I'm so sorry for your loss. This is such a challenging situation to navigate while grieving. I went through something similar when my brother passed and left behind his disabled son. A few practical tips that might help: Start gathering ALL medical documentation NOW - not just recent stuff, but everything from childhood diagnoses, school IEPs, therapy records, everything. SSA wants a complete picture of how the disability affects daily living and work capacity. Also, consider getting a letter from her current doctors specifically addressing her ability to work. They need to understand not just the diagnosis, but how it impacts her functional capacity. One thing that caught me off guard was that they may want to do their own medical evaluation even with extensive records. Don't be surprised if they schedule her for additional appointments. The good news is that with a well-documented case like Down Syndrome, approval rates are generally good. The frustrating part is just the bureaucratic timeline. Stay on top of deadlines and don't hesitate to call if you don't hear back when they say you will. Hang in there - you're doing everything right by planning ahead!

I'm really sorry for your loss - navigating all this while grieving must be incredibly overwhelming. I'm a disability benefits advocate and see families go through this transition regularly. Here's what you should know: Your daughter's benefits will likely continue after 18 since Down Syndrome typically qualifies for adult disabled child benefits, but there WILL be a gap while they process the adult disability determination. This is unavoidable - even with clear-cut cases like Down Syndrome. For your benefits at 62, you're currently receiving "child-in-care" benefits which end when she turns 18 (or if her disability continues, when she's no longer in your care). At that point, you can switch to either widow's benefits (reduced at 62) or your own retirement benefit - whichever is higher. Here's my strongest recommendation: Start the process 6+ months early AND consider consulting with a disability attorney who offers free consultations. They can help ensure all paperwork is complete and may even represent her for free if needed (they only get paid if she's approved). Also, definitely look into setting up an ABLE account or special needs trust now if you haven't - any inheritance or assets need to be handled carefully to protect her future benefits eligibility. The system is frustrating but manageable with proper planning. You've got time to prepare!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a Social Security representative (not officially speaking for SSA) and I just wanted to add that the ID.me and Login.gov workarounds mentioned here are legitimate paths that SSA officially supports. The reason some people get stuck in the loop is that the system sometimes doesn't clearly communicate that you can create these third-party accounts independently first. A few additional points that might help others: - The mailed verification codes are valid for 30 days, not just a few days like some systems - If you're helping an elderly relative, make sure they're the ones actually creating the accounts - SSA is very strict about this for security reasons - The earnings record discrepancies mentioned by others are more common than people think, especially for those who had multiple employers or periods of self-employment Thanks to everyone who shared their successful workarounds - this is exactly the kind of community knowledge sharing that helps people navigate these systems!

I just went through this same frustrating process last week! The system definitely seems more restrictive now than it used to be. I tried for days to get my account set up online but kept hitting the same wall - they wanted to mail me a verification code that would take 2-3 weeks to arrive. Like others mentioned, I ended up using the ID.me workaround and it worked perfectly. The key is to go directly to ID.me first, create your account there, and do their full verification process (including the video call if needed). Once that's complete, then go back to the SSA website and use ID.me to log in instead of trying to create an SSA account directly. The video verification with ID.me only took about 20 minutes and was pretty straightforward - just have your driver's license and Social Security card ready, make sure you're in good lighting, and be patient with their system. Much better than waiting weeks for a code in the mail! Hope this helps others who are stuck in the same loop!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share my experience because it sounds very similar to what you're going through. I'm 50 and received an unexpected $41.75 payment from SSA about 4 months ago. Like you, I had no idea what it was for since I'm not receiving any benefits. After reading through all these amazing responses, I'm realizing I should have been more proactive about investigating it! The insights from everyone here - especially the former SSA employee and financial advisor - have been incredibly helpful. I had no idea there were so many legitimate reasons for these small payments, particularly related to family members' benefits or posthumous adjustments. Your situation with your father's recent passing and the January timing really aligns with what several experts have mentioned about annual system recalculations. I'm definitely going to follow everyone's advice and create my mySSA account this weekend to see if I can finally figure out what my payment was for. Oliver, you're so lucky to have found this community - you've got a wealth of knowledge and specific terminology to work with when you contact SSA. The step-by-step approach everyone outlined (mySSA account first, then calling with specific questions) seems like the perfect way to handle this. Don't spend the money, document everything, and good luck getting answers! This thread has been incredibly educational for all of us dealing with these mysterious payments.

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share that I just went through something very similar to your situation. I'm 47 and received an unexpected $38.90 payment from SSA back in December. Like you, I was completely confused since I'm not receiving any benefits and hadn't applied for anything. After reading through all these incredibly detailed and helpful responses, I'm amazed at how many legitimate reasons there can be for these payments! The insights from the former SSA employee about posthumous benefit adjustments and the financial advisor's perspective on annual system recalculations have been eye-opening. I had no idea the SSA system could automatically trigger these kinds of payments related to family members' records or earnings corrections from years ago. Your situation with your father passing away 6 months ago and the payment appearing in January really seems to align with what the experts here have explained about timing and system processes. The $54.50 amount being so specific also suggests it's a calculated adjustment rather than an error, just like what others have mentioned. I'm definitely taking everyone's advice and setting up my mySSA account this weekend to finally figure out what my own mystery payment was for. Oliver, you're really fortunate to have gotten such comprehensive guidance from this community - you've got all the right terminology and a clear action plan now. Start with that online account, don't touch the money, and you'll be well-prepared for your call to SSA. Thanks to everyone for making this thread so educational for all of us dealing with these confusing situations!

This is such a valuable discussion! As someone who's been navigating Social Security planning for my own family, I wanted to add a perspective that might help with your decision-making process. One thing I learned from my financial advisor is to think about this in terms of "Social Security arbitrage." If you're healthy and expect to live well into your 80s or beyond, the recalculation benefit that Atticus mentioned becomes really important. Essentially, you're getting an 8% annual increase on your benefit amount for each year you delay past your full retirement age (until age 70), plus the credit for any withheld benefits. But here's the practical reality check: if you need the income NOW to maintain your quality of life, then the math about future adjustments doesn't matter as much. I've seen too many people stress themselves out trying to optimize every dollar when they should be focused on having financial security and peace of mind today. For your specific situation with the missing earnings years, that's absolutely your first priority. Those 3 years could be worth thousands of dollars annually for the rest of your life. Everything else is just fine-tuning compared to getting your benefit calculation correct. My suggestion would be to fix the earnings record first, then reassess your work situation with the correct benefit amount in hand. You might find the decision becomes much clearer once you know your actual numbers!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm new to this community and in a similar situation at 64. One aspect I haven't seen mentioned yet is the impact of Medicare premiums if you're already enrolled or planning to enroll soon. When you're receiving Social Security benefits, Medicare Part B premiums are automatically deducted from your monthly payment. But if your benefits are withheld due to excess earnings, you'll need to pay those premiums directly to Medicare, which can be a cash flow surprise that some people don't anticipate. Also, for those considering the "work now, get credited later" approach - don't forget that Medicare premiums increase each year, so even when your benefits are recalculated upward at FRA, a portion of that increase will be offset by higher Medicare costs. Just another factor to consider in the overall equation! The earnings record correction definitely sounds like the highest priority item based on everyone's experiences shared here.

Just wanted to share that I went through something very similar with my father-in-law about two years ago. He was also self-employed (electrician) and hadn't filed taxes for several years after my mother-in-law passed. The Social Security Administration was actually pretty understanding once we explained the situation - they worked with us to get everything sorted out. One thing that really helped was getting a tax advocate involved through the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service (it's free). They helped expedite the filing process and even negotiated a payment plan for the back taxes he owed. The advocate also coordinated with SSA to make sure his earnings record was updated properly once the returns were filed. For Medicare, we couldn't avoid the penalties, but we did find out he qualified for some assistance programs that helped offset the costs. The key was getting everything filed and then being proactive about applying for every program he might be eligible for. It took about 6 months total to get everything straightened out, but he did receive retroactive Social Security payments once it was all processed. Your brother-in-law is lucky to have someone like you looking out for him during this difficult time. Don't give up - there's definitely light at the end of this tunnel!

This entire thread has been such a goldmine of information! As someone who's currently helping my elderly father navigate Medicare enrollment, I'm bookmarking this for reference. The detail about Schedule SE and self-employment earnings not being automatically reported to SSA was eye-opening - I had no idea that was different from W-2 wages. One thing I wanted to add based on our recent experience: when your brother-in-law does apply for Social Security, he should ask specifically about filing a "protective filing date." This can help establish an earlier application date while he's getting all his paperwork sorted out, which could be important for those retroactive payments several people mentioned. Also, if he's feeling overwhelmed by all of this (which would be totally understandable), most Social Security offices have staff who can help walk him through the application process step by step. Sometimes having someone there in person to explain everything can make a huge difference when you're dealing with multiple complex issues at once. Really hoping everything works out for him - and you're an amazing brother-in-law for helping him navigate this!