiming at FRA versus waiting until 70 isn't just about maximizing dollars - it's about optimizing your entire life situation. The psychological benefits that @Dmitry Kuznetsov, @Nia Davis, @Eloise Kendrick and others described - reduced work stress, better job performance, financial peace of mind - seem to have real monetary value even if they're hard to quantify. I'm particularly fascinated by the strategic opportunities that come with having dual income streams at FRA. Being able to maximize 401k contributions, do Roth conversions, help family members, or simply have more financial flexibility sounds incredibly valuable. Sometimes having options and liquidity is worth more than optimizing for the absolute highest monthly payment later. The consistency of advice about no earnings penalties at FRA has been so reassuring, especially given how much conflicting information exists elsewhere. And all the specific resources mentioned here - the SSA retirement estimator, Publication 05-10069, even services like Claimyr for getting through to agents - are exactly what someone new to this process needs. @Kingston Bellamy, I'd love to hear your final decision after all this amazing advice! And @Miguel Ramos, thank you for adding that professional perspective about the earnings test recalculation - that's exactly the kind of nuanced detail that makes this community so valuable. This thread has convinced me that when my time comes, I'll seriously consider claiming at FRA while working rather than automatically assuming I should wait until 70. The real-world experiences shared here are worth their weight in gold!

As someone who's been researching Social Security strategies for my own upcoming decision, this thread has been absolutely phenomenal! The real-world experiences shared here are worth more than all the official publications combined. What's really compelling to me is how unanimous everyone seems to be about the psychological benefits of claiming at FRA while working. I've been so focused on the math of waiting until 70 for maximum benefits, but reading about the peace of mind, reduced work stress, and improved job satisfaction has me seriously reconsidering that approach. The point about having dual income streams enabling better strategic financial planning is fascinating too. Using SS for basic expenses while maximizing retirement contributions with work income sounds like it could actually result in better overall wealth accumulation than just optimizing for the highest monthly SS payment. I'm also grateful for all the practical resources mentioned - especially the SSA retirement estimator tool and Publication 05-10069. These are exactly the kinds of actionable tips that are impossible to find through normal research channels. For those already living this decision (@Dmitry Kuznetsov, @Nia Davis, @Eloise Kendrick), thank you for sharing your actual experiences rather than just theoretical advice. It's incredibly valuable to hear how this choice has worked out in practice, particularly the unexpected benefits like improved work performance and greater financial flexibility. This community is providing guidance that's light-years better than anything available through official channels. Thanks to everyone for creating such a supportive environment for navigating these complex retirement decisions!

I'm also an artist on SSDI and went through this exact situation last year! One thing that really helped me was getting my earnings statement from SSA (you can access it online through your my Social Security account) to see exactly how many Trial Work Period months I'd already used. Turns out I had used 3 months from small sales I'd forgotten about. For your $8K piece, definitely consider timing. If you haven't used your TWP months yet, you could take the full payment without losing benefits. But if you have used some TWP months, you might want to negotiate with the gallery to split payments across multiple months to stay under the $1,550 SGA limit. Also, don't forget about the Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE) that Liam mentioned - if your disability requires special accommodations for your art (like ergonomic tools, special seating, modified easels), those costs can be deducted from your countable earnings. This could bring that $8K down significantly when calculating what actually counts toward SGA. The art world doesn't always understand disability benefits, so be prepared to educate your gallery about why payment timing might matter to you. Most galleries are willing to work with artists on payment schedules if you explain the situation professionally.

What about SSI? I am on that and have thought about selling my old art pieces because I can't insure and fill up my car on what I get, and in my rural area there are no busses. My neighbours are tired of driving me around, I've gone 8 months without seeing my doctor because I have no way to get there. If I can sell my old pieces or make some new ones I could at least make enough to drive. If doing so makes me lose what little I get from SSI, it won't be worth doing. I don't know how to get a business license in order to get my supplies at wholesale so I can try without SSA thinking I can do gainful work, which I can't do. I would probably only make about 200 every month if I could try, that's all I need for my car.

Just to clarify something important: Your first payment isn't delayed because of processing issues - this is the normal Social Security payment schedule. Benefits for a month are always paid the following month. Also worth noting - if you're under Full Retirement Age (FRA) and still working, make sure you understand the earnings limit for 2025 ($22,320/year or $1,860/month for those below FRA). Exceeding this could affect your benefit amounts. If you were expecting the money sooner for budgeting purposes, you might want to check with SSA about the exact payment date based on your birth date so you can plan accordingly.

I went through this exact same situation when I filed for my retirement benefits last fall! The waiting period for that first payment is nerve-wracking, especially when you're counting on that income. What helped me was setting up a my Social Security account online at ssa.gov - you can track your payment status and see exactly when your first deposit is scheduled. Also, make sure you have direct deposit set up if you haven't already, as it's much more reliable than waiting for a paper check. The good news is that once you get through this initial waiting period, the payments become very predictable based on your birth date schedule. Hang in there - it really is just a matter of getting through these first few weeks!