The whole system is DESIGNED to confuse seniors!!! They WANT you to make mistakes so they can hit you with penalties and overpayment notices later!! I've been dealing with these agencies for years and the left hand never knows what the right is doing. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING and don't trust what any single employee tells you because the next one will say something completely different!!

Here's a practical way to calculate your safe working limit for 2025: 1. Take the annual limit: $22,320 2. Divide by your hourly rate to get max hours for the year For example, if you find a job paying $20/hour: $22,320 ÷ $20 = 1,116 hours per year 1,116 ÷ 52 weeks = ~21.5 hours per week Stay under that, and you won't trigger any benefit reductions. Going over isn't the end of the world though - you'll eventually get the withheld benefits back after reaching your Full Retirement Age in the form of a recalculation.

Another resource - many Area Agencies on Aging have benefit counselors who can help navigate this process and provide guidance on elder financial abuse. They often have specialists who understand both SSA benefits and elder protection. Here's a link to find the Arizona offices: https://des.az.gov/services/older-adults/area-agency-aging

Thank you all for the helpful advice! I've contacted Adult Protective Services and will be flying out next week to help my sister-in-law. My nephew is going to try to get her a phone appointment with SSA before I arrive. I'm relieved to know she should be getting the full survivor benefit amount. I'll update once we get this resolved.

One important detail for you to know: When your husband passes away (which hopefully won't be for many years), you need to report his death to Social Security ASAP. Survivor benefits are not automatic - you must apply for them. Bring your marriage certificate, his death certificate, both your Social Security numbers, and your birth certificate when you apply. You generally cannot apply online for survivor benefits - you'll need to either call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or make an appointment at your local office. Also be aware there's a time limit - you can only receive up to 6 months of retroactive benefits, so don't delay applying.

To answer your question about applying in person vs. by phone - there are pros and cons to each: Phone: More convenient, no travel, but often long wait times, possible disconnections, and you'll still need to mail or fax documents. In-person: Face-to-face assistance, immediate document verification, potential for more thorough help with complex situations, but requires appointment scheduling (often weeks out) and travel to the office. I generally recommend trying phone first, and if your case seems complicated, then schedule an in-person appointment. Either way, have all your documents organized beforehand.

Update: I found it! For anyone else looking, after logging in to mySocialSecurity, click on "Replacement Documents" on the left side menu, then select "Replacement SSA-1099/1042S". It lets you download a PDF immediately. So much easier than I thought!

WAIT - does everyone on Social Security get this form?? I get SSDI (disability) not retirement and I don't remember seeing any tax form! Am I supposed to be reporting this on my taxes?? I haven't filed in years because I thought disability wasn't taxable!

To address some confusion in this thread: 1. The surviving spouse doesn't simply get "what the deceased was receiving" - it's more complex 2. The 82.5% rule mentioned earlier is correct and is called the "widow(er)'s limit" - it prevents the survivor benefit from being reduced below 82.5% of the deceased's PIA regardless of when they claimed 3. If both of you claim at 62, and your husband passes away after his FRA, the survivor benefit would be based on his reduced benefit amount (what he was actually receiving) 4. If he passes before his FRA, the special rules apply (the widow(er)'s limit) 5. Your own claiming age for survivor benefits matters - you get the full survivor amount if you wait until your FRA to claim it Survivor benefits are genuinely one of the most complex areas of Social Security, and even some SSA employees get confused about the details.

Thank you all for the helpful information. I didn't realize how complicated this would be! So if I understand correctly: 1. If we both claim at 62 and my husband passes away before his FRA (which is 67), I'd get the larger of either 82.5% of his PIA or what he was actually receiving at 62 2. If he passes after his FRA, I'd just get what he was actually receiving 3. My own claiming decision creates separate reductions if I'm not at my FRA when applying for survivor benefits Based on this, should we reconsider our plan? Maybe he should wait longer even if I claim early? I really appreciate all the guidance.

the whole earnings limit thing is BS anyway, why do they penalize us for working??? makes no sense!!!

I really appreciate all the responses! I'm going to call SSA tomorrow to find out if I'm under the new proportional withholding system or still on the old all-or-nothing approach. Either way, it's good to know that changes are happening, even if gradually. And just to be clear - I understand I'll still lose the same TOTAL amount to the earnings test either way. I'm just hoping for smaller reductions spread throughout the year rather than zero benefits for half the year. Makes budgeting so much easier!

One update to add - if your father filed for spousal benefits on your stepmother's record, make sure that she was actually entitled to benefits herself when he applied. This is a common issue that delays spousal applications. If she hadn't yet filed for her own benefits when he applied for spousal, his application might be held pending her application completion.

That's a good point to check! My stepmom has been collecting her retirement for about 3 years now, so I think we're okay on that front. It seems like it might be the dual entitlement review that's causing the holdup based on what others have said.

One important thing that hasn't been mentioned: this additional benefit won't affect her Medicare or any SSDI reviews. The spousal benefit is just added to her existing entitlement and doesn't change her status as a disabled beneficiary or trigger any medical reviews. She should also know that when she reaches her own FRA, there will be another potential adjustment as the early filing reduction no longer applies to the spousal portion. It's worth calling SSA at that time as well.

My sister just went through this! She had to provide her husband's SSN, their marriage certificate, and her current benefit verification letter. It took a phone call and then they mailed her forms. Make sure she keeps copies of EVERYTHING she sends them!

My husband went thru this last year and the SSA people told him the earnings test ONLY looks at the person getting SS!!! has nothing to do with spouse income!! they took like $1 from his benefits for every $2 he went over the limit. but they took entire checks at the beginning of the year then started paying normal after they took enough.

Since you're planning to start benefits at 63, keep in mind that your benefit will be permanently reduced by approximately 25% compared to waiting until your Full Retirement Age (which I'm guessing is 67 based on your age). Adding the earnings test reduction on top of that means you'll get significantly less than your full benefit amount. Have you done calculations to determine if it might be better financially to either: 1. Continue working at your current income level and wait until FRA to claim, or 2. Fully retire now (or reduce your income below the earnings limit) to avoid the penalty? Sometimes the math favors one approach over the other depending on your specific situation. The earnings test reduction gets paid back eventually after FRA, but the early claiming reduction is permanent.

Wait, I thought the 10-year rule was just for regular benefits while the ex is still alive? Are survivor benefits different? I've been divorced twice (once after 8 years, once after 12) and I'm so confused about what I might be eligible for.

Thank you everyone for the responses. This is disappointing but at least now I know where I stand. I'm going to call SSA directly to confirm everything, and then focus on maximizing my own retirement benefits. I appreciate all the information and support.