One other thing to check - if you recently became entitled to benefits on someone else's record (like spousal or survivor benefits) or if someone became entitled on your record, you might be hitting the family maximum benefit (FMB). When multiple people receive benefits on one earner's record, there's a cap on the total amount payable to the family, which could reduce individual benefit amounts. This is less common than the Medicare/tax withholding explanations, but worth mentioning.

For future reference, here's what I learned from my experience: The SSA and Medicare systems don't communicate well. Your COLA letter comes from SSA showing your gross benefit increase. Your Medicare Premium letter comes separately showing what you'll pay for Part B and any IRMAA surcharges. Then if you have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, those premiums may be deducted directly from your Social Security. Add in possible tax withholding, and you need to do the math yourself to figure out your actual deposit amount. The online MySocialSecurity account usually doesn't update with the new detailed breakdown until mid to late January.

After seeing people mentioning the difficulty getting through on the SSA phone lines, I wanted to share what worked for me. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) when I had a similar situation with an unexpected deposit. They got me through to a real SSA agent in about 10 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. Their video demo (https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU) shows exactly how it works. Definitely worth it for peace of mind about mysterious money appearing in your account!

whatever u do MAKE SURE u document everything. get names of who u talk to, confirmation #s, & take notes during the call. my mom got a payment, spent it, then 8 months later they said it was a mistake & wanted it back!

I feel like this is becoming more common with all the experienced SSA staff retiring. My neighbor worked there for 30+ years and said they're losing institutional knowledge faster than they can train new people. When I had issues getting through on the phone to verify some benefit calculation questions, I used claimyr.com to connect with an agent (worked great, and I didn't have to wait on hold forever). The first agent gave me one answer, so I called back later using the service again and got a completely different answer from another agent. The third agent finally had the correct information that matched what the SSA website said. If I hadn't been persistent, I would have made decisions based on incorrect information.

sometimes i wonder if its on purpose tbh. my uncle was told he wasnt eligible for retirement benefits because he didnt have enough credits. turns out they were only looking at his us work record and completely ignored the fact that wed moved from canada and there's a totalization agreement. he was eligible after all but missed out on almost a year of payments because of bad info.

EVERYONE HERE IS MISSING THE CRITICAL POINT!!! If your husband paid into Ohio STRS or PERS instead of Social Security during those years, then there IS a potential impact! The GPO (Government Pension Offset) can reduce spousal or survivor Social Security benefits if you get a government pension!! I lost 2/3 of my expected Social Security widow's benefit because of this HORRIBLE rule! The SSA doesn't volunteer this information!

Thank you everyone for the incredibly helpful responses! I feel much better knowing that my husband's pension won't affect my Social Security benefits. I'm definitely going to look into creating that my Social Security account to see the exact numbers for claiming at different ages. After reading all your advice, I'm now thinking I should consider waiting until my full retirement age of 66+10 months instead of claiming at 65. The 10% difference in benefits could be significant over time. I appreciate all the personal experiences shared too - it's reassuring to hear from others in similar situations who are receiving both pension and Social Security without reductions.

How will you know for SURE what onset date they used? My husband's award letter didn't specifically say his onset date and we had to call 100 times to figure it out. Make sure you look at that letter carefully when you get it because changing the onset date later is a NIGHTMARE if they get it wrong!!!

Has anyone else noticed their monthly payment amount is WAY LESS than expected??? My friend with lung cancer got approved last year and was shocked when he only got about $1900/month even though he made good money before getting sick. I heard SSDI has some weird maximum cap on benefits no matter how much you paid into the system!!!

sounds like ur worried mostly about ur sons expenses? u might want to also think about setting up a special needs trust for him. doesnt help now but for future planning its important. thats what my sister did for my nephew

One other aspect to consider regarding your son's situation: If he qualifies for DAC benefits on your record, he would also become eligible for Medicare after receiving SSDI for 24 months, regardless of his age. This could significantly help with his medical expenses. Also, while your ex-spouse likely won't receive benefits due to GPO, it's still worth having him check with SSA directly about his specific situation. The calculations can be complex, especially with the interplay between CSRS, divorced spouse benefits, and how GPO is precisely applied. Occasionally, if someone has some quarters of Social Security coverage (even if less than 40), the calculation might result in a small benefit remaining after GPO.

Just to add something important: If you're concerned about maximizing survivor benefits but also need income soon, another strategy could be for you to file for reduced benefits now, but have your wife wait until her FRA to claim survivor benefits if you pass away. That way you get some income now, and she doesn't face the early claiming reduction on her survivor benefit. But if your primary concern is protecting her income after you're gone, and you can afford to wait, delaying your claim until at least your FRA would typically provide her with the highest survivor benefit.

my uncle is dealing with this now... his wife died at 64 after taking ss at 62 and he's getting way less than he thought he would. make sure u really understand this stuff before deciding!!

Make sure you understand that the $22,320 limit in 2025 is the ANNUAL limit!!! I messed up because I thought it was monthly and ended up having to pay back a bunch of money! So frustrating!!!!

just fyi when you say youll get $1900 remember that medicare part b will come out of that so youll actually get less in your bank account

does anyone know if the kids benefits count towards EIC calculations on taxes? i just started getting benefits for my daughter off my ex's record, and im worried it will mess up my tax refund next year. also do i have to report the kids benefits on my taxes or do they?

One more tip from my experience - make sure all your children are properly coded in the SSA system! When my youngest grandchild turned 16, her benefits suddenly stopped. After MANY phone calls, I discovered the SSA had incorrectly coded her as a student who would age out at 16 instead of 18. It took nearly 3 months to fix and get her backpay. After each child's benefits are established, request a Benefits Verification Letter for each of them to confirm their benefit type is correctly listed as "Child's Insurance Benefits" with the correct termination age.

my neighbor got survivor benefits last year and they sent her to some doctor for an evaluation bcuz of the rep payee thing. she had to prove she could manage money. shes like 75 tho so different from u

I think those letters go out automatically sometimes!! My sister got one when she turned 65 and she just ignored it and her benefits started normal. But maybe thats not the same thing?? Good luck!