Just following up - were you able to get this resolved? If you're still struggling to reach someone, you might want to try calling right when they open at 8:00 AM your local time. The wait times are usually much shorter early in the morning.

So glad to hear you got it resolved! This is exactly what we were all hoping would happen. Your experience is going to be really helpful for future people who panic when they see those $0.00 amounts and random dates from the 1970s. It's such a common glitch but so scary when you're going through it for the first time. Thanks for updating us - enjoy your well-deserved retirement benefits!

my aunt had to deal with this last year and she said the local SS office gave her different info than the phone ppl!!! make sure u get everything in writing when u talk to them

Just wanted to add one more important detail that might affect your planning - if you're still working when you become eligible for survivor benefits, the earnings test still applies. If you're under your full retirement age and earning above certain limits ($22,320 for 2024), your survivor benefits could be temporarily reduced. This is different from delayed retirement credits - you don't get those extra credits for waiting past your survivor FRA like you do with your own retirement benefits. Also, survivor benefits are generally not taxable if they're your only income, but if you have other income sources, up to 85% could be taxable depending on your total income level. Worth factoring into your financial planning since you mentioned you're still several years from retirement.

My sister went through this last year. Turned out to be nothing! She never brought in her paystubs and still got her first payment right on time. The SSA systems send out automated notices that don't always apply to everyone. Since you're at FRA the earnings test doesn't apply anyway so I wouldn't stress about it too much.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Just turned 67 last week and applied online, and got the same confusing message about bringing in my W-2. Like you, I'm still working full-time and was totally caught off guard by all the employment questions during the application process. Reading through these comments has been really helpful - sounds like it's pretty normal and might just be because they don't have our most recent earnings data yet. I'm planning to try the dropbox option someone mentioned since I really can't afford to take time off work for an appointment. Did your confirmation email give you a specific deadline for when you need to provide the documents? Mine said "within 30 days" but didn't specify if benefits would be delayed if I don't make it in time.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! Just to make sure I understand correctly: 1. SSA looks at my 35 highest-earning years regardless of when they occurred 2. Working past FRA can replace lower-earning years in the calculation 3. Recalculations happen automatically, but may take some time 4. Indexing affects how early years are valued compared to recent years This confirms my strategy of working until 70 makes sense both for the delayed retirement credits AND for improving my overall calculation. Just what I needed to know!

Just wanted to add one more important detail that might help with your planning - when SSA does the automatic recalculation after you work past FRA, they'll send you a notice called a "Social Security Benefit Adjustment Notice" explaining the change. Keep an eye out for it in your mail because it shows exactly how much your benefit increased and which earnings years were replaced. I saved mine because it's helpful documentation for tax planning. Also, if you're married and your spouse will receive spousal benefits based on your record, their benefit will increase proportionally too when your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) goes up from the recalculation. Good luck with your strategy - it sounds like you're making all the right moves!

Update us on what happens! I'm curious if they'll process your change in time. The timeframes vary so much based on staffing and workloads at different offices.

I went through this exact situation 3 months ago when I switched from TD Bank to Navy Federal. Here's what actually happened: I made the change online on a Tuesday, closed my TD account that Friday (couldn't wait because of their new monthly fees), and my SS payment hit my Navy Federal account right on schedule the following Wednesday. The key is that SSA's system updates much faster than their official timeline suggests. Since you made the change through your online account, there's a good chance it'll process in time. But definitely call them tomorrow to confirm - ask them to verify that your new Bank of America account shows as "pending activation" or "active" in their system. If it shows as active, you should be good to go for your next payment. Also, make sure your mailing address is current with SSA just in case - that's the most important backup plan if something goes wrong.