My sister went thru all this and she said don't count on the survivor benefits for your retirement planning. She said better to assume you'll just get your own benefits and then survivor benefits are a bonus if they're higher. That way you don't get surprised if the rules change.

One more IMPORTANT thing no one mentioned - if you DO qualify for father's benefits while caring for kids under 16, you are subject to the SAME earnings limit that affects people who collect early SS retirement. For 2025, if you earn more than $22,320, they reduce your benefit by $1 for every $2 you earn over the limit. Your KIDS' benefits aren't affected though. The whole system is designed to PUNISH working parents!!!! It's like they WANT us to be financially dependent. I lost out on thousands because I didn't know this rule when my husband died.

i was just wondering...does anyone know if the rules different for self-employed people? My sister thinks theres special rules if you own your business vs being an employee.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! Sounds like I can go ahead and apply for my retirement benefits at FRA without worrying about reductions due to my work income. I'll need to plan for the tax implications, but at least I'll be getting my full benefit amount. Really appreciate all the input and personal experiences shared!

I used to work for SSA, and I can confirm this is 100% legitimate. The technical term is "child's insurance benefits" and they're available to minor children of retired, disabled, or deceased workers. Given your client's age (70), he's maximized his own benefit with delayed retirement credits, which also increases the value of his son's dependent benefit (though the child's benefit is based on the PIA, not the increased amount). Your client should contact SSA immediately if he hasn't already applied for his son - benefits can only be backdated 6 months maximum.

Something important to consider - even though the child receives these benefits, they technically belong to the parent/guardian to use for the child's benefit. For tax purposes, if the benefits exceed certain thresholds, they may be taxable. Your client should keep this in mind for future tax planning. The child should have received a separate SSA-1099 for his benefits, which would need to be reported if they exceed the taxable thresholds.

just wanted to say congrats on waiting till 70 to claim! my dad claimed at 62 and regrets it so much now. he coulda had almost 80% more each month if he'd waited like you're doing

im confused about something else... if I was born in 1965 is my full retirement age still 67? i heard they might be changing it?

whats the diff between SSI and SSDI again? does that matter for spousal benefits?? sorry if thats a stupid question but all these acronyms confuse me lol

my aunt used to work for ssa and she said always always ALWAYS wait until FRA to get the full 50% for spouse benefit. taking early is a mistake she saw people make every day

THIS IS WHY I HATE DEALING WITH SSA!!! They implement these changes but don't tell their own employees or update their systems!!!! My brother went through something similar with his disability claim - different issue but same bureaucratic nightmare. They denied him 3 times before finally approving him for benefits he was entitled to ALL ALONG. The system is BROKEN.

For anyone following this thread with a similar GPO situation, there's an important time element to consider. If you're currently eligible for spousal benefits under the new GPO rules, you should establish a protective filing date as soon as possible. Benefits can only be paid retroactively for 6 months from your application date. So even though the law has changed, you won't automatically receive payments - you need to apply, and the sooner you establish that filing date, the better. If you encounter resistance, escalate to supervisors and be persistent. Document every interaction with names, dates and what was discussed. This paper trail will be valuable if you need to appeal or request retroactive payments later.

My husband messed this up last year - he thought he needed to wait until AFTER his 70th bday to apply. Turns out you want your benefits to START the month you turn 70, which means applying 3-4 months BEFORE. He lost about $4200 by waiting too long!! So youre smart to be checking on this ahead of time.

One more tip since you mentioned you've been working full-time: If your recent earnings years are higher than some of your earlier working years, those higher earnings years will replace lower earning years in the calculation of your benefit. SSA uses your highest 35 years of earnings (indexed for inflation) to calculate your benefit. This can give your final benefit amount a nice boost if you've been earning more in recent years.

anybody know if direct deposit is faster than getting a check in the mail? im still waiting for my first payment too

Just to clarify something important: Your first payment isn't delayed because of processing issues - this is the normal Social Security payment schedule. Benefits for a month are always paid the following month. Also worth noting - if you're under Full Retirement Age (FRA) and still working, make sure you understand the earnings limit for 2025 ($22,320/year or $1,860/month for those below FRA). Exceeding this could affect your benefit amounts. If you were expecting the money sooner for budgeting purposes, you might want to check with SSA about the exact payment date based on your birth date so you can plan accordingly.

have u tryed asking him about his SS? maybe he would just tell u what his earning record is like. then u could know better what to expect?

Just want to point out that taking your benefits at 62 means you're getting about 30% less than if you'd waited until Full Retirement Age. That's probably why your monthly amount seems low compared to your lifetime of work. It's not just about working - it's about WHEN you claim. Unfortunately, once you claim early, that reduction is permanent (though spousal/survivor benefits work differently).

Based on the numbers you just shared, you're exactly right. Since 2/3 of your pension ($1,867) exceeds the divorced spouse benefit you'd be eligible for ($1,600), the GPO would completely eliminate your divorced spouse benefit. So in your situation, you'd receive: 1. Your teacher pension of $2,800/month 2. Your own Social Security (reduced by WEP) from your side job 3. $0 from divorced spouse benefits due to GPO The system definitely creates frustrating outcomes for many teachers and other public employees. There have been bills proposed to reform or eliminate WEP/GPO for years, but none have passed yet.

Thank you everyone for your help! This has been eye-opening but also disheartening. Sounds like I'll get my teacher pension and a reduced Social Security benefit from my side job (thanks to WEP), but nothing from my ex-husband's record due to GPO. I'll definitely create my ssa.gov account to get specific numbers and maybe use that Claimyr service to actually talk to someone at SSA without waiting for hours. Is there anything else I should be considering in my retirement planning given these limitations? I'm worried my income might be less than I was hoping for.