Great discussion here! As someone who works in benefits counseling, I wanted to add that the $500 overage really isn't something to lose sleep over. What many people don't realize is that SSA's automatic recalculation process is actually quite robust - they'll review your earnings record every year and make adjustments if your recent work improves your benefit calculation. One practical tip: if you're continuing to work while receiving benefits, consider requesting an annual Social Security Statement online at ssa.gov/myaccount. This will show your updated earnings record and can help you track whether your recent work years are replacing lower-earning years in your top 35. It's also a good way to verify that SSA has correctly recorded your earnings. The fact that you're being more careful about staying under the limit this year shows you've learned from the experience - that's really all you can do. And who knows, that extra $500 in earnings might end up being the difference between replacing a zero-earning year or a very low-earning year in your calculation, which could mean a nice bump in your monthly benefit down the road!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm 63 and in almost the exact same situation - went over the 2024 limit by about $800 doing some seasonal tax prep work. I've been worried sick about it, but reading everyone's experiences here makes me feel so much better. It sounds like the consensus is that while there's a short-term penalty (the benefit withholding), there could actually be a long-term benefit if those earnings help my overall calculation. I especially appreciate the tip about the 2025 earnings limit being higher at $22,320. I was still planning around the old number! And the advice about checking my Social Security Statement online is gold - I had no idea I could track my earnings record that way. One follow-up question: has anyone here actually calculated whether their part-time earnings while collecting early benefits were worth it in the end? I'm trying to decide whether to keep doing seasonal work or just focus on staying well under the earnings limit to avoid the hassle.

I want to thank everyone who replied! This has been incredibly helpful. I think I understand now that: 1. SSA will use my highest 35 years regardless of when I earned them 2. My current higher earnings will replace those low early years 3. Earnings after 60 aren't indexed but are still counted at face value I'm going to create my SSA account and look at my earnings history to get a better idea of what my benefit might be. This has cleared up a huge source of confusion for me!

This thread has been so educational! I'm in a somewhat similar boat - had years of part-time work in my early career while raising kids, then returned to full-time work in my 40s. I was worried those low-earning years would drag down my benefit forever. One thing I learned from my financial advisor that might help others: if you're still working and haven't filed for benefits yet, every additional year of higher earnings can potentially boost your benefit. So even if you're past your FRA, there can still be value in continuing to work if you enjoy it and the pay is good. The SSA website also has a neat feature where you can model different retirement scenarios - like what happens if you retire at 62 vs 67 vs 70. Really helpful for planning!

One more important thing! The reverse mortgage company will require you to stay current on property taxes, homeowners insurance, and home maintenance. If you don't, they can foreclose. Make sure you budget for these ongoing expenses with your SS benefits. That's where some seniors get into trouble with reverse mortgages.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who went through this same decision process two years ago. I was 69 and in a very similar financial situation - living on Social Security and a small pension, needed about $40k for home repairs and some medical debt. I can confirm what others have said - my Social Security benefits were completely unaffected, and my Medicare premiums stayed the same. The key thing that helped me was working with a HUD-approved counselor (which is mandatory anyway) who walked me through all the scenarios and helped me understand the true costs. One tip: if you're comparing lenders, pay close attention to the "Total Annual Loan Cost" (TALC) rates they're required to show you - this gives you a better picture of the real cost over time than just looking at interest rates. Also, some lenders offer a "line of credit" option where you only take what you need when you need it, which can save on interest charges compared to taking a big lump sum upfront. The peace of mind of having my roof fixed and medical bills paid off has been worth it for me. Just make sure you're working with a reputable lender and have someone you trust review everything with you. Good luck with your decision!

This thread is a goldmine of information! I'm currently in week 8 of waiting for my retirement application to process, and like many others here, I have a government employment background (worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 12 years before moving to private sector). My online account has been stuck at step 2 this entire time with zero communication from SSA. Reading through everyone's experiences, it's clear that WEP-related applications get routed to specialized teams that are severely backlogged, and the regular customer service reps have no visibility into these queues. The most frustrating part is that they don't proactively communicate what documentation they need - they just let applications sit there indefinitely. I'm going to contact my Congressional Representative's office first thing Monday morning based on all the success stories shared here. It's incredible that this seems to be more effective than going through official SSA channels! I'll also try to get through using Claimyr if the Congressional route takes too long. Thank you to everyone who shared their detailed experiences and specific steps. This kind of peer-to-peer knowledge sharing is invaluable when dealing with complex bureaucratic systems like SSA. Will definitely update this thread once I have news to share!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same nightmare last year! My application was stuck for almost 4 months due to my federal employment history (worked for USPS for 18 years). The WEP review process is absolutely broken - they flag these applications but don't communicate anything to the applicants. What finally worked for me was a combination approach: I used Claimyr to get through to someone who could confirm my case was indeed stuck in the WEP review queue, and then I contacted my Congressional Representative's office for a formal inquiry. The Congressional route was a game-changer - their liaison got a response from SSA within 48 hours that my case had been sitting unworked for months due to a "system error." One tip I'd add: when you do get your case moving again, ask for an expedited payment to cover any months you should have already received benefits. In my case, they were able to process back payments for the delay period once everything was resolved. It's ridiculous that we have to become experts in SSA bureaucracy just to get our rightful benefits, but this community's advice really does work. Don't give up - there are ways to get unstuck from these black holes in their system!

I went through this exact same situation about 8 months ago when my survivor benefits were suspended due to my $49,000 salary. The whole experience was incredibly frustrating, but I wanted to share what I learned to help you navigate this process. You should definitely receive an official suspension notice within 2-4 weeks, but don't expect it to be particularly clear or helpful. Mine arrived 3 weeks after my phone call and was filled with confusing SSA jargon that didn't really answer my practical questions about future benefits. Here's what I wish I had known from the start: when you call SSA back (which you absolutely should), be very specific about your plans and ask for concrete calculations. Tell them you're planning to reduce your hours to earn approximately $35,000 when you turn 64, and ask them to calculate exactly what your annual benefit would be at that income level. Based on the 2025 earnings limit of $22,320, if you earned $35,000, you'd lose about $6,340 in benefits annually (($35,000 - $22,320) ÷ 2). So if your monthly survivor benefit is around $1,950 as you mentioned in one of the comments, you'd receive approximately $17,060 in benefits for the year - definitely worth considering! Don't let them rush you off the phone this time. You have every right to understand how this affects your financial planning, especially when you're dealing with the loss of a spouse and trying to make smart decisions about your future.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm 62 and my survivor benefits were suspended two weeks ago due to earning $46,000 annually. Like so many others here, I got a rushed phone call that left me completely confused about what to expect. Reading through everyone's experiences, I'm now realizing I need to be much more proactive about getting clear information from SSA. The advice about writing down specific questions beforehand and asking for benefit calculations at different income levels is exactly what I needed to hear. What really surprised me was learning about the Monthly Earnings Test - I had no idea you could potentially receive benefits for individual months where you earn less than $1,860, even with higher annual earnings. This could be a game-changer for planning a gradual transition to part-time work. I'm also relieved to discover that withheld benefits aren't completely lost and will increase monthly payments at Full Retirement Age. That definitely changes how I'm thinking about the timing of reducing my work hours. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and making this overwhelming process feel manageable. I'm calling SSA back tomorrow with a prepared list of questions and won't accept vague answers this time. This community support has been invaluable during an already difficult time.