Can't reach Social Security Administration? Claimyr connects you to a live SSA agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the SSA
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the SSA drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Since no one's mentioned it yet, there's also an actual formula you can use to get a rough idea. Your Social Security benefit is based on your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME). If you have several zero years in your 35-year calculation: 1. Every $1,200 in additional annual earnings translates to about $1 more per month in benefits for the rest of your life So if you're earning $72,000 per year as you mentioned, and replacing zeros, that's potentially adding about $60 monthly to your benefit for each year worked ($72,000 ÷ $1,200 = $60). Over a 20-year retirement, that's about $28,800 in additional benefits for each extra year you work (not counting cost of living adjustments). This is simplified, but gives you a ballpark figure to compare against your work satisfaction and other factors.
Thank you for breaking it down like this! That makes it much clearer. So working those 2 additional years could potentially add around $120 to my monthly benefit, which is more significant than I thought. That definitely factors into my decision.
Another factor to consider is the delayed retirement credits if you're thinking about when to actually claim benefits. If you're planning to retire but wait until your Full Retirement Age to claim, you might also want to look into whether waiting even longer to claim (up to age 70) could make sense given your situation. Since you have those gaps in your work history, your benefit amount at FRA might be lower than someone with a full 35-year career. Delayed retirement credits give you an 8% increase per year for each year you delay claiming past your FRA up to age 70. So if your FRA benefit ends up being on the lower side due to those zero years, the delayed credits could be particularly valuable. You could potentially retire when you want, work part-time or consult if you need income, and still maximize your eventual Social Security benefit by waiting to claim. Just something else to factor into your overall retirement strategy!
This is really helpful to think about! I hadn't fully considered the delayed retirement credits angle. So if I understand correctly, I could retire from my current job now, maybe do some light consulting work that I actually enjoy, and then delay claiming Social Security until 70 to get that 8% yearly boost? That might be the best of both worlds - getting out of a job I don't love while still maximizing my eventual benefit. Do you know if there are any income limits on the consulting work that would affect this strategy?
Join the conversation
I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Applied in December for March benefits and my account just updated to show my first payment in May. It's so stressful when you're counting on that money. From reading everyone's responses here, it sounds like this is unfortunately the new normal with SSA processing times. I'm trying to stay positive that I'll get all the back benefits I'm owed in that first payment, but the waiting is really hard when you've planned your finances around a certain timeline. Has anyone here had experience with how accurate the payment dates are once they show up in your MySocialSecurity account? Like, if it says May, should I expect it to actually arrive in May or could there be more delays?
I'm in a similar boat - applied in November and just found out my first payment won't be until April instead of March like I expected. From what I've been reading here, it seems like once the payment date shows up in your MySocialSecurity account, it's usually pretty accurate. Most people are saying they got their payments when the system said they would, just with all the back pay included. I know the waiting is really tough when you're budgeting around that money! At least we're not alone in dealing with these delays - sounds like SSA is just completely overwhelmed right now.
I'm a newcomer here but dealing with a very similar situation! Applied for my Social Security retirement benefits in October 2024 with a January 2025 start date, and I'm still waiting for my first payment. My MySocialSecurity account keeps showing "processing" but no payment date yet. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - it sounds like these delays are unfortunately very common right now. I had no idea that SSA was experiencing such a backlog. I've been getting really anxious about whether something went wrong with my application, but it seems like many of you have gone through the same thing and eventually received all your back benefits. One question for those who've already been through this process - should I be concerned that my account still doesn't show a payment date, or is that normal too? I see some of you had payment dates appear in your accounts before the actual payments arrived. Just trying to figure out if I should start making phone calls or if patience is still the best approach at this point. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - it really helps to know we're not alone in dealing with these frustrating delays!
Join the conversation
After seeing the additional details, here's what you should know: Since your grandson's parents are alive (though unable to care for him), he likely wouldn't qualify for benefits on your record as a dependent grandchild. However, there's an important exception: if you've legally ADOPTED your grandson (not just conservatorship), then he could potentially qualify for benefits on your record. At that point, your wife could potentially qualify for child-in-care spousal benefits if your grandson is receiving benefits on your record. This is definitely a situation where you need to speak directly with SSA about your specific circumstances.
This is incredibly helpful information. Legal adoption is something we're considering anyway for stability reasons, so that might solve two problems at once. I'll definitely bring all this information to an appointment with SSA. Thank you!
Just want to add that if you do decide to pursue adoption, make sure to keep all your legal documentation organized - court orders, conservatorship papers, etc. When I dealt with SSA for family benefits, they wanted to see everything multiple times. Also, the adoption process can take months, so if you're considering it anyway for your grandson's stability, it might be worth starting that process sooner rather than later. In the meantime, definitely explore those state programs that were mentioned - sometimes there are kinship care benefits or relative caregiver programs that can provide support while you're navigating the federal benefits situation.
Great advice about keeping documentation organized! I'm already learning that SSA requires a lot of paperwork. We've been thinking about adoption for a while now anyway - this just gives us another good reason to move forward with it. Do you know if there are any specific forms or documentation SSA typically needs when evaluating these kinship situations? I want to make sure I have everything ready before I go in for the appointment.
Join the conversation
I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Applied in October for January benefits and my MySocialSecurity account is completely blank too. It's so frustrating that in 2025 we still have to wait for snail mail to get basic information about our own benefits. I've been checking my mailbox obsessively every day hoping for that award letter. At least now I know from reading everyone's responses that I should expect my first payment on the second Wednesday of February (my birthday is the 8th). Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know this is normal even though it's anxiety-inducing!
Welcome to the club! It's honestly reassuring to hear from someone else going through the exact same thing right now. The waiting and uncertainty is the worst part - I keep second-guessing whether I filled out my application correctly or if something went wrong. At least we both know what to expect now thanks to everyone's helpful responses. Fingers crossed we both get our award letters soon! Keep me posted if you hear anything - it would be nice to know if others in our situation start getting their letters around the same time.
I'm in a very similar boat - applied for benefits to start in January and my MySocialSecurity account shows absolutely nothing about payment amounts or schedules either. It's really frustrating that their online system is so outdated when we're trying to plan our finances around this income. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful though! Now I understand the payment timing (month behind schedule) and know to watch for that award letter. It's crazy that in 2025 we still have to rely on snail mail for such important financial information. Has anyone had luck calling the local SSA office directly instead of the main 1-800 number? I'm wondering if that might have shorter wait times.
I tried calling my local SSA office last month and had mixed results - sometimes they just redirect you to the main number anyway, but I did get through once after only about 45 minutes on hold compared to the hours-long waits on the 1-800 line. The local office was able to confirm my application was processed but couldn't give me the exact payment amount over the phone for security reasons. They said I'd still need to wait for the award letter or speak with someone from the main office who has access to the payment calculation system. It's worth trying though - at least you might get some confirmation that everything is moving along normally!
Emma Bianchi
I'm so sorry for your loss. I can completely understand your confusion about not seeing survivor benefit information on your mySocialSecurity account - this was exactly my concern when my spouse passed away two years ago. What I learned from going through this process is that the mySocialSecurity portal is really designed to show only your personal work history and retirement projections. Survivor benefits are calculated from your deceased spouse's earnings record, which exists in a separate part of their system that isn't accessible through the online portal. The fact that you already received the $255 lump-sum death payment is actually the key indicator that everything is properly set up. That payment can only be processed when SSA has successfully linked your husband's death record to your account in their system. So you can feel confident that when you're ready to apply for survivor benefits in the future, all the necessary information will be there. One thing I wish I had known earlier is that you might want to request a copy of your husband's Social Security Statement (Form SSA-7005) for your records. While you can't access it online, SSA can provide this to you as his widow, and it will show his complete earnings history that your survivor benefits will be calculated from. This can be helpful for your own financial planning, even though you won't need it until you actually apply for benefits. You're being very smart to get organized now while you have time to plan your claiming strategy. No need to torture yourself with their phone system until you're actually ready to apply!
0 coins
Landon Morgan
•That's really helpful advice about requesting a copy of his Social Security Statement! I hadn't thought about getting his earnings history for my own records, but you're absolutely right that it would be useful for financial planning. It would give me a better sense of what to expect when I do eventually apply for survivor benefits. Thank you for that practical tip - and for the reassurance that receiving the $255 payment means everything is properly linked in their system. It's such a relief to know I can focus on other things right now instead of worrying about potential issues with SSA's records.
0 coins
Avery Saint
I'm so sorry for your loss. I can understand your confusion - I went through something similar when my mom passed last year and I was helping my dad navigate the survivor benefits process. Just to echo what others have said, the mySocialSecurity portal really only shows your own personal benefits information. It's not designed to display survivor benefit eligibility or calculations, which is honestly pretty confusing for people going through this situation. Since you already received the $255 death benefit, that's actually proof that SSA has properly recorded your husband's death and linked it to your record in their system. That's the main thing you need to have in place. When you do eventually apply for survivor benefits (whether at 60 or later), you'll need to call or visit an office anyway since they don't allow online applications for survivor benefits. At that point, they'll pull up all the necessary records and calculate your benefit amount based on your husband's earnings history. You're smart to be thinking about this now even though you have several years before you'll need to make any decisions. It gives you time to understand your options and plan the optimal claiming strategy for your situation.
0 coins
QuantumQuester
•Thank you so much for sharing your experience helping your dad through this process. It's really comforting to hear from so many people who have been through similar situations and can confirm that this is totally normal. I feel like I have such a better understanding now of how the SSA system works - or doesn't work, in terms of their online portal! I'm grateful to have this community to turn to for guidance, especially since navigating government benefits can feel so overwhelming when you're already dealing with everything else that comes with losing a spouse. Thank you to everyone who has shared their knowledge and experiences here.
0 coins