my sister started in december last year and said the SSA people told her for the FIRST year only they do a monthly test not yearly. She made like $75k that year but didnt work in december so got her full check

Just to add my two cents - I retired end of October last year, started SS in November. Had already made $65K for the year, but because I truly retired (no more work income), I got both November and December payments in full. The monthly test saved me! Just make sure you're actually stopping work, not just reducing hours.

From my personal experienc, the rules around spousal benefits are VERY confusing! When I claimed SS last year, I found out my ex-spouse benefits would be higher than my own (we were married 22 years), but the SSA office told me three different things before I got it figured out. Definitely not excess benefits though if your benefit is higher.

Just to follow up on a few points that were raised: 1. Since you filed at your Full Retirement Age, you maximized your own benefit (apart from delayed retirement credits) 2. You are correct about survivor benefits - if your husband passes away, you would receive his benefit amount instead of your own (assuming his is higher after accounting for any delayed retirement credits) 3. The "restricted application" strategy that some mentioned was available only to people born before January 2, 1954. It allowed them to take only spousal benefits at FRA while letting their own benefits grow until age 70 4. There is no such thing as "excess spousal benefits" that would allow you to add a portion of your spouse's benefit to your own The confusion often stems from the fact that Social Security will automatically give you the higher of either your own benefit or the spousal benefit you qualify for, but never both simultaneously.

so what did u decide to do? im in almost the exact situation (except im 65 and 2 months) and trying to figure out my best move

Another strategy option: If you have any self-employment income or could do consulting work, be aware that only earned income counts for the earnings test. Investment income, pension, rental income, etc. don't count against you. So some people structure work arrangements specifically to minimize the earnings test impact.

Have you checked with the funeral home? When my grandma died last year they helped us fill out paperwork for the death benefit and gave us info on some local charities that help with funeral expenses. Most funeral directors deal with this stuff all the time and know what resources are available.

Just to clarify something important: if your brother-in-law had a surviving spouse or dependent children, they might be eligible for those uncashed checks as underpayments. Since that doesn't apply here, another option is to check if your husband's brother had any outstanding medical bills from the month he died - there's a provision where those benefits can sometimes be applied to those expenses if properly documented. Also, when you contact SSA, ask specifically about the "underpayment" process rather than just about getting the checks. The representative will be able to determine if there's any possibility of receiving those funds under specific circumstances. The death benefit application (for the $255) is Form SSA-8 which you can download from ssa.gov and submit with the death certificate.

Ugh why is SS stuff so confusing?? My grandma got told different things by different SS reps about this exact issue! But from what I understand survivor benefits are different from retirement - they DON'T grow after FRA. Also, did u know if ur working while collecting survivor benefits, there's an earnings limit until u reach FRA? They dont tell u these things!

Call SSA and ask for a benefits comparrison calculation. They can run the numbers for all your options. Thats wat i did. and YES survivor benefits max out at FRA dont wait longer you'll just loose money!!!!

UPDATE: My payment just hit my account this morning (the 11th)! Just 3 days late but felt like forever. Wanted to let everyone know in case you're still waiting for yours. Looks like they're working through the backlog. Hope everyone else gets theirs soon!

For those still experiencing delays, I just saw on the SSA website that they've posted an official notice about the February payment delays. They're attributing it to a "processing anomaly" that affected approximately 8% of beneficiaries with payment dates between the 3rd and 8th. All payments should be processed by tomorrow (the 12th). In the meantime, if you have urgent needs, remember that local SSA offices can sometimes issue immediate payment in true hardship situations.

not an expert but I thought social security pays for previous month??? So March payment arrives in April??? Thats how mine works anyways

To summarize what everyone's saying: 1. Apply for benefits to start in March 2025 (your birth month) 2. You'll get your first payment in April 2025 (for March) 3. Your benefit will include ALL delayed retirement credits 4. Apply 2-3 months before your birthday to ensure timely processing 5. Specify March 2025 as your benefit start date This approach gives you the maximum possible benefit without losing any payments.

if your trying to get answers from social security directly, i tried calling for 3 weeks about my disability appeal and couldn't get through. my friend told me about this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at SSA in less than 15 minutes! totally worth it because they just keep calling for you until they get through. check out the video on how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or their website at claimyr.com. actually worked for me when i was about to give up!

So wait wait wait... I'm confused about something... if I claim at 70 but keep working but then I like REDUCE my hours or take a lower paying job later on... can my benefits actually GO DOWN based on these new calculations?? Or do they only ever go up? Please someone clarify I'm freaking out a bit!

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet - there are potential tax advantages for the surviving spouse. When you go from married filing jointly to filing as a surviving spouse/single, the tax brackets change. So while the gross SS amount doesn't increase in your situation, the net amount might be different due to potential changes in taxation of those benefits. Might be worth consulting with a tax professional about this aspect of your planning.

my aunt got widows benefits even tho she worked and had her own ss. they told her something about FRA and delayed retirement credits? i dont really understand it but maybe theres exceptions?

good luck!! let us know what happens ok??

One more thing - if you used the Claimyr service someone mentioned and managed to speak with SSA, make sure you get the name and direct extension of anyone who helps you correctly understand your case. That way, if you need follow-up, you can try to reach the same person who already understands your situation. Also get everything in writing if possible!