Thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful responses! I feel much better now knowing that her SSDI won't be affected. I'll definitely keep detailed records of the inheritance and mention it in my rep payee report, but it's such a relief to know her monthly benefits are safe. If we need to consider Medicaid in the future, we'll look into the special needs trust option too. This community has been incredibly helpful!

quick question sorta related - does anyone know if the same rules apply to life insurance payouts? my mom named me as beneficiary on her policy and im on ssdi too

NOBODY at SSA ever explains these things clearly!!! I spent 6 hours on the phone with them last month trying to understand something similar and got 3 different answers from 3 different people! The whole system is BROKEN when it comes to explaining benefits to us. We worked our whole lives and can't even get straight answers about our own money!!!

To directly answer your question: The paper statement you received years ago showed estimates based on your earnings at that time, with assumptions about future earnings until retirement age. Those estimates didn't include future COLAs because those are unknown at statement time. However, since COLAs have been quite substantial recently (8.7% in 2023, 3.2% in 2024), your actual benefit at 70 will likely be significantly higher than what that old statement showed - potentially 15-20% higher just from COLAs alone, not counting any additional earnings or delayed retirement credits.

just want to add that if you have any non-covered employment (jobs where you didnt pay social security tax like some government jobs) your estimate could be way off because of the windfall elimination thingy. my brother worked for state government for 15 years and his actual benefit was almost 40% less than his statement showed!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! This gives me a much better idea of what to expect. Sounds like I should: 1. Double-check my earnings record for accuracy 2. Use the detailed calculator on the SSA site since I had some variable income years 3. Remember the estimates are in today's dollars 4. Be prepared to actually speak with an SSA rep about my specific situation I appreciate all the real-world experiences - exactly what I was looking for!

has anyone actually confirmed if the deceased spouse QUALIFIES her for benefits??? just because he was 70 doesn't mean he had enough work credits!!!

Based on follow-up comments, I want to clarify one more thing - your friend should consider her claiming strategy carefully. At 62, she could: 1. Claim her OWN reduced retirement benefit now and later switch to 100% of her husband's benefit at her FRA OR 2. Claim the reduced survivor benefit now (71.5%) and later switch to her own benefit at age 70 if it would be higher with delayed retirement credits This decision depends on their relative benefit amounts. SSA should calculate both scenarios for her.

when my husband died last year i got a one time death payment of only $255 dollars?????? like what is that supposed to cover? not even one month's rent. the whole system needs to be fixed its ridiculous.

Let me clarify the sequence for you since there's some confusion in this thread: 1. YES, you can claim reduced spousal benefits now at age 66 (roughly 35% reduction from what you'd get at your FRA) 2. When your husband passes, you CAN switch to survivor benefits. These will also be reduced because you're claiming before FRA (reduction of about 15-18% depending on exact age) 3. At age 70, you CAN switch to your own retirement benefit if it would be higher than your survivor benefit The key calculation: Your FRA benefit of $2,700 with delayed retirement credits to age 70 would be approximately $3,350-$3,400. Compare this to the reduced survivor benefit (about 82-85% of your husband's $3,150, so around $2,600). In this case, switching to your own at 70 makes mathematical sense. This strategy is completely permitted under current Social Security rules. The "deemed filing" restrictions from the 2015 law specifically exempted survivor benefits.

my friend tried to do this and they told him he had to PAY BACK EVERYTHING HE GOT SO FAR!!!! be careful!!!

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I've decided to go ahead with suspending my benefits. I'll be calling SSA tomorrow morning (or trying that Claimyr service if I can't get through). It makes sense to let my benefit amount grow since I'm still working full-time. I appreciate all the advice about Medicare premiums and the clarification on not having to repay what I've already received. This community is amazing!

my uncle switched to part time at 63 and it didnt hurt his SS much he said. he was happier which is worth more than $$$ anyway.

I got confused about SSI vs SSDI vs retirement benefits when I was researching this. They all have different rules about working! Make sure you're looking at the retirement benefit rules which is what we're talking about here.

Question for others - I'm in a similar situation but with a larger age gap (I'm 9 years older than my wife). When I apply for my benefits at 67, can my wife immediately apply for spousal even though she's only 58? Or does she have to wait until at least 62? The SSA website is so confusing about this!

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses. I think I understand the process better now: 1) For my application, I'll select July as my start month to begin benefits at age 65. 2) For my wife, she'll wait until her FRA and then apply directly for spousal benefits. 3) We'll need to have our marriage certificate ready, and it sounds like an in-person appointment might be the way to go to avoid delays. I'll definitely look into that Claimyr service if we run into trouble making an appointment or getting through on the phone lines. Thanks again for all the advice!

One thing to consider is that WEP reform bills have been introduced in Congress repeatedly over the years, with some gaining significant bipartisan support. While nothing has passed yet, there's growing recognition that the current WEP formula unfairly impacts many workers. The Social Security Fairness Act and similar bills have proposed either eliminating WEP entirely or replacing it with a proportional formula that would be less punitive for people with mixed careers. Given your daughter's age, I wouldn't make decisions based on possible legislative changes, but it's worth noting that in the 40-50 year timeframe before her retirement, it's quite possible WEP rules could change significantly. The political pressure continues to build as more affected workers reach retirement age.

everyones ignoring the obvious - 20 yr olds change jobs like they change clothes. my kids had like 5 diff jobs by age 25. she prob wont even be there next yr so why stress about it

btw my sister-in-law is also a teacher in a non-SS state (texas) and she said the new fairness act also eliminates GPO (government pension offset) which is different from WEP. might want to look into that to see if it effects your situation too

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I've learned so much. I'm going to try that Claimyr service to talk with SSA directly about my specific situation. It sounds like I'll definitely benefit from the WEP elimination but I probably won't get additional spousal benefits since my own revised benefit will likely be higher than the reduced spousal amount. I appreciate everyone taking time to explain all this - it's so much clearer now!