Have you looked into whether your school district offers a 457(b) deferred compensation plan? Many public employees affected by WEP focus on maximizing their tax-advantaged savings through these plans to make up for the reduced Social Security benefits. It might be a better use of your time than the retail job if the math doesn't work out favorably.

my friend said there's a calculator on the SSA website specifically for WEP situations, did anyone here use it? was it accurate?

One more consideration for your planning: If you claim your own benefit early and later become eligible for survivor benefits, you would receive your own reduced benefit plus the difference between that amount and the survivor benefit you're eligible for (potentially with age reductions). This is called the "excess survivor benefit." For example (simplified numbers): - Your reduced age 62 benefit: $1,650 - Full survivor benefit at your FRA: $2,450 - If you take your benefit at 62 and your wife passes away when you're 63, you'd receive your $1,650 plus some portion of the $800 difference, depending on reduction factors. This is why getting a personalized calculation from SSA is so important - the actual math gets complicated.

don't forget that if you're collecting at 62 your already taking a big reduction on your own benefit. like 30% less than your FRA amount. so waiting til FRA for survivors makes sense if you can

Based on what you've shared, I recommend applying for benefits to start in July. Here's why: 1. You'll exceed the 2025 earnings limit by June, which would mean SSA would withhold some of your benefits anyway 2. The withholding could get complicated and potentially cause overpayment issues later 3. A one-month gap is manageable with some planning (vacation payout, small retirement account distribution, or savings) I'd suggest applying in March (4 months before) to ensure everything is processed in time. Also, remember that your first payment for July benefits would arrive in August, likely on the 3rd Wednesday based on your July 15th birthday.

One more thing to consider - if you're enrolling in Medicare at the same time, that starts the first day of your birthday month (July). So if you apply for both SS and Medicare together in March, your Medicare will begin July 1 regardless of when your SS benefits start. Just something to keep in mind for your overall retirement transition planning.

hey op somthing nobody said yet - if ur ex ever remarried then she CANT get benefits from ur record anymore. just making sure u know that part

I just went thru this with my sister who is on SSI!! She was able to switch to ex-spouse benefits when her ex retired and she gets like $1300 now instead of the $900ish from SSI. AND she can actually have a savings account now without losing benefits!!! It made a HUGE difference for her quality of life!!

Is your son getting SSI too?? If his condition is that severe he might qualify for childhood disability. My nephew has severe allergies and gets both survivor benefits AND SSI. The SSI helps pay for his special medical foods that insurance won't cover!!

One thing nobody mentioned - when you apply for your mother's benefit, bring ALL the documentation about your son's condition with you! The 504 plan, doctor letters, hospital records, EVERYTHING. I made the mistake of not bringing my daughter's medical records and they gave me a hard time about proving she needed special care. They kept saying "but she gets survivor benefits already" like that was enough. You need to be super clear that you're applying for the mother's benefit based on having his father's child in your care, not applying for anything related to disability.

Update: I called my local office this morning and finally got through after about 30 minutes. They confirmed they DO have a secure drop box but recommended certified mail instead for forms like the W-4V. Apparently they process drop box items within 5 business days but can't guarantee tracking within their system. I'm going to send it certified mail tomorrow just to be safe. Thanks everyone for your advice!

wait did u say retirement benfit or SSDI? cause theres diffrnt rules for disability tax stuff i think

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'm going to gather all our documents and apply this week. I'll try calling again first to set up an appointment, but if I can't get through, I'll try that Claimyr service someone mentioned. I'll update once I hear back from SSA about my application!

Good luck! Definitely let us know how it goes. The child-in-care benefit can be so helpful for families in your situation.

I've been wrestling with this same decision. What complicates things for me is the earnings test while working. I plan to keep working part-time until 65, and if I claim at 62, I'll lose some benefits due to the earnings limit ($22,320 for 2025). However, once I reach FRA, SSA will adjust my benefit amount to account for months where benefits were withheld. Another factor to consider is that taking benefits at 62 might mean you pay taxes on Social Security for more years if you're still working with substantial income. Up to 85% of benefits can be taxable depending on your combined income. Anyone know if the recalculation at FRA for benefits withheld due to the earnings test fully makes up for the early claiming reduction?

Thanks everyone for the information! Based on your advice, I'm thinking more carefully about this decision. One more question - does anyone know if delaying affects COLA increases? Like if I take reduced benefits now, do I also get reduced COLA adjustments going forward?

The whole system is designed around traditional marriage and doesn't account for the MANY different types of committed relationships people have. I've been fighting this battle for YEARS with various government agencies. Even in states with domestic partnership registries, the federal government (including SSA) doesn't recognize them for benefit purposes. It's DISCRIMINATION, plain and simple!!!

My sister works for SSA and she says they get these questions all the time but their hands are tied by the law. Congress would need to change it to include domestic partners. Don't count on that happening anytime soon though...

i just remembered something - when this happened to me they said something about only making these adjustments if the new calculation would increase ur benefit by at least a certain $ amount. think it had to make a difference of at least $1 or something? somebody correct me if i'm wrong

One tip nobody's mentioned: when you do contact SSA about this, ask for both the recomputation AND a PEBES (Pre-Entitlement Benefit Earnings Statement). This will show you exactly which years of earnings they're using in your calculation. Super helpful for understanding if they've included all your work years properly!