Reading through this entire discussion has been incredibly valuable! As someone new to this community but facing retirement decisions myself, I wanted to thank everyone for such a thorough exploration of the issues. What strikes me most is how this started as a simple question about whether a business sale affects the earnings test, but evolved into a masterclass on comprehensive retirement planning. The interconnections between Social Security timing, tax planning, Medicare enrollment, RMDs, and overall income strategy are fascinating and something I never would have considered on my own. For anyone else following this thread who might be in a similar situation, the key takeaways seem to be: - Business sale proceeds don't count for SS earnings test - The "luxury of choice" when you have substantial assets changes the entire decision framework - Waiting until FRA provides guaranteed returns that are hard to beat elsewhere - The decision impacts not just monthly benefits but lifetime tax planning - Professional advice from someone who understands all these intersections is crucial @CosmosCaptain - it sounds like you've gotten some excellent guidance here and are thinking through this decision very methodically. Best of luck with whatever you decide, and congratulations on a successful business sale and well-planned retirement!

As a fellow retiree who faced a similar decision after selling my small manufacturing business, I can't stress enough how important it is to get the Medicare timeline right alongside your Social Security decision. One thing I learned the hard way: even though you have health insurance covered through your business sale for 3 years, you still need to be strategic about Medicare enrollment. If your current coverage is considered "creditable coverage" (which it likely is), you can delay Medicare Part B without penalty, but you need to understand the rules. Also, regarding the taxation issue that @Diego Mendoza mentioned - it's worth noting that you can potentially manage this through tax-loss harvesting in your investment accounts or even municipal bonds for part of your portfolio to reduce taxable income. With $875K to invest, you have options to optimize your tax situation. The break-even analysis everyone's discussing is important, but don't forget about inflation protection. Those annual COLA adjustments are applied to your base benefit amount, so starting with a higher base at FRA means larger dollar increases over time. With current inflation concerns, that's not trivial. Sounds like you're leaning toward the right decision with waiting until FRA. The peace of mind from that higher guaranteed income stream is worth a lot when you're living off investments.

As someone who recently went through this exact process, I wanted to add my experience to help clarify the confusion in this thread. I started my SS benefits in March 2024 while working part-time at a tax preparation service with the same seasonal pattern you're describing. The key insight from my SSA visit was that they have two different classifications: "grace year retirement" (where monthly limits apply) versus "continuous part-time employment" (where only annual limits apply). Since you're working consistently throughout the year with seasonal variations, you should qualify for the annual test. However, given all the conflicting experiences shared here, I'd strongly recommend visiting your local SSA office in person before February. Bring a detailed month-by-month earnings projection and emphasize that this is continuous seasonal employment, not sporadic work. Having them properly code your situation as "continuous part-time employment with seasonal variation" in their system will prevent the issues others have faced. One additional tip specific to family businesses: make sure all your employment documentation is properly formalized (contracts, payroll records, etc.) since SSA may scrutinize family employment arrangements more closely. Better to have everything documented upfront than deal with questions later. You should be fine working those busy tax season hours as long as your annual total stays under $23,400 and SSA has the right classification in your file!

As a newcomer to this community, I've been following this entire discussion with great interest since I'm facing a nearly identical situation - planning to start SS benefits next year while continuing part-time work with seasonal income fluctuations. What's really struck me is how much clarity has emerged from everyone sharing their real-world experiences. The distinction between "grace year retirement" (monthly limits) and "continuous part-time employment" (annual limits only) that Elijah explained seems to be the crucial factor that determines how SSA handles your case. The consensus from successful cases appears to be: 1) Visit your local SSA office in person rather than relying on phone calls, 2) Bring detailed month-by-month earnings projections, 3) Emphasize the predictable, continuous nature of seasonal work, and 4) Get the proper classification documented in your file upfront. For Yara specifically, given that you're working at your daughter's accounting firm during tax season, this clearly fits the "continuous seasonal employment" pattern rather than sporadic retirement work. The visual calendar idea and employment documentation suggestions from others seem particularly relevant for your situation. Thanks to everyone who shared both their successes and challenges - this kind of community knowledge-sharing is invaluable when official guidance can be so confusing!

As someone who just went through this exact decision at 63, I can share what I learned from my research and conversations with SSA representatives. The key insight is that Social Security benefits are calculated on your highest 35 years of earnings, so your part-time work at $32k will likely not replace any of your higher-earning years from 2010-2015 when you made $78k. However, the real opportunity is in timing when you file for benefits. Each year you delay past your Full Retirement Age (which is probably 66 or 66+2 months for you), your monthly benefit increases by 8% permanently until age 70. That's a guaranteed return you can't beat anywhere else! I'd strongly recommend creating a my Social Security account at ssa.gov to see your actual benefit estimates at different filing ages - it really puts the numbers in perspective. The part-time work might give you some extra income and keep you active, but the big financial win comes from delaying when you start collecting benefits, not from the earnings themselves.

I'm 61 and have been researching this exact scenario for when I hit 63 next year! From everything I've read and the experiences shared here, it really seems like the consensus is that delaying when you file for Social Security benefits is way more impactful than whether you're working part-time or full-time. That 8% guaranteed annual increase everyone keeps mentioning sounds incredible - I had no idea that was even a thing until I started looking into this seriously. One question I have for those who've gone through this: how do you handle the income gap if you're not working full-time but also not claiming Social Security yet? I'm trying to figure out if I need to build up more savings to bridge that period or if part-time income plus some retirement account withdrawals would be enough. The healthcare insurance piece that someone mentioned is also a big concern for me. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences - this thread has been more helpful than hours of reading government websites!

I'm new to this community and just wanted to add my voice to thank everyone for this incredibly detailed and helpful thread! I'm dealing with the exact same representative payee email conflict issue for my disabled brother, and I've been going in circles with SSA for weeks. What strikes me most is how this community has provided clearer, more actionable solutions than hours of phone calls with SSA customer service. The specific terminology like "account separation due to representative payee email conflict" and asking for "Tier 2 technical specialists" are game-changers that I never would have known to use. I'm particularly encouraged by Miranda's recent success story - knowing that someone just resolved this last week using the exact steps outlined here gives me the confidence to try this approach myself. For other newcomers who might be reading this, I think the key insight is that this isn't actually an unsolvable problem - it's just a matter of reaching the right department within SSA and using the language they understand internally. The regular customer service reps clearly aren't equipped to handle these technical account issues, but the specialized technical support team has the tools to fix it. I'm planning to call tomorrow using the Claimyr service to get through quickly, then ask for technical support and use the specific phrase about account separation. I'll make sure to have all my documentation ready as suggested and document everything for future reference. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - this community knowledge is invaluable!

I'm new to this community and incredibly grateful to have found this thread! I'm dealing with the exact same representative payee email conflict - I'm my elderly father's rep payee and haven't been able to access my own SSA account for over a year now. Reading through everyone's experiences has been so reassuring. I was starting to think I was the only one facing this issue, and the regular SSA reps kept telling me my only option was to create a new email address. Like the original poster, I'm not tech-savvy and really don't want to manage multiple email accounts. The specific solutions shared here are exactly what I needed. I'm especially encouraged by Miranda's recent success story - knowing someone resolved this just last week using the "account separation due to representative payee email conflict" phrase gives me hope. I'm planning to try the Claimyr service to reach technical support quickly, then use that exact terminology. For other newcomers who might be reading this, what strikes me most is how this community provided clearer guidance in one thread than months of calling SSA directly. The key seems to be reaching the right department and using the language they understand internally. I'll definitely report back on my results to help other community members. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their solutions and experiences - this is exactly the kind of support that makes navigating these complex government systems possible!

I've been living in the UK for 15 years and will be hitting FRA in a couple of years, so this thread has been incredibly valuable! One thing I wanted to add that I learned from a US tax advisor - make sure you understand how your Australian superannuation will interact with both US and Australian tax systems when you start drawing from it. Since Australia treats super withdrawals as tax-free after age 60, but the US may tax them as regular income, you could end up with some complex tax planning situations. The timing of when you start your super versus when you start Social Security could impact your overall tax burden in both countries. Also, has anyone dealt with the situation where SSA asks for an "Earnings Record" from the Australian Taxation Office? I've heard they sometimes request this to verify foreign earnings for WEP calculations, but I'm not sure how cooperative the ATO is with these requests. The Medicare discussion has been really helpful too - I was leaning toward enrolling just to be "safe" but after reading everyone's experiences, it seems like declining Part B while overseas is the smarter financial move.

I've been following this thread closely as I'm in a very similar situation - US citizen living in Sydney for 30+ years and turning 67 next year. The level of detail and real-world experience shared here is incredibly valuable! One aspect I haven't seen mentioned yet is the importance of keeping your SSA records updated with your current foreign address. I learned this the hard way when a friend had her payments suspended because SSA couldn't reach her after she moved apartments in Brisbane and forgot to update her address with them. Also, for those worried about the application complexity - I just completed my application last month and the online process was surprisingly straightforward. The SSA-21 supplement form auto-populates most fields based on your main application, so it's not as daunting as it initially appears. Regarding the WEP discussion - there's actually a WEP calculator on the SSA website that can give you a rough estimate of how much your benefit might be reduced. It requires some digging into your old US earnings records, but it's helpful for planning purposes. Has anyone had experience with SSA requesting additional documentation after the initial application? I'm wondering if being overseas for 30+ years might trigger additional verification requirements.