In answer to whether there's any advantage to filing early in your situation - it really depends on several factors: 1) Your wife's life expectancy (health status, family history) 2) How much lower her PIA is compared to yours 3) Your immediate cash flow needs 4) Your investment options for the early benefits Generally, if your wife's benefit is substantially lower than yours and you're confident you'll live past 80, having her wait until FRA often makes more mathematical sense. The break-even point is usually around age 78-82. Also, remember that if you pass away before she does, she can switch to your higher benefit as a survivor at that point regardless of when she initially filed.

@user8 - COLA adjustments are percentage-based, so a smaller benefit gets a smaller dollar increase, while a larger benefit gets a larger dollar increase. The percentage is the same. So waiting for a larger benefit actually provides better inflation protection in terms of absolute dollars. @OP - One other consideration: If your wife has a lower life expectancy or health concerns, taking benefits at 62 might make sense despite the reduction. But if she's in good health with family longevity, waiting would likely provide more lifetime income, especially if you predecease her and she switches to survivor benefits.

my neighbor got a weird payment turned out it was backpay for her disabled son who just got approved. do u have any other claims or dependents on ur record?

Based on all the information you've shared, I strongly suspect this is related to the earnings test recalculation. Since you mentioned working part-time in 2023 but earning less than you initially estimated, this is almost certainly an adjustment payment. Here's what happens: When you work while receiving benefits before FRA, SSA withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 earned above the annual limit (which was $21,240 in 2023). They initially use your earnings estimate, but once your actual earnings are reported via W-2 forms, they recalculate. If you earned less than estimated, you get back some of the withheld benefits as a lump sum. Still worth confirming with SSA, but this is very likely what happened in your case.

To address your latest question - yes, you could structure your work seasonally. The earnings test can be applied monthly during your first year of retirement. So if you have some months where you don't work at all (defined as earning less than $1,860/month and working under 45 hours), you can receive full benefits for those specific months, even if you exceed the annual limit. This is called the Monthly Earnings Test and only applies during your first year of retirement. After that, they switch to the Annual Earnings Test regardless of which months you work. Many seasonal workers use this strategy successfully. Just document everything carefully - hours worked, income received, and which months you provided no services to your business.

about the medicare premiums thing. when my dad started collecting SS they automatically refunded his medicare payments that he had already made. took about 6 weeks after his first SS check for the refund to show up. so dont worry about that part.

Question - did your brother already sign up for Medicare? Because that's a separate thing from SS retirement and he should keep that even if he withdraws the retirement application.

Just to follow up on your question about penalties or waiting periods - there are NO penalties for withdrawing before payments begin. He can reapply at any time. The only limitation is that if he had started receiving payments, he would only get one withdrawal opportunity in his lifetime. But since he's still in processing and hasn't received any money, this withdrawal won't count against that limit.

OMG my friend did her survivor benefits call during a doctors waiting room and regretted it SO MUCH!!!! They ask about income and bank accounts and all kinds of personal stuff. Everyone could hear her! Plus she was stressed and forgot some important details about her husbands work history. Just reschedule!!!

I just want to clarify a couple of technical points that have been mentioned in this thread: 1. For survivor benefits, the SSA will need to verify your marriage duration (minimum 9 months in most cases) and confirm your husband's work credits. 2. You mentioned already applying for SSDI. If you're approved for both benefits, you'll receive the higher of the two amounts, not both. This is called the "dual entitlement rule." 3. If you reschedule, it shouldn't affect your payment start date - survivor benefits can be paid retroactively from your application date. 4. During the call, they'll likely review any potential Medicare enrollment if you're under 65 and qualifying for SSDI. I recommend rescheduling for a time when you can be fully present. While they may already have some information from your disability application, the survivor benefits process has its own specific requirements, and you'll want to be mentally sharp to ensure everything is processed correctly.

For your Social Security application, you'll need: - Birth certificate (original or certified copy) - Social Security card or number - Most recent W-2 or tax return - Direct deposit information (bank routing and account numbers) - Marriage certificate if applying for spousal benefits - Military discharge papers if you served For Medicare, you'll need similar documentation plus information about any current health coverage. When shopping for Plan G, make sure you understand that while the coverage is standardized, the PRICES vary significantly between insurance companies for identical coverage. Get multiple quotes!

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice! I'm going to apply for Medicare Parts A & B immediately, then get my Part D within the 63-day window, and apply for Social Security in July for my November FRA. I really appreciate all the timeline clarification and document requirements - this has been so much clearer than anything I found on the SSA website!

Your brother-in-law's wife's age doesn't affect his spousal benefit calculation. The spousal benefit is based on her PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), which is the benefit amount she would receive at her full retirement age. Since SSDI benefits are equal to 100% of the PIA, her being on SSDI is equivalent to her being FRA for benefit calculation purposes. If they're dealing with a serious illness like MS, they should also consider how her condition might affect their joint life expectancy planning. Sometimes taking benefits earlier makes more sense in these situations, even with the reduction.

Thank you all for the really helpful information. I'm going to share all these insights with my brother-in-law so he can make an informed decision. It sounds like waiting those 14 months would be ideal if he can swing it financially, but I better understand the tradeoffs now. I appreciate everyone taking the time to explain!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I just spoke with my husband and showed him all this information. We're going to apply this week but make sure his start date is set for April when he reaches FRA. So grateful for the warning about making sure they don't backdate his application - we wouldn't have thought of that! It's such a relief to know he can continue his part-time schedule without worrying about penalties. The Social Security website makes this all seem so much more complicated than it needed to be.

The REAL problem here is that Social Security's rules are needlessly complicated and their website explains things terribly. I had to read books and hire a financial advisor just to figure out the best way to claim. And don't even get me started on their calculators...

what about if your kinda separated but still married? my friend is getting ss now but shes been separated 20 years but never got divorced lol

One more tip - I learned this the hard way. If you're going to collect on an ex-spouse's record, make sure you specifically mention this when you apply. I assumed SSA would automatically check all my options, but they don't always do that. I had to go back and specifically request they check my eligibility for ex-spouse benefits, which delayed my payments by months.

about the medicaid thing my sister lost medicaid when she got more ssdi but then 2 months later got medicare. she said medicare works at most doctors now so maybe its not as bad as you think??

One thing no one has mentioned - you should check if your state has a "Medicaid spend-down" program (sometimes called Medically Needy). This allows people with higher incomes to qualify for Medicaid if they have high medical expenses. Essentially, you "spend down" your income to the eligibility level by incurring medical expenses. This might be an option during the Medicare waiting period. Regarding the ABLE account, even without SSI asset restrictions, it still provides tax advantages that a regular savings account doesn't. Earnings grow tax-free when used for qualified disability expenses. Think of it like a 529 college savings plan, but for disability expenses.