I'd like to clarify something important: for Child's Disability Benefits (CDB, formerly called DAC), there are three main requirements: 1. The child must be unmarried 2. The child must be disabled according to SSA's definition before age 22 3. The parent must be receiving Social Security retirement or disability benefits, or be deceased In your case, since your daughter has been receiving SSI since age 18 and has an established onset date before age 22, you should focus your reconsideration on this fact. Request a copy of the "Disability Determination Explanation" from her SSI case if possible - this is different from just the award letter and contains the medical basis for her disability finding. Also, be aware that if she gets approved for CDB, her monthly benefit amount will likely be higher than SSI, and she may lose SSI eligibility due to the higher income (which is actually a good thing overall). However, she would maintain her Medicaid eligibility through special provisions for people who lose SSI due to receiving CDB benefits. Finally, CDB benefits can include back pay to the date of your retirement, so this is worth pursuing even if it takes some time.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this bureaucratic nightmare! As someone who works in disability advocacy, I see this type of error unfortunately often. The good news is that you have a very strong case since your daughter already has an established disability determination through SSI. Here's what I'd recommend doing immediately: 1. File the reconsideration within 60 days of the denial date 2. In your appeal, specifically state: "SSA has already determined my daughter was disabled before age 22 through her SSI approval in 2013" 3. Request that they access her complete SSI disability file and cross-reference it with the CDB application 4. Include copies of her SSI award letter showing the onset date Also consider reaching out to your local disability advocacy organization - many offer free help with SSA appeals and know exactly how to phrase these requests to get results. The fact that she's been receiving SSI for 11 years should make this a straightforward approval once the right person reviews the case. Don't let them wear you down - you're absolutely in the right here!

Based on all the comments, here's a summary of your best approach: 1. Start the process 3 months before turning 62 2. Your total monthly income will likely be slightly higher after the transition (your $587 retirement + some supplemental SSI, minus the reduction) 3. You don't need your ex's cooperation - SSA can access his earnings record since you were married 10+ years 4. Explicitly ask about continued Medicaid eligibility in your state when you switch benefits 5. Request a written breakdown of your future benefits before any changes happen 6. If you receive any notices about benefit changes, respond immediately Many people actually end up slightly better off financially after this transition, but the key is ensuring everything is processed correctly and simultaneously to avoid gaps in coverage. The system is complex but you're asking all the right questions.

Victoria, I wanted to add something important that hasn't been mentioned yet - you should also ask SSA about potentially filing a "restricted application" strategy. Since you're disabled and receiving SSI, there might be specific timing considerations that could work in your favor. Also, when you do contact SSA, make sure to ask them to run scenarios for BOTH your own retirement benefit AND the divorced spouse benefit to see which gives you the higher total monthly income (including any remaining SSI). Sometimes the calculations aren't as straightforward as they seem, especially with the SSI income exclusions and state-specific Medicaid rules. One more tip: if you do end up going to the office, try to schedule an appointment rather than walking in. Many offices now allow you to schedule appointments online or by phone, which can save you hours of waiting time. Good luck with everything!

my friend said he got his IRMMA reduced after he retired by filing some special form with social security. forgot what its called but worth looking into

Your strategy sounds really well thought out! I'm in a similar situation - my husband is 65 and still working, and we're considering delaying his SS filing partly because of IRMAA concerns. One thing I wanted to mention that might help with your planning: you can actually do Roth conversions during the gap years (2025-2026) while keeping your income low, then use those converted funds later without affecting IRMAA. Since you'll have lower income those years anyway, it might be a good opportunity to convert some traditional IRA funds at lower tax rates. Also, I've been tracking the IRMAA thresholds and they've been increasing slightly each year due to inflation adjustments. For 2025, the first threshold for married filing jointly went up to $206,000 (from $204,000 in 2024). So there's a chance the thresholds might be even higher by 2027, giving you a bit more breathing room. Have you considered what you'll do if one of the IRMAA thresholds gets eliminated or changed significantly before 2027? I know it's unlikely, but given all the talk about Medicare reform, it might be worth having a backup plan.

After reading through this thread, I just want to emphasize one thing: most online calculators are indeed calculating your TOTAL tax liability when they give you that final number (assuming you entered all income sources correctly). What confuses many people is that the calculator might break down how much of your Social Security is taxable (the 5% you mentioned), but the final tax number ($600) typically represents what you'll owe based on ALL your taxable income combined. I'd suggest double-checking by using the IRS's own calculator. If that also shows around $600, you can be confident that's your total federal tax liability for the year.

Just wanted to add my experience from last year - I had almost the exact same situation with SS benefits and dividend income. The key thing that helped me was understanding that when you input both income sources into a tax calculator, the final number IS your total tax liability. What I did was use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator (as Javier mentioned) and then cross-checked it with TurboTax's estimator. Both gave me similar results, which gave me confidence in the number. For the withholding part, I ended up going with the 7% option on Form W-4V since my tax liability was relatively small compared to my annual SS benefits. It's worked out perfectly - no surprises at tax time and no penalties. One tip: keep records of which calculator you used and what inputs you entered, so you can reference it later or use it to double-check if your situation changes mid-year.

I want to thank everyone who replied! This has been incredibly helpful. I think I understand now that: 1. SSA will use my highest 35 years regardless of when I earned them 2. My current higher earnings will replace those low early years 3. Earnings after 60 aren't indexed but are still counted at face value I'm going to create my SSA account and look at my earnings history to get a better idea of what my benefit might be. This has cleared up a huge source of confusion for me!

This thread has been so educational! I'm in a somewhat similar boat - had years of part-time work in my early career while raising kids, then returned to full-time work in my 40s. I was worried those low-earning years would drag down my benefit forever. One thing I learned from my financial advisor that might help others: if you're still working and haven't filed for benefits yet, every additional year of higher earnings can potentially boost your benefit. So even if you're past your FRA, there can still be value in continuing to work if you enjoy it and the pay is good. The SSA website also has a neat feature where you can model different retirement scenarios - like what happens if you retire at 62 vs 67 vs 70. Really helpful for planning!