After reviewing your numbers more carefully, I'm concerned about your estimate of $3,800 at age 70. That would be an unusually high benefit (it's above the maximum benefit even for someone who earned at the taxable maximum their entire career). The maximum benefit for someone retiring at age 70 in 2025 is projected to be around $4,873, but that's only for people who earned at or above the maximum taxable amount for 35+ years. I strongly recommend creating an account at my.ssa.gov if you haven't already, so you can see your actual projected benefits based on your work history. This will help you make a more informed decision.

Based on your corrected estimate of $2,850 at age 70 vs. $1,425 spousal benefit now, waiting still makes financial sense IF you can afford to. The break-even point would be around age 82-83. If you expect to live beyond that age (which statistics suggest is likely), waiting to claim your own benefit would give you more lifetime income. However, if immediate income is essential, taking reduced benefits now might be necessary despite the long-term financial penalty. Personal circumstances sometimes outweigh optimal claiming strategies. No shame in that - we all have to work with real-world constraints.

One thing I want to add that hasn't been mentioned: if you're still working when you claim survivor benefits before your FRA (between 60-67), be aware of the earnings limit. For 2025, if you earn more than $22,800 (approximately - this changes yearly), your benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn above that limit. The earnings limit no longer applies once you reach your full retirement age. This is important to factor into your decision about when to claim survivor benefits, especially if you plan to continue working full-time. Sometimes it makes more sense to wait until either you're no longer working or until your FRA to avoid this reduction.

In my experience the SSA makes so many mistakes!!! When my husband died, they told me I wasn't eligible for anything because I was only 48. Then years later my friend told me I should have been getting benefits for our teenage son who was still in high school! By then it was too late to claim the back payments we missed out on. I'd recommend reading everything you can and maybe even talk to a financial advisor who specializes in social security before making any decisions. Don't just rely on what one SSA rep tells you.

my dad had something like this happen but with his part D premium not part B. eventually he got a lump sum back but took like 4 months. frustrating system.

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone yesterday using the Claimyr service that was recommended. It worked surprisingly well - I was connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of hours on hold. The agent confirmed there was a refund request in their system but it was stuck in some processing queue. They escalated it and promised I should see the refund in my November payment. I'm not holding my breath based on everyone's experiences, but at least I know it's in their system! I also confirmed they've stopped taking out the Part B premium going forward, so that's something. Will update again when/if I get my refund. Thanks everyone for your help!

just wondering - did you file taxes recently? sometimes they adjust benefits after getting updated income info from the irs

Update us when you find out what it was for! It will help others who might experience the same thing in the future.

The most important thing to remember is that retirement benefits and SSI are totally different programs with different rules. Since your husband was 66 (his FRA) when he started collecting, he's definitely on retirement benefits. Those are based solely on his work record and are completely unaffected by marriage or your current income. You might also want to look into filing strategies when you reach retirement age. Depending on your earnings records, it might make sense for you to claim a spousal benefit if it's higher than your own retirement benefit would be. The SSA doesn't always explain all your options, so it's worth researching to maximize your household benefits.

i had something simlar happn but it was bcause i was on SSI not retirment. SSI is the one that gets reduced when u marry someone with income. reglar social secrity retirement stays the same no matter who u marry or how rich they are. my uncle married a really rich lady and still gets his full SS check every month lol

Does anybody know if changing your withholding affects your Medicare premium too? I'm confused about how all this works together.

Just to update everyone on the timeline: once you submit the new W-4V form, it typically takes the SSA about 4-6 weeks to process the change. The new withholding rate will apply to payments after processing is complete. If you're concerned about owing taxes for 2025, you could also make quarterly estimated tax payments directly to the IRS to supplement your withholding until the new rate kicks in.

This is why the SS system is so frustrating. Your getting a bigger benefit because your husband never claimed but if he had filed early and then died you would get less! Makes no sense to me. Meanwhile people like my sister who's husband claimed early then died get stuck with reduced benefits forever. The whole system needs an overhaul.

Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I'm feeling much more confident about my upcoming appointment now. I'll be sure to specifically ask about receiving 100% of what would have been his FRA amount and mention the widow's limit provision. One last question - will I need to give up my current benefit completely, or will they just pay me the difference between my current benefit and his FRA amount?

I remember when my dad had this EXACT problem after my mom passed. Everyone here is giving good advice, but I want to add: SAVE COPIES OF EVERYTHING. My dad had to submit his proof THREE TIMES before they finally fixed it. The SSA is terrible about losing documents. If you mail anything, send it certified mail so you have proof they received it!

Update: Just wanted to report back that I got my Medicare premium issue resolved! I finally got through to SSA (took three attempts), and the representative confirmed this was a duplicate billing situation. They filed an adjustment request, and I received the refunded premiums in my next month's payment. They also switched my Medicare billing to come directly from my monthly survivor benefits going forward, which is much more convenient. Thanks to everyone for your advice - especially the tip about specifically asking for a "Medicare premium billing adjustment" - the agent knew exactly what I meant!

To clarify a technical point about your situation: What you're planning is completely allowed under current Social Security rules. Since the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, restrictions were placed on spousal benefit strategies, but survivor benefits still allow this approach. The specific rule that helps you is that you can apply for either your retirement or your survivor benefit first and then switch to the other later if it results in a higher benefit. This is explicitly permitted in the Social Security POMS (Program Operations Manual System) under section GN 00204.020. By taking your reduced retirement benefit now and switching to your survivor benefit at FRA, you're maximizing your lifetime benefits. It's a smart approach in your situation.

Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I feel much more confident about my plan now. I'm going to try to reach SSA to start my retirement benefit now, and then make sure to contact them 3 months before my FRA to initiate the switch to survivor benefits. I'll also be sure to document everything carefully along the way. I appreciate all your suggestions and experiences - it's made this whole process much less intimidating!

You dont have to notify them monthly of your earnings like some people think. You can just call once and tell them your ESTIMATED earnings for the year. But do it ASAP!! They'll adjust your benefits accordingly. Then at tax time when they see your actual earnings they'll reconcile the difference. And yes definitely take the job! $78k is waaaaay more than you'd get from SS even with the penalty.

To answer your specific question about restarting benefits - it's actually quite simple. When you're truly ready to retire, you just contact SSA (preferably 2-3 months before you want benefits to restart) and tell them you've stopped working or your earnings will be under the limit. There's a simple form to complete (SSA-795). The real financial advantage is that at your Full Retirement Age (66+10mo assuming you were born in 1959), SSA will automatically recalculate your benefit amount to give you credit for all the months benefits were withheld due to excess earnings. This effectively increases your monthly payment going forward. So yes, take the job, notify SSA immediately of your expected 2025 earnings, understand your benefits will be withheld, but know you'll get credit for those months later.