Those embassy people are USELESS!!! I tried for 5 months last year. Calling, emailing, online forms - NOTHING worked! Ended up hiring a lawyer in the US who specializes in expat SS issues. Cost me $600 but got it done in 3 weeks. Sometimes you just gotta pay to get past the government roadblocks 🤬

I forgot to mention in my earlier reply - make sure you're very clear about your direct deposit information. If you want deposits to a Philippine bank, there are only a few banks SSA will work with directly (like PNB). Otherwise, you might need to maintain a US bank account. This tripped up several friends of mine during their application process.

One additional document to consider is the "ANYPIA" calculation (Average Indexed Monthly Earnings calculation). This shows the detailed formula used to determine your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). What complicates your situation is coordinating between your own benefit and the potential spousal benefit. Here's what many people don't realize: if you take your own benefit early at 62, and later become eligible for a spousal benefit when your husband files at 70, your spousal benefit will be reduced because you took your own benefit early. This is why getting these calculations done professionally is so important in your specific situation. The difference could potentially be tens of thousands of dollars over your lifetime.

When I was planning my retirement, I found it helpful to make a list of specific questions before my SSA appointment. Make sure to ask: 1. What's my retirement benefit at 62, 63, FRA, and 70? 2. What would my spousal benefit be at each of those ages? 3. How does my husband delaying until 70 affect my spousal benefit? 4. What happens to my benefit if I switch from my own to spousal later? 5. How does continued work affect these calculations? Bring a notepad and write down everything they tell you. I found the representatives helpful but they sometimes skip details if you don't specifically ask.

I'm confused about something - Does the husband's age matter when collecting survivor benefits? Like if the wife dies at 70 but the husband is only 65, does he get reduced benefits or the full amount? The SSA website is SO confusing about this!!!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! This has really clarified things for me. I'm definitely going to stick with my plan to delay until 70 since it seems like the best way to protect my husband if I die first. The 8% per year increase is substantial, and knowing that even if I die before 70, he'd still get the prorated increase for however many months I've delayed past 67 gives me peace of mind. I'll make sure my husband understands he needs to apply for survivor benefits when the time comes and that his age matters for the calculation too. I appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge and experiences!

my aunt did this exact thing lol said I could decide who gets what and her kids haven't spoken to me in 3 years now... not worth it trust me

Regarding the Medicare premium impact - your concern is valid. The house sale proceeds could potentially push you into a higher IRMAA bracket for 2 years. However, you might qualify for an IRMAA reduction if you can demonstrate a "life-changing event" that reduced your income after the sale year. Valid life-changing events include: - Work reduction/stoppage - Marriage/divorce/widowhood - Loss of income-producing property due to disaster - Loss of pension income If any of these apply to you in the year after the home sale, file Form SSA-44 to request an IRMAA reduction. You'll need documentation of both the event and your reduced income.

One important note: while your wife can earn delayed retirement credits up to age 70, she should consider filing a restricted application for spousal benefits only (if you're already receiving your retirement) while continuing to let her own benefit grow. This strategy is only available to people born before January 2, 1954, but it allows her to receive some benefits now while still earning DRCs on her own record. Worth checking if she qualifies based on her birthdate.

Thanks for all the helpful responses everyone. I've shown my wife this thread and she now understands how the delayed retirement credits work. We've decided she'll file in April 2025 as planned, and now she's not worried about missing out on any increases. Really appreciate the clear explanations!

Thank you all so much for your helpful advice! I've decided to move forward with taking my own benefits now at 62, and then switching to the survivor benefits when I reach my FRA. I'm going to be very explicit with SSA that I'm ONLY applying for retirement benefits now. I'll also make sure to have all documentation ready and possibly use that Claimyr service if I have trouble reaching someone. This group has been incredibly helpful - much clearer than anything I could find on the SSA website!

Sounds like a solid plan! Just remember that if you're still working while collecting early retirement benefits, you'll be subject to the earnings test until you reach your FRA (around $21,240/year for 2025 as someone mentioned). Good luck with everything!

I just realized my cousin had the exact same FRA as you - 66 and 10 months! What a coincidence. Anyway he also worried about the same thing but it all worked out fine for him after FRA.

One important technical point no one has mentioned yet: When you reach FRA, SSA also recalculates your benefit amount to restore some of the benefits that were withheld due to earnings limits before FRA. So not only do the limits end at FRA, but you eventually get credit for some of those earlier reductions. The formula is complex, but it essentially increases your monthly benefit to account for months when benefits were withheld.

While everyone has correctly noted that you'll get the COLA increase in January regardless of when you started receiving benefits, there's another important point worth mentioning: the actual COLA percentage isn't arbitrary - it's based on the CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers) from the third quarter of the previous year. The SSA calculates the percentage increase by comparing Q3 (July, August, September) of the current year to Q3 of the previous year. That's why the announcement always comes in October after they have all the September data. So while we don't know what the 2026 COLA will be yet, if inflation stays at current levels, you might expect something in the 2-3% range, which would increase your $2,450 benefit by approximately $49-$74 per month starting in January 2026.

btw does anyone know when the payments hit your account? my retirement starts in december and im trying to figure out when ill get paid

Also - make sure you understand the month of birthday rule. The earnings test works a bit differently in the year you reach Full Retirement Age. In the year you reach FRA, the limit is much higher ($59,520 for 2025) and they only count earnings before the month you reach FRA. And they only reduce benefits $1 for every $3 (not $2) you earn over that higher limit.

When i started SS last year i had to quit my good payin job and find something with less hours cause of this stupid rule!! I'm still MAD they dont explain this stuff better!

my cousin did that thing where she took survivor benefits at 60 then switched to her own at 70 and gets way more now than if she had just stuck with one. but u gotta run the numbers cuz its different for everybody

I wanted to follow up on my experience. After using Claimyr to get through to SSA, I was able to schedule an appointment for the following week. At the appointment, the SSA representative ran calculations based on both my record and my late husband's. They provided estimates for different claiming strategies - taking survivors now vs. later. I never needed the full earnings record after all, just the documentation others mentioned here. The whole process was much smoother once I actually got the appointment scheduled.