I'm in a very similar situation - turning 63 next year and living in Costa Rica. After reading all these experiences, I'm definitely leaning toward flying back to file in person. The thing that really stands out to me is how many people mention that SSA reps in the US caught errors or complications that could have cost thousands over time. Since we're talking about benefits that will hopefully last 20+ years, even a small mistake in the calculation can add up to huge money. Plus, with the WEP calculations and international agreements, it seems like the FBU staff's expertise varies wildly between locations. At least in a US office, you know they have access to all the systems and can pull up everything immediately. The travel cost is a one-time expense, but benefit errors last forever. Has anyone had experience with the SSA office in Miami? I'm thinking that might be my best bet given the high number of international cases they probably handle.

Reading through all these experiences really reinforces how much the decision depends on your individual situation. For anyone else following this thread who might be on the fence, here's what seems to be the key factors: 1) If you have a straightforward work history with only US earnings, FBU can work fine (though timelines vary widely), 2) If you have foreign earnings, multiple countries involved, or potential WEP calculations, the US route seems overwhelmingly better, and 3) The peace of mind factor is huge - knowing you can get everything resolved in one sitting vs. potentially months of back-and-forth. One additional consideration I haven't seen mentioned much is that if you're planning to travel back to the US anyway for other reasons (family visits, medical appointments, etc.), the timing could work out perfectly. Also worth noting that some of the newer SSA offices have really streamlined their processes - it's not the same bureaucratic nightmare it used to be if you come prepared with all your documents. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences!

I'm so sorry for your loss, and I want to commend you for being proactive about securing these benefits for your mother's estate. Based on everything shared here, it sounds like you have a solid plan forming. Just wanted to add one more practical tip that helped me when I dealt with a similar situation with my father's VA benefits - consider making copies of EVERYTHING before you submit it to SSA. Keep the originals for your records and only give them copies, even if they ask for originals. Government agencies sometimes misplace documents, and you don't want to be scrambling to get new certified copies of death certificates or other important papers. Also, when you do get the SSA-1724 filed and receive a case number, consider setting a calendar reminder to follow up every 3-4 weeks if you haven't heard anything. Squeaky wheel gets the grease, especially with something this complex involving new legislation. Your mother was lucky to have someone like you looking out for her interests even after she's gone. These WEP/GPO affected families deserve every penny they're owed, and I hope SSA processes your claim quickly and without hassle. Best of luck with everything!

I'm sorry for your loss and can relate to your situation. My stepfather passed in January 2024 and had been receiving reduced benefits due to WEP for over a decade. We just received his retroactive payment check last week after filing in December - it took about 7 weeks total once we got all the paperwork submitted correctly. A few things that helped us get through the process faster: 1. We called ahead and scheduled an appointment at our local SSA office rather than just walking in. The scheduled appointments get you someone who has more time to work through complex cases. 2. Bring a simple one-page summary showing the math - what he received monthly vs what he should have received without WEP/GPO for each month from Dec 2023 forward. Having this ready saved a lot of time during the appointment. 3. We also brought his government pension award letter and his most recent SSA benefit statement to help them verify the reduction amounts. The final payment was almost exactly what we calculated it should be, so the math worked out correctly. Don't get discouraged if it takes longer than expected - there's definitely a backlog, but they are processing these claims. The key is just getting everything filed properly with all the right documentation. You're doing the right thing by pursuing this for her estate.

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! Submitted my IRMAA appeal (SSA-44) on January 20th after a one-time 401k withdrawal for a home repair emergency caused my Medicare premium to jump $203. Like absolutely everyone else here, there's zero visibility in my MySocialSecurity account - it's like the form disappeared into a government black hole. This thread has been incredibly valuable for understanding what we're all dealing with. The fact that so many people are experiencing identical issues with legitimate one-time income spikes (inheritances, home sales, retirement distributions, emergency withdrawals) just highlights how broken this system really is. We shouldn't need to become investigative reporters just to confirm our own government received our paperwork! I'm definitely trying the 7 AM calling strategy tomorrow morning - seems like that's the only reliable "hack" for actually reaching a human being. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to crowdsource these workarounds in 2025, but based on everyone's success stories, it appears to be the only way. Thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines and experiences. Knowing that 6-8+ weeks is unfortunately the new normal (even though it's completely unacceptable) at least helps set realistic expectations while we wait in this information void. The whole IRMAA system desperately needs to be dragged into the 21st century!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation and it's incredibly frustrating! I submitted my IRMAA appeal (SSA-44) about 2 weeks ago after selling some mutual funds to cover unexpected medical expenses, which triggered a $185 premium increase. Like everyone else here, absolutely nothing shows up in my MySocialSecurity account. Reading through all these experiences has been both helpful and maddening - it's clear this is a widespread systemic problem with how SSA handles IRMAA appeals. The fact that we all have legitimate one-time income events but are left completely in the dark about our appeal status is unacceptable in 2025. I'm definitely going to try the 7 AM calling strategy that everyone recommends. It's ridiculous that we need to crowdsource these "hacks" just to confirm basic receipt of our paperwork, but it seems like that's the only reliable way to actually reach someone. Thanks to everyone for sharing your timelines and experiences - knowing that 6-8+ weeks is unfortunately normal helps set expectations, even though the whole system desperately needs modernization. This community support has been more helpful than anything SSA provides directly!

Thank you all for the helpful explanations! This makes so much more sense now. It's amazing that married couples can really maximize their benefits this way. My husband and I are both approaching retirement age and I worked part-time for many years, so I'll definitely be looking into whether the spousal benefit might be better for me. Feeling much more confident about our retirement planning now!

I'm glad this thread helped clear things up! Just wanted to add one more consideration for anyone planning their retirement strategy - timing matters a lot with spousal benefits. If you're the higher-earning spouse, delaying your own Social Security past full retirement age (up to age 70) will increase your benefit by about 8% per year, which also increases the potential spousal benefit for your partner. However, the spouse claiming spousal benefits doesn't get delayed retirement credits - their maximum is still 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount at full retirement age. So it's worth running the numbers to see if it makes sense for the higher earner to delay while the spouse starts collecting spousal benefits earlier. Everyone's situation is different!

Thank you everyone for all the helpful responses! I understand now that my husband had it completely backwards. He cannot claim on my record, especially since my benefit would be lower than his. I'm the one who could potentially receive spousal benefits. I think I'll wait until I'm closer to my full retirement age before filing since I'm still working part-time anyway. That way I can avoid both the early filing reduction and the earnings limit penalty. I appreciate all the clear explanations!

You're making a smart decision waiting until closer to your FRA! Just one additional thing to consider - since you're still working part-time, make sure to factor in the earnings test if you do decide to file before your full retirement age. In 2024, if you're under FRA, Social Security reduces your benefits by $1 for every $2 you earn above $22,320 annually. However, those "lost" benefits aren't truly lost - they get added back to your monthly benefit amount once you reach FRA through a recalculation. Also, don't forget that continuing to work might actually increase your future Social Security benefit if your current earnings are higher than some of your earlier years, since SSA uses your highest 35 years of earnings to calculate your benefit. Good luck with your planning!