btw when u apply make sure u list EVERY single thing wrong with u not just the main problem. my claim was denied when i only talked about my back but got approved when i listed everything (diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, etc). they look at the COMBINED effect of all ur health problems!

One more thing to consider about your situation: If your husband's SSDI benefit is very low, it might be because not all of your business income was properly credited to his earnings record during those years you filed jointly. Self-employment income is reported on Schedule SE, and sometimes small business owners don't complete this correctly. It might be worth having a Social Security representative review his earnings record to ensure all income was properly credited. If there are errors, you can request corrections with proof of tax filings. The same goes for your own record during the 6 years you've been filing - make sure you're completing Schedule SE correctly so your self-employment earnings count toward your Social Security credits.

my mom had this problem to. she worked part time at walmart and had to pay back like $5000 to social security. its so confusing bc then at her FRA they did increase her payment but only by like $50 a month. so it will take her years to get back what they took!! but your probly fine at the garden place since your under the limit. just dont pickup any extra shifts lol

watch out theres actually 2 different earnings limits depending what year ur talking about. the year u reach FRA its higher (like $59k) but before that its the lower one. also they look at gross earnings not what u take home after taxes just fyi

One more thing to consider - make absolutely sure you understand how changing your start date might affect other aspects of your benefits. For example: 1. Medicare enrollment might be affected if that was part of your application 2. If you're still working, the retroactive payments could put you over the annual earnings limit for 2025 if you're under FRA for the full year 3. Tax implications - getting retroactive payments might bump you into a higher tax bracket for this year None of these are reasons not to proceed, but you should be aware of the potential implications. I recommend making a list of specific questions about these issues to ask when you do connect with an SSA representative.

Have you tried contacting your Congressional representative's office? They often have staff specifically for helping with federal agency issues like Social Security problems. My aunt had an SSA problem that dragged on for months until she contacted her representative's office, and then it was resolved within a week.

Based on your pension amount of $2,400, you're correct that GPO would completely offset your spousal benefits. In this specific situation, withdrawing your application would make no practical difference for your current benefits. However, there's one important consideration: if your ex-spouse passes away, you could become eligible for survivor benefits, which work differently under GPO. Survivor benefits might still be partially payable even with your pension offset. In that scenario, having your application date established earlier might be advantageous. My recommendation would be to leave your application as is since you won't receive spousal benefits either way, but the established application date could be useful in the future.

Just wondering - have u checked if your pension plan is one of the ones exempt from GPO? My friend worked for a school district in a state where they paid into Social Security AND their pension, and she didn't get hit with GPO. Might be worth double checking?

my cousin works for social security and she says people get this wrong all the time! definitely worth checking

One more important point: If you find you are eligible for a small survivor benefit after the GPO reduction, you should know that you would receive your own benefit PLUS the additional survivor amount. You don't have to choose one or the other - if your survivor benefit after GPO would be higher than your current benefit, you'd receive your current benefit plus the difference. This is why it's definitely worth having SSA do the calculation.

pensions are so confusing lol my dads getting social security and something from his old job but hes always complaining about wep reducing his benefits, maybe this will help him too

One important detail for the original poster: make sure your husband's work record is fully accurate with Social Security. With the new legislation, every year of "substantial earnings" under Social Security could potentially increase his benefit under the new formula. If he had any years where earnings weren't properly reported or if he had multiple employers in a single year, it might be worth reviewing his earnings record in his my Social Security account to ensure everything is correct before the recalculations begin.

I tried calling SSA to ask about something similar and couldn't get through after 3 DAYS of trying!!! Their phone system is USELESS!!! Kept saying "high call volume" and disconnecting me. WHAT A JOKE! If you're really considering this strategy you NEED to talk to an actual SSA rep to understand all the implications, not just random internet strangers!

has anyone done the math on this? like actually calculated if you come out ahead? I mean, if you take $2,450 x 12 = $29,400 for the year then have to pay back based on the formula ($110,000 - $22,320) / 2 = $43,840 you'd owe more than you received? am i missing something?

I'm so confused about all this tax stuff everyone's talking about. I thought this was just about whether SS payments would go down? Now I'm worried about taxes too. Does anyone know if you have to TELL Social Security when you sell your house?

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I feel much better knowing that selling my house won't reduce my monthly SS benefit amount. I understand I might have some tax considerations, but since I'm well under the $250,000 capital gains exclusion, even that shouldn't be a big issue. I really appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge and experiences!

One thing no one has mentioned yet - BRING DOCUMENTATION when you apply! You'll need your marriage certificate AND divorce decree. My sister didn't have her divorce papers when she went in for her appointment and they made her reschedule. Complete waste of time. Also, they'll probably ask for your ex's Social Security number. If you don't have it, they can usually find him in their system with his full name and date of birth.

To address your calculator question specifically - while there's no dedicated calculator for divorced spouse benefits, you can get a rough estimate. 1. Use the SSA's Quick Calculator to estimate what your ex-spouse's benefit would be at his FRA: https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/quickcalc/ 2. Take 50% of that amount 3. Compare it to your current benefit 4. The difference (if his 50% is higher) is approximately what you'd receive But there are reduction factors if you claim before your FRA. Since you're already receiving your own reduced benefit at 62, the calculations get complex. This is why speaking directly with SSA is important - they have access to both earning records and can calculate the exact amount.

has anyone actually seen the regulations about this? my sister says this whole january thing isnt actually a rule and her first check included all her drcs right away. but she filed like 10 years ago so maybe they changed the rules?

I just got off the phone with an SSA representative (after a very long wait), and she confirmed what most of you have said. My initial benefit will include DRCs through December 2024, and the 2025 DRCs will be applied in January 2026 with retroactive adjustment. She suggested I could delay filing until January 2026 if I want to avoid the two-step process, but assured me I won't lose any money either way. Thanks everyone for your help with this!