Thank you everyone for all the helpful responses! I've scheduled an appointment for next week using that Claimyr service (which worked amazingly well - took less than 10 minutes to get through to a real person). The agent I spoke with confirmed I should apply now for March benefits and gave me a list of documents to bring. She also explained the earnings limit since I still work part-time. I really appreciate all your advice and support!

Great to see you got everything sorted out! Just wanted to add that when you do go to your appointment, make sure to ask about retroactive benefits. Since survivor benefits can sometimes be paid retroactively up to 6 months before your application date (depending on your situation), it's worth asking if you're eligible for any back payments. Also, if you haven't already, consider setting up a my Social Security account online - it'll make it much easier to track your benefit statements and manage your account once everything is processed. The whole process can feel overwhelming at first, but it sounds like you're handling it perfectly!

One more important point: If you do exceed the earnings limit, SSA doesn't necessarily reduce each month's benefit by the same amount. They typically withhold benefits completely for some months rather than reducing each payment. For example, if they determine you need to repay $5,000, and your monthly benefit is $2,500, they might withhold 2 full months of benefits. They'll notify you before they do this. Also, remember that any benefits withheld due to excess earnings aren't truly "lost" - once you reach FRA, SSA recalculates your benefit amount to give you credit for those months when benefits were withheld.

As someone who recently navigated this exact situation, I want to add a few practical tips that helped me: 1. **Create a simple tracking system NOW** - I use a basic spreadsheet with columns for date, hours worked, type of work, and income earned. This makes it easy to see if you're approaching either limit. 2. **Be conservative with your planning** - I aimed to stay about 10% under both the income and hours limits to give myself a buffer for unexpected projects or miscalculations. 3. **Consider timing your invoicing** - Since you're self-employed, you might have some flexibility in when you send invoices and receive payments. This can help you manage which months income gets counted toward. 4. **Keep ALL business records** - Even if SSA doesn't ask for them, having detailed records of expenses, hours, and income will save you headaches if questions arise later. The good news is that once you hit your FRA in August 2025, all these restrictions disappear completely. You're only dealing with about 8 months of careful tracking. It's manageable if you stay organized from the start!

To answer your question about notifications - your sister should: 1. Sign up for email updates from advocacy groups like the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) or the National Education Association (NEA) who track this legislation closely 2. Set up alerts on congress.gov for the specific bill numbers (though these change each session) 3. Follow her congressional representatives on social media as they'll likely announce when it passes If her question is specifically about applying for benefits should the law change, she should create a my Social Security account online where SSA posts important notices and updates.

I'm in a similar boat as your sister! I retired from teaching last year after 38 years and my husband passed in 2023. The GPO wiped out my entire survivor benefit because my pension is $3,900/month. It's so frustrating because we paid into Social Security for years before I became a teacher, and my husband paid in his whole working life. I've been following the Fairness Act closely and reached out to both my senators' offices last month. One staffer told me they expect movement on it this spring, but who knows. I'm trying not to get my hopes up after being disappointed so many times before. Your sister should definitely prepare all her paperwork now like others suggested. I have everything ready in a folder - marriage certificate, death certificate, pension documentation, and my husband's Social Security statement. If this thing ever passes, I want to be first in line to apply!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer here, I just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been. I'm 68 and have been hesitant to take on any additional work because I was so confused about these earnings limits. Reading through everyone's real experiences has been eye-opening - it's amazing how many of us had the same worries! The clear explanation that there's absolutely NO earnings limit after Full Retirement Age has given me so much confidence. I especially appreciate all the practical tips about tax implications and record-keeping that people have shared. It's wonderful to see such a supportive community where we can learn from each other's actual experiences rather than just trying to decipher confusing government websites. Thank you all for creating such a welcoming space for these important questions!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer here, I just wanted to add my thanks for this incredibly informative discussion. I'm 70 and have been considering returning to work part-time, but like so many others here, I was really anxious about how it might affect my Social Security benefits. The consistent message from everyone that there's NO earnings limit after Full Retirement Age is such a huge relief! What I find most valuable is hearing all these real-world examples - from working at Costco to bookkeeping to landscaping - it really shows there are so many opportunities for people our age to stay active and earn extra income without any worry about benefit reductions. The additional insights about tax planning and keeping good records are incredibly practical too. It's amazing how this one question has generated such a wealth of helpful information and support. Thank you all for creating such a welcoming community where we can share these important experiences!

While your father's retirement benefits will be suspended during incarceration, it's important to know that some programs like SSI have different rules than regular Social Security retirement. With SSI, benefits can be suspended for up to 12 months before termination, but with traditional retirement benefits, they're just suspended and can be reinstated after release regardless of how long the incarceration lasts. Make sure you're applying for reinstatement as soon as possible after release. Also, if your father was receiving any other benefits like food stamps, housing assistance, etc., those all have different rules during incarceration. Each program requires separate notification for reinstatement.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses. I feel much better prepared now. To summarize: his benefits will be suspended (not terminated), we need to get them reinstated right after release with proper documentation, and I should plan for 2-3 weeks without income after his release while SSA processes everything. I should also figure out how to handle his Medicare premiums while he's incarcerated. I'm going to look into getting power of attorney so I can help manage all this while he's inside.