I used to work for SSA, and I can confirm this is 100% legitimate. The technical term is "child's insurance benefits" and they're available to minor children of retired, disabled, or deceased workers. Given your client's age (70), he's maximized his own benefit with delayed retirement credits, which also increases the value of his son's dependent benefit (though the child's benefit is based on the PIA, not the increased amount). Your client should contact SSA immediately if he hasn't already applied for his son - benefits can only be backdated 6 months maximum.

Something important to consider - even though the child receives these benefits, they technically belong to the parent/guardian to use for the child's benefit. For tax purposes, if the benefits exceed certain thresholds, they may be taxable. Your client should keep this in mind for future tax planning. The child should have received a separate SSA-1099 for his benefits, which would need to be reported if they exceed the taxable thresholds.

To summarize what everyone has said: 1. Yes, remarriage will terminate her ex-spousal benefits 2. She is legally required to report the marriage to SSA 3. Her benefit would revert to her own retirement amount 4. After marriage, she may be eligible for spousal benefits on her new husband's record 5. If she doesn't report the marriage and SSA discovers it later, she'll face overpayment recovery 6. Some couples choose not to legally marry to preserve benefits This is ultimately a personal decision balancing financial and emotional factors. Whatever she decides, make sure she understands all implications and reports any changes appropriately to avoid future complications.

I'm a Social Security case worker and wanted to add some clarification on a few points that have come up in this discussion. First, yes, remarriage does terminate divorced spousal benefits, but the timing matters - benefits stop the month after the month of remarriage, not immediately. Second, regarding reporting requirements, you have 10 days after the event to report changes, but I always recommend doing it as soon as possible to avoid complications. Third, when comparing potential spousal benefits on a new husband's record, remember that if your mother is already receiving her own retirement benefit, she would receive the higher of either her own benefit OR the spousal benefit (up to 50% of her new husband's PIA), not both combined. Finally, I'd strongly recommend getting actual benefit estimates from SSA before making this decision - the numbers matter too much to guess. The my Social Security online portal can provide benefit estimates, or she can request them by phone once she gets through to an agent.

Good news about the property sale! Just remember that even though it won't affect your SS benefits, you'll still have to pay capital gains tax on the sale. Hope you've owned it for more than a year so you get the lower tax rate!

I'm new to this community and dealing with a similar situation. My husband passed away last year and I'm just starting to understand all the rules around survivor benefits. Reading through these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that capital gains didn't count toward the earnings limit! I've been so worried about potentially losing benefits that I've been afraid to make any financial moves. It's reassuring to see experienced community members sharing their knowledge and helping each other navigate these complex rules. Thank you all for taking the time to explain these details so clearly.

Thanks for sharing your experience! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. I'll watch for a second letter with the details. It's such a relief to know I don't have to keep banging my head against the wall trying to get through on the phone.

I went through this exact situation about 18 months ago! Like others have mentioned, SSA should handle this automatically, but don't be surprised if it takes longer than expected. In my case, it took almost 4 months to see the adjustment. What really helped was creating a timeline - I wrote down when my husband filed, when he got his first payment, when I received the notification letter, etc. This made it much easier when I finally did get through to someone on the phone to check on the status. One tip: if you don't see any movement after 8-10 weeks, try calling right at 8 AM when they open - I had better luck getting through early in the morning. The waiting is frustrating, but in the end they did process everything correctly and I got the back pay from when my husband's benefits started.

Just to clarify a few important points about your situation: 1. Yes, you can receive up to 6 months of retroactive benefits when applying for divorced spouse benefits. 2. If you're already FRA (which it sounds like you are), you can file a "restricted application" for just divorced spouse benefits if that would be advantageous. 3. GPO will reduce your divorced spouse benefits by 2/3 of your government pension amount. If this reduction would eliminate your divorced spouse benefit entirely, that might be why they didn't process it automatically. 4. Bring your marriage certificate, divorce decree, and information about your pension to the appointment. 5. Ask specifically about all filing strategies available at your age, including retroactive benefits and restricted applications if applicable. The rules get complex at the intersection of divorced benefits and government pensions, so be prepared with specific questions during your appointment.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! Just want to add that when you go to your appointment, make sure to ask them to explain exactly how they calculate the GPO reduction with your specific pension amount. With a $2,750 monthly pension, the GPO would reduce any divorced spouse benefit by about $1,833 (2/3 of $2,750). So your ex-spouse benefit would need to be higher than that amount for you to receive anything. Also, even if the GPO eliminates your current divorced spouse benefit, it's still worth filing because if your ex-spouse passes away first, survivor benefits have different calculation rules and might not be completely eliminated by GPO. The SSA representative should be able to run all these scenarios for you during your appointment. Don't let them rush you - make sure you understand all the numbers before you leave!