does anyone know if theres a form you can fill out for this instead of calling?? i hate talking on the phone lol

OP - just checking in. Were you able to get this resolved? Any updates to share with the group?

Thank you all for such helpful information! I've learned so much: - IRA withdrawals won't affect the earnings test (big relief) - We can use the monthly rule for my wife's first year of retirement - We should expect 85% of our SS to be taxable (not great news) - We might want to reconsider having my wife claim early We'll definitely sit down with a financial advisor to optimize our strategy. The suggestion about her waiting until FRA or even 70 is interesting - I hadn't considered the survivor benefit angle. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences!

Welcome to the community! I'm new here but wanted to share something that might help with your tax situation. Since you mentioned being concerned about having 85% of your SS benefits taxed with your planned income levels, you might want to look into tax-loss harvesting from any taxable investment accounts you have, or consider timing your IRA withdrawals more strategically. For example, instead of taking $60K annually from IRAs, you could take larger withdrawals in years when you have lower income (maybe due to medical expenses or other deductions) and smaller withdrawals in years when your income is already high. This could help manage which tax bracket you're in each year. Also, if you have any charitable giving plans, qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) directly from your IRA to charity after age 70.5 can count toward your required minimum distributions but won't be included in your taxable income - which could help reduce that combined income calculation for SS taxation. Just some thoughts from someone who's been researching similar strategies for my own retirement planning!

I thought the earnings limit was like $19k? Did it go up for 2025? I need to double check if I'm calculating right for next year...

Great question! I'm in a similar boat at 64 and found myself doing this exact calculation last month. One thing that helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to model different income scenarios. A few additional considerations that might help: - Don't forget about state taxes if applicable - they can add another layer to the effective rate reduction - Consider timing - if you're planning to work past FRA anyway, the recalculation benefit @Atticus mentioned becomes more valuable - Your part-time work might also be increasing your future SS benefit if these are among your highest 35 earning years For the missing earnings years, definitely prioritize fixing that ASAP. I had two missing years from the 1990s that took about 4 months to correct, but it increased my monthly benefit by $180. Keep copies of everything - W-2s, tax returns, pay stubs if you have them. One last tip: SSA has a "what-if" calculator on their website where you can model different retirement dates and earnings scenarios. It's not perfect but gives you a ballpark idea of how your decisions impact your lifetime benefits.

One more important point - if your sister has any dependent children under 18 (or adult disabled children whose disability began before age 22), they may also qualify for benefits on her record once she's approved for SSDI. This doesn't apply to most 61-year-olds, but worth mentioning in case it's relevant to her situation.

As someone who works with disability claims, I want to emphasize that your sister should also be prepared for the appeals process if needed. Initial SSDI applications are denied about 65% of the time, even for legitimate claims. If she gets denied initially, don't give up! The reconsideration and hearing levels have much higher approval rates. Keep all her medical records organized and make sure her doctors are documenting how her rheumatoid arthritis specifically prevents her from performing her nursing duties. The key is showing she cannot do her past work AND cannot adjust to other work given her age, education, and limitations. With 35+ years of work history and a solid medical condition like severe RA, she has a strong case - just be patient with the process.