To answer your most recent question: Yes, you will receive an award letter in the mail after you apply that will show your exact benefit amount and how it was calculated. This typically arrives 2-4 weeks after your application is processed. The letter will show your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), any delayed retirement credits, and your final monthly benefit amount. If you see any discrepancies or have questions about the calculation, you can call SSA for clarification after receiving this letter. I would recommend keeping this letter in a safe place for future reference since it contains the official record of your benefit calculation.

Just wanted to add - make sure you have all your documentation ready when you call! I'd recommend having your Social Security card, recent tax returns (especially if you've had 1099 income), and any previous benefit statements you can find. Also, if you do end up having trouble getting through on the phone, try calling right at 7 AM when they open - that's usually the best time to avoid the worst wait times. Tuesday through Thursday tend to be less busy than Mondays and Fridays. Good luck with your switch! It sounds like you made a smart decision waiting until 70 to maximize your benefits.

I'm so sorry to hear about your mother's declining health - that's such a difficult situation to navigate emotionally while also trying to manage practical concerns about your benefits. As a newcomer to this community, I've been reading through all the responses and I'm impressed by how knowledgeable and supportive everyone has been. The consensus is absolutely clear: your inheritance will have zero impact on your Social Security retirement benefits. It's completely separate from the earnings limit you're carefully tracking with your part-time job. What really stands out to me is how organized and thoughtful you're being about managing your benefits. The fact that you're already monitoring your work hours to stay under the $21,240 earnings limit shows you understand the system well. The inheritance is essentially "found money" that won't complicate any of that careful planning. I hope this thread has given you the peace of mind you were looking for during an already stressful time. It's one less thing to worry about as you focus on what's most important - spending time with your mother and supporting your family through this transition.

I'm so sorry to hear about your mother's health situation - my thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time. As a newcomer to this community, I've been reading through all the responses here and I'm amazed by how helpful and knowledgeable everyone has been. The consensus is absolutely clear: your inheritance will NOT affect your Social Security retirement benefits in any way. What really strikes me is how responsibly you're managing your benefits already. The fact that you're carefully tracking your part-time hours at the garden center to stay under the earnings limit shows you have a solid understanding of the system. That $125,000 inheritance is essentially a financial blessing that won't complicate any of your careful planning. I'm also facing the possibility of inheriting property from aging parents in the future, so this entire discussion has been incredibly educational for me. It's reassuring to know that inheritance money is completely separate from Social Security's earnings calculations. You can receive that inheritance with complete peace of mind knowing your monthly benefits will continue unchanged. Wishing you strength during this challenging time with your mother.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I think I'll try the online application first since my case is straightforward, but I'll leave plenty of time before my 70th birthday in case something goes wrong and I need to reach a real person. Having that Claimyr service as a backup option is reassuring too if I can't get through. I really appreciate all the different perspectives - it's given me a much clearer picture of what to expect!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this exact transition 18 months ago. I successfully switched from survivor benefits to my own retirement benefit at 70 using the online system. The key things that helped me: 1. I applied exactly 3 months before my 70th birthday as recommended 2. Had all my documents ready (even though they already had them on file) 3. Double-checked that I selected "I am currently receiving Social Security benefits" when prompted 4. Made sure to print the confirmation page with my receipt number The transition was seamless - my survivor benefits stopped automatically the month my retirement benefits began, with no gap in payments. My first retirement payment was about $1,100 more than my survivor benefit, so waiting until 70 was definitely worth it. One tip: after you submit, you can check the status of your application online through your mySocialSecurity account. I checked mine weekly just for peace of mind. The whole process took about 6 weeks from application to first retirement payment. Good luck with your switch - it sounds like you've done your homework and will see a nice increase in your monthly benefit!

Just wanted to add my experience - we were in almost the same boat last year. Wife is 14 months younger than me. What we decided was for me to take benefits at my FRA (66+8mo) so she could start collecting spousal right when she hit her FRA. Made more sense for our situation than waiting for those extra delayed credits. Every month we both collected was better than waiting for a slightly bigger check down the road. Run the numbers for your specific situation!

One thing that might help with your decision is to calculate the breakeven point. If you're both in good health, delaying might still make sense for the survivor benefit protection, but if you need the income now or have health concerns, claiming at FRA could be better. Also double-check if your wife has enough work credits for her own Social Security - sometimes people assume they need spousal benefits when their own benefit might actually be higher. The SSA estimator tool can help you compare scenarios, but definitely get official confirmation from SSA before making your final choice.

As someone who recently started navigating Social Security while still working, this entire discussion has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm not quite at retirement age yet, but I'm already planning ahead since I do some freelance work that I'd like to continue. One thing that really stands out to me from all these responses is how important it is to get accurate information directly from SSA rather than relying on assumptions or even well-meaning advice from friends and family. It seems like there are a lot of misconceptions out there about how the earnings limit works. I'm curious - for those of you who have successfully managed to stay under the earnings limit while doing consulting work, do you find it's better to be conservative with your income projections, or do you try to maximize earnings right up to the limit? I imagine there's some strategy involved in terms of timing projects and managing cash flow throughout the year. Also, has anyone dealt with situations where clients pay late or project timelines shift unexpectedly? It seems like that could make it really challenging to accurately predict annual earnings, especially for the SSA reporting requirements that were mentioned. Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences here - this is exactly the kind of real-world guidance that's so hard to find elsewhere!

This has been such a comprehensive and helpful discussion! As someone who's about to face a similar situation in the next year or two, I really appreciate everyone sharing their real-world experiences with the earnings limit while doing consulting work. One thing I wanted to add that might be helpful - I recently attended a Social Security workshop through our local senior center, and the presenter emphasized the importance of understanding the monthly earnings test in addition to the annual limit. For 2025, if you're under FRA the entire year, you can earn up to $1,993 per month without affecting your benefits, regardless of your annual total. This monthly test can sometimes be more favorable if your consulting income is uneven throughout the year. For example, if you have a big project that pays $15,000 in one month but then don't work for several months, the monthly test might protect more of your benefits than just looking at the annual limit. It's worth understanding both rules since SSA applies whichever is more favorable to you. Also, I wanted to second the advice about keeping meticulous records. Even if you're confident about staying under the limit, having detailed documentation makes everything so much smoother if questions ever come up. Thanks again to everyone who shared their insights - this is exactly the kind of practical guidance that's invaluable for people navigating these complex rules!