BTW if your mom gets SS and you help her with managing it make sure you dont deposit her checks into your account even temporarily! My friend did that and SSA accused him of stealing his moms benefits even tho he was just helping her pay bills!!

one thing nobody mentioned - if you do go with joint accounts and your mom passes away while your name is on there, depending on your state the money might bypass probate and go directly to you. could cause drama with siblings if you have any! just something to think about

tbh i dont even bother with the online stuff anymore. its always broken or giving errors. i just go in person to my local office even if i have to wait. at least i KNOW ill talk to a person that way

UPDATE: Problem solved! I finally got through to an agent using the Claimyr service that was suggested. Turns out my middle initial issue was only part of the problem. The agent found that my address had an extra space in it in one system but not the other. She fixed both issues and walked me through resetting my online access. I can now log in with no problems! Thank you everyone for your help - especially the Claimyr recommendation. Saved me so much time and frustration.

One thing nobody has mentioned: if your husband exceeds the annual earnings limit, SSA withholds benefits at the rate of $1 for every $2 earned above the limit. For 2025, the annual limit is approximately $22,320 (they adjust for inflation each year). Since he's earning $28,000 through May, that exceeds the annual limit by about $5,680, which would mean approximately $2,840 in benefits might be withheld. However, if he qualifies for the monthly earnings test in his first year of retirement, this won't apply as long as he earns under the monthly limit (about $1,860) in the months he's receiving benefits. Also worth noting: once he reaches FRA, they'll recalculate his benefits and give him credit for months they withheld benefits, potentially increasing his monthly amount going forward.

WHATEVER U DO, keep copies of EVERYTHING! my friend lost all his paperwork showing when he stopped working and SSA made him pay back like $9000!!! they claimed he was working all year when he wasnt!

wait i'm confused now...if she already turned 66 can she still get the full amount for survivor benefits? i thought FRA for survivors was 66? or is it different for different years you were born?

I called SSA this morning and spoke with a representative who confirmed most of what you all have said. The 6-month retroactive benefit IS available for survivor benefits even before FRA, but you DO need to specifically request it during application. She calculated that my reduction would be about 4% for claiming 10 months early, which seems worth it to me to get those extra months of benefits. I'm going to proceed with filing in August when I turn 66 and will definitely request the retroactive benefits. Thank you all for your help!

Update: She called SSA this morning right when they opened (thank you all for that tip!) and was able to get through after about a 20-minute wait. The representative was actually very understanding and said the 4-day timeframe is just their standard language, but they'd be happy to give her more time to gather complete information. She provided the contact details for her primary doctors and specialists, and they're giving her until next Friday to submit any additional information she remembers. The rep also explained they'll be contacting her doctors directly for the actual medical records. Thank you all for the advice and reassurance! We're still considering whether to get an attorney at this stage. She has very clear medical evidence of her disability, but I've heard the process can be complicated regardless.

Great update! One thing I learned the hard way: keep a disability journal!!! Write down EVERY doctor visit, medication change, bad day, symptom flare, etc. It helps SO MUCH when they ask for these random details months later. I got denied partly because I couldn't remember exact dates of certain procedures and treatments, and the SSA claimed that meant I wasn't receiving "regular treatment" (even though I was!). Also - has she listed ALL her conditions on her application? My biggest mistake was only listing my main condition but not including my secondary conditions that also affect my ability to work.

To give you a concrete example of how this works: Let's say you receive $20,000 in Social Security benefits for the year. Your pension is $30,000. Unemployment is $10,000. To calculate how much of your SS is taxable: 1. Take half your SS: $10,000 2. Add that to your other income: $10,000 + $30,000 + $10,000 = $50,000 3. This is over $34,000, so up to 85% of your benefits may be taxable The actual calculation then gets complex (using worksheets in IRS Pub 915), but in this scenario, you'd likely have 85% of your SS ($17,000) included in your MAGI. So your MAGI for IRMAA would be approximately $57,000 ($30,000 pension + $10,000 unemployment + $17,000 taxable SS). Then you need to determine how much you can withdraw from your IRA before hitting the first IRMAA threshold.

Yes, that's correct based on the example numbers. With a MAGI of $57,000 before any IRA withdrawal, you could potentially withdraw up to about $46,000 before hitting the first IRMAA threshold of $103,000 for an individual. Just remember two important things: 1. These IRMAA thresholds are adjusted each year for inflation, so the exact numbers might change slightly. 2. The IRMAA determination for 2026 will be based on your 2024 income (the 2-year lookback), so the planning you're doing now is for your Medicare premiums two years from now. It's smart to stay just under the threshold if possible, as even $1 over can trigger the full surcharge amount for the year.

Please update us after you speak with SSA! I'd like to know what happened in your case as it might help others in similar situations. The disabled widow benefit conversion makes the most sense, but the lack of notice and reduction in benefits is concerning. Document everything during your call - representative's name, date/time, and what they tell you about the conversion and your options moving forward.

my mom got switched from SSI to disabled widoes benefits and got EXTRA money but also got medicare too. maybe check if u got medicare now cuz that worth something too even if money went down a little

I just remembered something important! My mom had to specifically REQUEST the RIB-LIM calculation when she was talking to SSA. The first person she talked to had no idea what she was asking about, but when she got a supervisor they knew exactly what to do. Print out the info from that POMS section the expert mentioned above and bring it with you!

One last thing I'd add - make sure you gather all necessary documents before applying: 1. Your ex-husband's death certificate 2. Your marriage certificate 3. Your divorce decree 4. Your ID and Social Security card 5. If possible, information about his earnings record/benefit amount Also, when you apply, make it clear you're applying as a disabled divorced widow. This is a special category, and not all SSA representatives are equally familiar with the rules. If you get pushback or contradictory information, politely ask to speak with a Technical Expert who specializes in survivor benefits. Good luck! This could mean a significant increase in your monthly income.

make sure u list ALL ur symptoms not just the main ones!! my nephew got approved faster cuz he included everything even the brain fog and fatigue not just the physical stuff

That's a really good point - I do have significant fatigue and cognitive issues from both the RA and the medications. Some days the brain fog is actually more limiting than the joint pain. I'll definitely make sure to document all of these effects.

my frend at church went thru this exact thing,,, she got widows benifits for 5 yrs then switched to her own at 67 and got an extra $329 every month!!! definatly fill out that withdraw form asap!!!!

Based on the benefit amounts you shared ($3,100 for your own at 70 vs $2,400 for survivor at FRA), I can confirm your advisor's strategy makes sense. Taking survivor benefits now and switching to your own at 70 would maximize your lifetime benefits. Just one more important point: since you haven't received any payments yet, your withdrawal should be processed without requiring any repayment. Make sure you submit both the withdrawal form AND a new application for survivor benefits at the same time to minimize any gap in processing. And don't worry - this type of correction is exactly why the withdrawal provision exists. You haven't made any permanent mistake here.