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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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One more thing to know - if your mom is receiving both Social Security retirement and a pension from work where she didn't pay Social Security taxes (like some government jobs), she might be subject to WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) or GPO (Government Pension Offset). This could affect her tax situation differently. Just something to be aware of when calculating her potential tax liability.
She worked in retail her whole life, so I don't think that applies to her situation. But thanks for mentioning it - I had no idea that was even a thing!
btw my grandpa said if ur mom doesnt do withholding she might have to do quarterly estimated tax payments instead. just fyi. tax stuff is so confusing with ss benefits!!!
Oh that's good to know! This is all so complicated. I'll talk to her about whether quarterly payments might be better than withholding. Thanks for the tip!
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Yes, it absolutely works! I was able to get through to a representative in about 15 minutes instead of spending hours on hold or getting disconnected. They connected me directly to SSA and I stayed on the line the whole time. For something time-sensitive like getting a replacement 1099 for tax filing, it's definitely worth it. My aunt's replacement form arrived about 7 days after I made the call.
not to get off topic but does anyone know if you need to file taxes for someone who died if they only got social security? my mom passed in october and only had SS income. do i even need to worry about the 1099?
Update: I finally got through to someone at SSA this morning after trying for two days. They confirmed they sent the 1099-SSA in January but it may have been lost in the mail. They're sending a replacement that should arrive within 10 business days. The representative mentioned they've had numerous calls about missing 1099s this year. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!
glad u got it sorted! make sure to check ur mail carefully. those forms look like junk mail sometimes lol
Early disability vs waiting for SS retirement at 62 - which is better for higher-earning spouse?
I'm struggling with a complicated situation and hoping for some guidance. I'm 57 with a chronic condition (ongoing pain, severe fatigue, cognitive issues) that's making it harder to work each month. My doctor thinks I might need to stop working within the next few years - possibly by age 60. I've always planned to work until my full retirement age (68), but that's looking less realistic now.My main questions:1. If I become unable to work at 60, should I apply for SSDI or just wait until 62 for early retirement benefits?2. My spouse (54) has serious back problems and might also need to stop working around 62. I've always been the higher earner (about 40% more income). How would my disability status affect what she can claim?I honestly don't understand how all these benefits coordinate and the SSA website is overwhelming me. Does anyone have experience navigating this situation? Thanks for any help - just starting to research all this.
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That's a good point about my wife potentially qualifying for SSDI too. Her back problems are degenerative and getting worse each year. Neither of us had government jobs, so I don't think GPO/WEP would apply. Thanks for mentioning that though - I wouldn't have thought to check.
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my neighbor said she filed early for ss and then withdrew her application when she found out about the reduction. I think u have like a year to change ur mind? might be worth looking into
This is correct - you have 12 months from when you start receiving benefits to withdraw your application. However, you must repay ALL benefits received so far. It's essentially a reset button. After the 12-month window closes, this option is no longer available.
I'm SHOCKED no one has mentioned the break-even calculation yet!! For a $19 reduction, you'd need to calculate how many months it would take for the extra money from claiming early to equal the reduced amount over time. It's usually around 12-15 years for people claiming a year early, so for one month early it might be longer. But you NEED to calculate this based on your specific situation!
Good point about the break-even analysis. For a one-month early claim, if we assume a $1,500 monthly benefit (just as an example), the break-even point would be quite far out - approximately 79 months or 6.5 years. That's because you'd get an extra month of benefits ($1,481) upfront, but then lose $19 every month thereafter. $1,481 ÷ $19 = 78.9 months to break even. Of course, this doesn't account for the time value of money or potential investment returns.
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another option u have is just file for benefits now. if u decide later that waiting woulda been better u can withdraw ur application within 12 months of filing. u have to pay back what they paid u but it's like an undo button. my sister did this when she realized she shoulda waited.
Be careful with this strategy though! You can only withdraw your application once in your lifetime. Also, paying back several months of benefits can be a significant financial burden for many people. It's usually better to do the research upfront before filing if possible.
One more thing to consider: Since you're past your FRA, you should know that there's no advantage to waiting longer to claim ex-spousal benefits. Unlike your own retirement benefit, ex-spousal benefits don't grow with delayed retirement credits past your FRA. So if the ex-spousal benefit is going to be higher than your own benefit, you might as well claim now. But if your own benefit is higher, and especially if it's close, you might consider waiting until 70 to maximize your own benefit with delayed retirement credits (which grow about 8% per year until 70).
This is really helpful information! I had no idea that ex-spouse benefits don't increase if I wait. So there's really no advantage to waiting if I'm going to get the ex-spouse benefit. I'm going to try to get an appointment or at least talk to someone who can run the numbers for me. Thank you all for your help!
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i got widows benifits when i was 60 now im 68 and never new i could of waited to get mine at 70!!!! nobody tells you this stuff they just want to give you whatever instead of helping you get the best deal in my opinion.
That's exactly what I'm afraid of! Did you end up staying on the widow's benefits or did you switch to your own?
i switched to my own when i turned 66 because they said it was higher but now i realize i should of waited til 70!!!! would of been 30% more!!
One important clarification about your situation: For each deceased spouse (current and ex), you have a separate survivor benefit entitlement. The rule is that you'll receive the highest benefit you're eligible for at any given time. So your plan is sound and follows SSA rules: 1. Take widow's benefits now from your current late husband 2. If ex-husband passes and his survivor benefit would be higher, switch to that 3. At 70, switch to your own retirement benefit if it's higher than either survivor benefit This approach gives you the maximum benefit amount possible throughout your lifetime. Make sure to keep all your documents organized - marriage certificates, divorce decree showing marriage lasted 10+ years, etc. You'll need these when applying for any benefits related to your ex-spouse.
Thank you so much for this detailed explanation. I'll make sure to gather all my documentation. Should I mention my future plans when I apply for widow's benefits now, or just focus on the current application and deal with potential switches when/if they become necessary?
When you apply, focus on the current widow's benefits application, but clearly state that you want to restrict your application to ONLY widow's benefits and not your retirement benefits. This preserves your right to switch later. You don't need to explain your entire future strategy - just make sure they understand you're not applying for retirement benefits yet. Get this confirmed in writing if possible.
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wait im confused... is IRMAA the same thing as the hold harmless provision? or is that something different with medicare and SS?
They're different things. IRMAA is the income-related surcharge that increases Medicare premiums for higher-income beneficiaries. The "hold harmless" provision protects most Social Security recipients from having their net SS benefit decrease when Medicare Part B premiums increase. Essentially, if the Part B premium increase would result in your SS check getting smaller, you're "held harmless" and pay a reduced premium. However, this protection doesn't apply to IRMAA surcharges - those are still applied regardless of the impact on your Social Security check.
Thank you all for the helpful information! So to summarize what I've learned: 1. Qualified Roth distributions won't affect my IRMAA calculations at all 2. I need to be careful about other sources of income that could push me over an IRMAA threshold 3. If I have a life-changing event, I can file Form SSA-44 instead of waiting 2 years for my tax return to catch up 4. IRMAA applies to both Part B and Part D premiums This is exactly what I needed to know for my retirement planning. I'm going to review our planned withdrawals for next year to make sure we stay under the thresholds. It sounds like strategically using my Roth accounts is a smart move for Medicare premium management!
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do u know if he qualifes for ssi too? my cousin got both ssdi and ssi at the same time for extra money
SSI is a needs-based program with strict income and resource limits. Given that the husband is already receiving $1,850/month in Social Security retirement benefits, he would almost certainly be over the income limit for SSI eligibility. Your cousin likely had a very low SSDI payment to qualify for concurrent benefits.
Thanks everyone for the advice. We started the SSDI application online yesterday. His oncologist is supportive and already preparing the medical documentation. I'm feeling more hopeful now knowing this option exists - the potential increase in benefits would make a huge difference with all these new expenses. I'll update once we hear something from SSA.
sending good thoughts to you and your husband!! ❤️
Good luck! With AML as a Compassionate Allowance condition, you should hear back much faster than the typical SSDI timeline.
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If you can prove your disability started BEFORE you filed for early retirement, you might be able to get back pay too!!! Make sure you tell them EXACTLY when your condition became so bad you couldn't work. The magic words are "onset date" - that's what they care about. And DON'T let them rush you through the interview - they try to trip you up and use your words against you later!
While establishing an earlier onset date can potentially increase back benefits, it's important to be truthful and consistent with your medical records. SSA will determine the established onset date (EOD) based on your medical evidence, not just your statement. Making claims that aren't supported by your medical documentation could harm your case more than help it.
Of course be truthful but they IGNORE half your evidence unless you point it out specifically!! I had to go through 3 appeals before someone actually READ my full file. The system is BROKEN
Just wanted to update - I called SSA this morning about my situation and spent 2.5 hours on hold only to get disconnected when someone finally picked up. So frustrating! Will try again tomorrow I guess.
I tried that Claimyr service I mentioned earlier and got through to SSA in 8 minutes! The agent was actually really helpful and walked me through the process. I need to fill out forms SSA-16 and SSA-3368 like someone mentioned above, plus gather all my medical records. At least now I know what to do next.
Yuki Ito
@commenter above - No, it's 5% per year. The WEP penalty is reduced by 5% for each year of substantial earnings beyond 20 years. So at 20 years, the penalty is reduced by 5%, at 21 years by 10%, and so on until at 30 years, you reach a 50% reduction, effectively eliminating the WEP penalty entirely.
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Jamal Wilson
•Thanks for clarifying! I must have been confusing it with something else.
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Ethan Taylor
Thanks everyone for all this helpful information! I think my takeaway is that unless I can earn enough to hit the substantial earnings threshold (which would be tough with just part-time work), there's minimal benefit to working just for Social Security purposes. I'm going to try that Claimyr service to get some specific calculations from SSA about my situation. It's definitely complicated juggling the WEP reduction on my own benefits with the potential GPO reduction on survivor benefits if my spouse passes before me. Feels like I'm being penalized twice for having a government pension, but at least now I understand the mechanics better.
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AstroAdventurer
•You've got the right understanding. Just remember that even if working part-time won't help with WEP specifically, those earnings do still count toward your AIME calculation, potentially increasing your benefit slightly. Best of luck with your planning!
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