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WAIT! I just realized something important... if your husband is just now 70, has he already filed for his benefits? Because you can't get a spousal benefit until he files for his retirement benefit! Even if you're at your FRA, if he hasn't filed yet, you can't get anything based on his record.
Yes, he just filed and started receiving his benefits last month. Sorry if that wasn't clear in my original post! So I should be eligible for the spousal benefit when I turn 67 next month.
One suggestion I want to make: request an appointment with a Claims Specialist at your local office rather than trying to resolve this by phone. Bring your husband with you if possible, as they may need information from both records. In-person appointments often result in more thorough explanations and accurate calculations since they can show you the numbers directly on their system. And make sure to ask them to provide you with a breakdown of the calculation in writing. This will be valuable for your records and for verifying that everything was done correctly.
That's an excellent suggestion. I'll try to schedule an in-person appointment. Having the calculation in writing would give me so much peace of mind. Thank you!
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just wondering but does anyone know if the OP can withdraw her application and refile now at 69? would that help at all?
Unfortunately, no. You can only withdraw your Social Security application within 12 months of first receiving benefits. After that, the decision is permanent. At 69, the OP is well beyond that window. The only option now would be to suspend benefits until age 70 to earn delayed retirement credits on her own benefit, but that typically doesn't make sense if she's expecting a spousal benefit increase when her husband files.
Thank you all for your helpful responses! I'm getting a much clearer picture now. It sounds like I will likely get a small increase when my husband files, but not as much as I might have hoped due to my early claiming. I'm going to try using Claimyr to get through to SSA for a precise calculation based on our actual records. I wish I had understood all this before claiming at 62, but honestly, I didn't have much choice at the time due to my job situation. Live and learn, I guess!
That's a great approach! Having SSA do the exact calculation based on both your earnings records will give you the most accurate picture. And please don't be too hard on yourself about claiming at 62 - many people need to claim early for very valid financial reasons. Financial planning websites often make it sound like everyone should wait until 70, but that advice ignores real-world circumstances that many people face.
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whats FRA mean? my cousins on disabilty too
FRA stands for Full Retirement Age. It's when you qualify for 100% of your Social Security retirement benefit. For people born 1943-1954, FRA is 66. For those born 1955-1959, it gradually increases to 67. For anyone born 1960 or later, FRA is 67. When someone on SSDI reaches their FRA, their disability benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits.
Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I feel much better knowing this transition should be smooth. I'm going to try reaching SSA again to confirm everything, and I might try that Claimyr service if I keep having trouble getting through. I'll also double-check my direct deposit information to make sure it's current. I appreciate all your help!
let us know how it goes! my aunt is going thru this transition next year
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My cousin retired as a teacher last year and they told her something about a 5-year lookback period for the GPO? Does anyone know what that means with the new law?
The 5-year lookback likely refers to the old provision where if you paid into Social Security for your last 5 years of government employment, you might be exempt from GPO. This is different from the new phased relief. These rules are complex and often misunderstood even by some SSA employees, which is why getting personalized advice is crucial.
just remembered somethin else! the person we talked to said if ur wife takes her teacher pension early it might actually help with the GPO calculation bcuz the penalty is based on the pension amount! not sure if thats good advice but thats what they told us
While technically true that a lower pension amount would result in a smaller GPO reduction, taking a reduced pension is rarely financially advantageous overall. The permanent reduction to her primary income source (pension) would likely far outweigh any additional Social Security spousal benefits gained. Each dollar of pension reduction might only increase Social Security by 33-40 cents under GPO rules, resulting in a net loss of income over time.
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UPDATE: I just checked with a colleague who specializes in survivor benefits, and according to the most recent processing guidelines, backpay for survivor benefits issued after February 1, 2025, may take up to 10 business days to process due to some system updates they're implementing. This is temporary but might explain your delay. Just wanted to share this additional information that might be relevant to your situation.
Thank you for checking on this! That timeline would put the deposit around February 26th, which helps me know when to really start following up. I really appreciate you taking the time to get this specific information.
My aunt just went through this exact situation last month - backpay was approved and took nearly two weeks to show up, even though her regular monthly payment came right on schedule. SSA and Treasury department operate on different systems. The backpay will come! Just might take a bit longer than the rep suggested.
It's reassuring to hear so many similar experiences. Makes me feel less like something's wrong with my specific case and more like this is just how the system works. Thanks for sharing your aunt's experience!
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my aunt got a special thing called medicare savings program that pays her medicare premium, maybe look into that??
Just to summarize what you've learned: 1. At 66, you're already at Full Retirement Age, so SSDI isn't applicable (it automatically converts to retirement at FRA) 2. Your options are either survivor benefits OR your own retirement benefits (whichever is higher) 3. Medicare is what you have at 66, not Medicaid 4. Look into Extra Help program for prescription drug costs 5. Consider contacting your Area Agency on Aging for arthritis support services It sounds like staying on survivor benefits is likely your best option financially, but it's worth having SSA do a calculation to confirm this. The resources others have suggested for managing your arthritis costs are excellent next steps.
Thank you so much for this clear summary! I feel much less confused now. I'll definitely have SSA compare the benefit amounts, look into the Extra Help program, and contact the Area Agency on Aging. Everyone here has been so helpful - I wish the official information was this clear!
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I think we're overcomplicating this. OP, just go to the SSA website and start an application. You don't have to complete it all at once - you can save it and come back. This will let you see the actual screen where you select your benefit start date, which might make things clearer. Remember that you can apply up to 4 months before your desired start month, so there's no rush either way. The most important thing is that YOU select the correct start month during the application.
This is good advice. The online application does walk you through the process pretty clearly, including showing you which months you can select for your benefit start date. Since you'd be applying well before your FRA, the system would show January 2026 as the earliest month you could receive your full benefit.
wait im still confused about one thing - does the OP actually turn 66 and 10 months on jan 31 2026? or is that when they turn 67? if ur birthday is march 31 and u turn 66 in 2025, then ur FRA would be january 2026... so yeah i think ur right that benefits could start jan 2026
You're correct. If OP turns 66 on March 31, 2025, then they would reach 66 years and 10 months on January 31, 2026. That means January 2026 is their FRA month, and they can receive full benefits starting with that month (paid in February).
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To answer your follow-up question: The optimal strategy depends on your specific situation, but here are some general guidelines: 1. If your wife's benefit is significantly higher than yours would be, it might make sense for her to file at her FRA, then you could file for spousal benefits when you reach your FRA. 2. If your own benefit might be higher than the spousal benefit, you might want to delay filing for your own benefits until age 70 to maximize them (they grow by 8% per year beyond FRA until age 70). 3. Before 2016, there was a strategy called "file and suspend" that allowed more flexibility, but that's no longer available. 4. Remember: taking spousal benefits early (before your FRA) permanently reduces the amount. The Social Security timing decision is extremely specific to your individual earnings records, ages, health status, and financial needs. I recommend consulting with a financial advisor who specializes in Social Security strategies before making your final decision.
Thank you so much for this detailed explanation. I think we'll need to get professional advice as you suggested, and I'll definitely make sure to specifically ask about spousal benefits when I talk to SSA. It sounds like the decision is more complicated than I initially thought.
my cousin works for ssa and told me they NEVER automatically give you spousal benefits you have to ask for them specifically!!!! the computer doesn't just figure it out. when i applied i told them i wanted to compare my benefit to my husbands spousal amount and the difference was only $31 more for spousal but still that adds up over time!!!
This is exactly right! I've heard of so many people who didn't know to ask about spousal benefits and just assumed SSA would tell them the best option. Always specifically request they calculate both scenarios when you apply. Even small differences add up to thousands over your retirement lifetime.
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Thank you everyone for your helpful responses! I've gathered all my documents - found the marriage certificate and death certificate after digging through some old files. I'm going to try calling SSA tomorrow morning, and if I can't get through, I'll look into that Claimyr service someone mentioned. I've calculated the exact marriage duration and it was 9 months and 2 days, so it sounds like I should qualify. I'll update once I get some answers from SSA. Fingers crossed!
One important thing to consider - you mentioned you're 66 now. Depending on your exact birth year, your Full Retirement Age might be 66 plus a few months. If you're not quite at your FRA yet, you might want to wait until then to apply for the survivor benefit to get the full 100%. Or if your own retirement benefit is significantly lower, you could apply for your own reduced retirement benefit now and then switch to the survivor benefit at your FRA. The SSA can calculate which strategy would give you the highest lifetime benefits.
That's a good point - I was born in 1956, so my FRA is 66 and 4 months, which is still a few months away. I'll ask about these options when I speak with them. Thank you!
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Dylan Mitchell
Did anyone else notice how they keep raising this earnings limit every year but our actual benefits barely go up? COLA is a joke compared to real inflation.
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Dmitry Petrov
•EXACTLY!!! my rent went up $200 this year and my SS only went up $58!!! how does that math work???
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Fatima Al-Maktoum
just be careful about reporting. my cousin didn't report his work and SSA found out from his taxes and made him pay back like $8000 in benefits. they add penalties too
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CosmicCaptain
•I definitely plan to report everything properly. I'm just trying to understand the rules ahead of time so I can plan my work schedule accordingly. Thanks for the warning though - I definitely don't want to end up with an overpayment situation!
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