Here's a simplified explanation of your situation: 1. January-May 2025 (before FRA): Higher annual earnings limit applies (approximately $60,000 adjusted for 2025 COLA) 2. June 2025 and beyond (FRA attained): No earnings limits whatsoever The monthly earnings limit only applies in a non-FRA year when you have a "grace year" - the first year you retire and claim benefits mid-year. This is often confused with FRA rules. For official verification, see SSA's page on Special Earnings Limit Rule: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/rule.html

Just wanted to add one more important point that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you understand how the earnings test calculation works in practice. SSA looks at your ANNUAL earnings for the months before FRA, but they deduct benefits on a monthly basis if you exceed the limit. So if you earn $70,000 from January through May 2025 (exceeding the ~$60K limit), they'll withhold $1 for every $3 over the limit, but they spread that withholding across the remaining months of the year. It's not like they take a lump sum - they adjust your monthly benefit payments. This might affect your cash flow planning even though you'll be within your rights to earn that much.

One additional point regarding your question about claiming at 65 - remember that your Medicare enrollment starts at 65 regardless of your Social Security Full Retirement Age. So even if you delay Social Security benefits, you should still sign up for Medicare during your Initial Enrollment Period (which begins 3 months before your 65th birthday). Missing this window can result in permanent premium penalties. This is a common source of confusion since the Full Retirement Age for Social Security and Medicare eligibility age are different.

I'm also approaching retirement and have been dealing with similar SSA website issues. One thing that helped me was clearing my browser cache and cookies completely before trying to log in again. Also, if you're using a saved password, try typing it manually - sometimes autofill doesn't work properly with their site. Another tip: try accessing the site early in the morning (like 6-7 AM) when traffic is lighter. I was able to get in much easier during off-peak hours. Good luck with your retirement planning!

This happened to my sister too! The award letter eventually came and showed that SSA had paid the LTD company directly for the offset (only the SSDI portion, not the full LTD amount). Don't forget that SSDI also has that stupid 5-month waiting period where you don't get any benefits at the beginning of your disability period.

UPDATE??? did u ever get this figured out? I'm curious what happened with all the money!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is timing considerations. Since you received the QDRO distribution last month and are already collecting early retirement benefits, you might want to keep detailed records of exactly when you received the funds and how much. Even though it likely won't affect your SS benefits directly, having clear documentation will be helpful for your tax preparer and in case SSA ever has questions about your income reporting. Also, since you mentioned medical expenses, remember that if you're itemizing deductions, medical expenses over 7.5% of your adjusted gross income may be deductible. The QDRO distribution will increase your AGI, but it might also help you reach that threshold for medical expense deductions if your medical costs are substantial.

As someone who recently joined this community, I've been following this thread with great interest since I'm approaching 62 myself and trying to understand all the complexities around early retirement and Social Security. @Amara Okafor, it sounds like you've received excellent comprehensive advice here! The clarification that QDRO distributions don't count toward the earnings test but do affect tax calculations on your SS benefits is really helpful to understand. I wanted to add one small point that I learned from my own research - when you do file your taxes next year, make sure your tax preparer understands the timing of when you received the QDRO distribution versus when you started collecting Social Security. Sometimes the interaction between these different income streams can be tricky to calculate correctly, especially if they happened in the same tax year. Also, I noticed several people mentioned the importance of calling SSA directly for official confirmation. While the Claimyr service someone mentioned sounds helpful for getting through faster, you might also try calling very early in the morning (right when they open) or late in the afternoon - I've had better luck with shorter wait times during those hours. Best of luck with everything, and thank you to everyone who contributed such detailed explanations. This community is such a valuable resource!

@OP after seeing you mention your application is pretty straightforward, I'd definitely give it at least 8 weeks total before getting too concerned. My neighbor just retired and his application took 9 weeks with zero communication, then suddenly one day he got the approval letter. The current backlog is pretty significant. If you're approaching the 8-week mark with no movement though, that's when I'd consider either visiting a field office or finding a way to get through on the phone without the ridiculous wait times.

I'm new to this community but dealing with a very similar situation! Applied for my retirement benefits in late November and I'm also stuck at step 2. Haven't gotten any of those mysterious text messages yet, but after reading everyone's experiences here, I'm almost expecting them now! It's both frustrating and somewhat reassuring to see I'm not alone in this. The inconsistency in processing times and communication from SSA is really concerning - some people waiting 6 weeks, others 14+ weeks, all for what should be straightforward applications. @Zara Mirza - I hope you get some movement on your application soon! Based on what others have shared, it sounds like you're still within the normal (albeit frustrating) timeframe. Thanks for posting this - it's been really helpful to read everyone's advice and experiences.