Thank you all SO much for these insights. I'm learning toward waiting until my FRA now to avoid the headache of documentation and possible disputes with SSA. But if I do decide to claim early, I'll definitely: 1. Get professional advice about structuring my practice 2. Set up meticulous documentation of all work hours 3. Create clear boundaries showing reduced work schedule 4. Use that Claimyr service to actually speak with someone at SSA before making my decision Never realized what a complicated mess this would be as a self-employed person. The SSA publications make it seem much simpler than it actually is in practice!

As someone who's been through the self-employment SS claiming process, I'd strongly recommend creating a detailed work log NOW, even if you don't claim for another year or two. I wish I had started documenting earlier - SSA wanted records going back months when I applied. For your therapy practice specifically, track: actual client session hours, documentation/notes time, insurance billing hours, and any administrative work. Also note when you're genuinely "off" - weekends, evenings, vacation days. This creates a clear picture of reduced work activity that SSA looks for. One thing that helped me was establishing set office hours (like 9-3, M-Th only) and sticking to them religiously. It shows intentional retirement from full-time work, not just temporary reduced income. Your gradual client reduction plan over 4-5 years could work well if properly documented as a retirement transition rather than just business fluctuation. The burnout factor is real - sometimes the peace of mind from claiming early (even with reduced benefits) outweighs the financial optimization of waiting. Just make sure you understand exactly what you're getting into with the earnings test compliance.

my friend says if u were married less than 10 years u get less. but i think thats for divorce not death???

I called SSA again this morning and spoke with a different representative. They confirmed what most of you said - I'm eligible for 100% of my husband's benefit at my FRA regardless of what his ex-wife may receive. They explained the first representative confused spousal and survivor benefits rules. They also confirmed our 15-month marriage satisfies the 9-month requirement. I'll be able to choose between my own retirement benefit or the survivor benefit, whichever is higher. I'm so relieved and grateful for everyone's help here! It's frustrating to get incorrect information that caused me unnecessary worry.

I'm a social worker who helps families navigate SSA issues, and I want to emphasize something important that hasn't been fully addressed yet - the timing of when your son turned 18 versus when the overpayment period began. Since your son was still a minor in April 2023 when the overpayment allegedly started, there's a strong argument that he cannot be held responsible for payments made while he was under 18. Minors have legal protections specifically because they cannot be expected to understand complex benefit rules or monitor their parents' medical status. I'd recommend adding this to your waiver documentation: highlight that he was 17 years old when the overpayment began and had no legal capacity to understand or act on information about his mother's disability status even if he had somehow received it. Also, make sure to document his current financial situation thoroughly - full-time student status, part-time income, basic living expenses. SSA considers educational expenses as legitimate financial hardship factors. Include documentation of tuition, books, transportation, and any other school-related costs. The fact that you're helping with some expenses actually strengthens the hardship argument rather than weakening it - it shows his income alone isn't sufficient to cover basic needs, let alone an $8,000+ debt.

I went through something very similar with my daughter about two years ago when she was hit with an $11,000 overpayment demand after her father's disability status changed. The whole experience was a nightmare, but I wanted to share what ultimately worked for us. First, the minor protection argument that GalaxyGuardian mentioned is absolutely crucial - we emphasized heavily that our daughter was 16-17 during most of the overpayment period and legally could not have been expected to monitor her father's medical status or understand the implications. This seemed to carry significant weight with the decision makers. Second, we discovered that SSA has an internal policy about "equitable relief" for cases where their own administrative delays contributed to the problem. In our case, they had determined the medical improvement months before they stopped the payments, but never notified us. We argued that their delay in stopping payments made the overpayment worse than it should have been. The waiver was initially denied, but we appealed with additional documentation including school transcripts, financial aid records, and a detailed breakdown of all educational expenses. We also got a statement from her college confirming that maintaining full-time status required limiting work hours. The appeal was successful - they ultimately waived about 85% of the overpayment and put her on a $25/month payment plan for the remainder. Don't lose hope if the initial waiver is denied. The appeals process really does work when you have a strong case like yours. Your son being a minor for part of the period and having no contact with his mother creates a very compelling "without fault" argument. Keep fighting this - they absolutely should not be able to financially devastate a college student over their own administrative failures.

Great question! As a fellow SSDI recipient who works part-time, I can confirm that PTO absolutely counts toward SGA when you actually use it and receive payment. The key thing to remember is that SSA looks at when you're PAID, not when you earned the time off. Here's what I've learned from my own experience: spreading out your PTO usage across multiple months is definitely the safest approach. Since you're already at $1,200/month with regular hours, using all 30 PTO hours at once would likely push you over the $1,550 SGA limit for that month. A few practical tips: - Keep detailed records of ALL income including PTO payments - Consider using just a few PTO hours each month to stay comfortably under the limit - Remember that going over SGA for one month isn't an automatic benefit termination, but it's still risky - If you haven't used all 9 Trial Work Period months yet, you have some flexibility The most important thing is to stay in communication with SSA about your work activity. I report my earnings every month through their online portal to avoid any surprises. Better to be overly cautious than risk your benefits!

I've been dealing with similar PTO questions for years! One thing that really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track my monthly earnings including any PTO usage. I calculate my projected monthly total BEFORE taking any PTO to make sure I won't go over the SGA limit. Also wanted to mention that some employers are flexible about PTO policies for employees with disabilities. I was able to work with HR to cash out small amounts of PTO periodically (like 4-5 hours per month) rather than taking large chunks of time off. This keeps me safely under the SGA limit while still allowing me to use my earned benefits. If your employer offers this option, it might be worth exploring. Just make sure any PTO cash-outs are properly documented on your pay stubs since SSA will want to see exactly when and how much you received.

This is exactly why I love this community! Seeing how everyone has jumped in to help explain what could have been a really confusing situation is amazing. As someone who's dealt with Social Security for years (my mom went through disability benefits), I can confirm that these differential payment situations are totally legitimate but often catch people off guard. The key thing that stands out to me is that SSA initiated contact with you - that's actually a really good sign that this is a straightforward entitlement issue, not some kind of mistake or scam. When their system flags these potential benefit adjustments, they're usually pretty accurate. One small tip for when you go to the school: bring a copy of your daughter's Social Security number along with the student ID number, just in case they need it for their records. Some schools ask for both when completing these forms. Also, if the main office seems unfamiliar with Form 1372, ask specifically for someone in student services or records - they're usually the ones who handle these post-graduation benefit verification requests most frequently. Really hoping this works out well for you and your daughter gets the additional benefits she's entitled to! Please do update us when you hear back from SSA.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who works at a high school - we absolutely keep attendance records for years after graduation and handle Form 1372 requests regularly! Don't worry about it being awkward to contact them. We literally have a standard process for this because it comes up all the time with Social Security benefits, veterans benefits, insurance claims, etc. When you go in, they'll probably just need your daughter's full name, graduation year, and student ID if you have it. Most schools can complete the form while you wait since it's just verifying dates of attendance. The records department deals with these requests so frequently that they'll know exactly what SSA is looking for. Also, don't feel bad about not knowing these benefit rules - the differential payment system is genuinely confusing and not well-explained to families. You're doing the right thing by following up on this!