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my brother had his identity stolen from ss papers and it was a HUGE mess!!! u should put a credit freeze on for both u and ur daughter just to be safe... its free and u can still apply for credit but nobody else can open accounts in ur name
THIS!! 100% agree. Credit freezes saved me after my SSA docs were stolen. Call all three bureaus and also put a fraud alert. Takes some time but worth it.
Just to follow up on my earlier comment - one other option if you continue having trouble with online access is to use Informed Delivery from USPS. It's a free service that emails you pictures of mail that's about to be delivered to your address. At least that way you'll know exactly when your 1099s are coming and can grab them quickly before they sit in your mailbox. But the online my Social Security account is definitely the better solution. The SSA has been pushing paperless options for several years now specifically because of identity theft concerns with documents that contain full SSNs.
That's a great backup plan, thank you! I do have Informed Delivery but sometimes there's still a gap between when mail is supposed to arrive and when it actually does. I'll definitely try the online method first.
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Something else to know: Your son's DAC benefit will be 50% of your full retirement benefit while you're alive. If you're taking retirement early at 64, your own benefit is reduced, but his DAC benefit is still based on your FULL retirement age amount, not your reduced amount. After your passing (hopefully many years from now), his benefit would increase to 75% of your full benefit amount as a survivor benefit.
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my sister works at a nursing home and says they deal with this all the time! they can actually help with the paperwork when someone goes on medicaid. they have social workers who know all the forms and stuff.
That's good to know! I'll definitely ask about that if/when we need to make that transition. Having someone experienced guide us through the process would be helpful.
One additional consideration - timing matters with Medicaid planning. When your mother transitions to nursing home care and applies for Medicaid, there's typically a 5-year lookback period for asset transfers. This means if you're managing her finances with the POA, be very careful about any gifts or transfers from her accounts, as these could delay Medicaid eligibility. Many families consult with an elder law attorney who specializes in Medicaid planning to navigate this complex process.
We've actually already consulted with an elder law attorney about the Medicaid issues. Her assets are minimal now, mostly just her monthly income going toward the assisted living. The attorney helped us with the POA but didn't mention these specific SSA forms, which is why I was confused about how to handle that aspect. Thanks for the reminder about the lookback period though - definitely important!
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my moms on survivors benefits and she said if u make too much in even ONE month they can take away benefits for that month!! its super confusing and the SS people never explain it right
I remember when I applied for benefits last year the SSA person told me something about a "special rule" for the first year you get benefits where they look at your monthly earnings instead of yearly. Maybe ask about that specifically when you talk to them?
Yes, that's exactly right! It's called the "first year rule" or "monthly earnings test" for the first calendar year of benefits. During this period, you receive your full benefit for any month you earn below the monthly limit ($1,860 in 2025) and don't perform substantial services in self-employment, regardless of your total earnings for the year. This is especially helpful for people who have already earned above the annual limit before they started claiming benefits, or who have irregular income throughout the year. But as mentioned earlier, you need to specifically request this calculation.
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So basically her benefits stay the same, 50% of his, as long as they were married for 10+ years. Isn't it kinda strange that you get the same whether you're married or divorced? I wonder why they do it that way?
The reason is to provide financial protection for people (historically often women) who may have limited their own career opportunities to support a spouse or raise children. The 10-year marriage duration requirement ensures there was a significant period of economic partnership. Congress established these rules to prevent older Americans who sacrificed career advancement from facing poverty in old age due to divorce.
Thank you all so much for the helpful information! I've taken notes on everything to share with my sister. She'll be relieved to know her benefits will remain at 50% even after divorce, and it's interesting to learn about the survivor benefits possibility in the future. I'll definitely warn her about keeping documentation and the potential challenges dealing with SSA during the transition. This community has been incredibly helpful!
You're welcome! One final tip: when she does notify SSA of the divorce, she should try to do it both by phone and in writing. That creates a paper trail and helps prevent delays in processing. Best of luck to your sister!
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another thing to think about - if you switch to survivor benefits at 62 instead of waiting till your full retirement age (probably 67ish for you), you'll get a reduced amount forever. might be better to stay on the child-in-care benefits until you reach full retirement age if that's possible.
That's an excellent point I hadn't considered. I definitely need to find out if staying on child-in-care benefits until full retirement age is an option. Thank you!
After reading all the responses, I want to clarify one more important thing: Your daughter's benefits as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC) on your husband's record won't be affected by your work activity or earnings. Her benefits are completely separate from yours. The only thing that would affect her benefits would be if she worked and earned over the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) amount, which is $1,550/month for 2025 for non-blind disabled individuals.
Thank you for confirming that! Her benefits are my primary concern. She's completely unable to work, so there's no risk of her exceeding the SGA amount. I just want to make sure my decisions don't negatively impact her in any way.
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i had same problem trying to find old COLA notices. i just called and asked them to resend. took 5 tries to get thru but once i did the person was nice and resent everything i needed. but ya its crazy we cant search or message them directly!!
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did anyone say you should check if ur eligible for SSI too?? if ur survivor benefits are really low you might get a little extra from SSI every month
Good point, but with survivor benefits of $1,750/month as the original poster mentioned, they would exceed the SSI income limit (which is $943/month for an individual in 2025). SSI is generally only available when all other benefits and income sources are below the Federal Benefit Rate. However, checking eligibility for other assistance programs is always a good idea - SNAP benefits (food stamps), energy assistance (LIHEAP), and state-specific senior assistance programs often have higher income limits than SSI.
I want to thank everyone for all this helpful information! I've learned so much and feel much better prepared for my appointment with SSA next month. I'm going to: 1. Double-check my application carefully before submitting 2. Request a benefit verification letter once approved 3. Look into Medicaid until I'm eligible for Medicare 4. Keep excellent records of all communications with SSA 5. Research my state's assistance programs It's such a relief knowing what to expect with taxes and potential deductions. I'm still nervous about making ends meet on the reduced benefit amount, but at least now I understand what I'll actually receive and can budget accordingly.
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not to make things more confusing but remember the earnings limit if ur still working!! if ur under FRA and make more than $22,500 (for 2025) they take back $1 for every $2 u earn above that. so maybe u want to time ur benefit start date for when u actually stop working or reduce hours??
That's a really good point! I am planning to work part-time next year, probably earning around $30,000. So maybe I should delay my start date because of that? I hadn't factored the earnings limit into my planning.
With those earnings, you'd be about $7,500 over the limit, meaning approximately $3,750 would be withheld from your annual benefits. Depending on your expected monthly benefit amount, this could mean several months with reduced or zero payments. This is definitely something to consider in your timing decision!
One thing I didn't see mentioned - if you're married, coordinating the timing of your benefit application with your spouse's can make a HUGE difference in lifetime benefits. My husband and I carefully planned who would claim when, and it will likely result in over $40,000 more in lifetime benefits compared to if we had both just claimed at 62.
That's a great point. My spouse is 3 years younger than me, so we'll definitely need to coordinate. Did you use any specific calculators or tools to figure out the best strategy?
We used the calculator on maximizemysocialsecurity.com - it cost about $40 but was worth it to see all the different scenarios. Also had a free consultation with a financial advisor who specializes in retirement planning. The general strategy that worked for us was having the lower earner claim earlier and the higher earner delay as long as possible.
Esmeralda Gómez
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
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Yuki Tanaka
•That's concerning. I hope they don't make me go through all that. I've managed our household finances for 40 years! This whole thing is so stressful.
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Gabrielle Dubois
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!
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LilMama23
•This is actually dangerous advice. Never ignore official correspondence from SSA, especially something as significant as a representative payee determination. Ignoring it could result in severely delayed benefits or even a suspension of benefits until the issue is resolved. Always contact SSA directly about any notices you receive.
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