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I'm actually wondering about a similar situation, but I'll be turning 70 in February 2025 and want to make sure I get the maximum delayed retirement credits. Should I also apply 3 months ahead or is my situation different since I'm at the maximum age?
Your situation is slightly different. At age 70, you want to start benefits the month you turn 70 to get all your delayed retirement credits. In your case, you should apply in November 2024 (3 months before February) and specifically request February 2025 as your start month. Make sure the application specifies your benefits begin in February, not January, so you get that final month of delayed credits.
dont u get paid for the month before? like january payment comes in february? thats what my neighbor told me and shes been on SS for years
Yes, that's correct. Social Security payments are made in the month following the month for which they are due. So if you want your benefits to start with January 2025, you'll receive your first payment in February 2025. This is an important point that many people misunderstand. When you specify January as your start month, you're requesting that your entitlement begins in January, but the actual deposit will come in February. The day of the month you receive your payment depends on your birth date: - Born on 1st-10th: Second Wednesday of the month - Born on 11th-20th: Third Wednesday of the month - Born on 21st-31st: Fourth Wednesday of the month And for those who started receiving benefits before May 1997, payments generally arrive on the 3rd of each month.
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my mom just prints all the papers they mail her, says its easier than the website lol. check your mail maybe they sent you the calculation?
Good point! I've been trying to go paperless with everything, but maybe I should check if they mailed me more detailed information than what shows up online.
I just checked my own account to verify - if you go to the Benefits Verification Letter in your Message Center, it should show your monthly benefit amount after WEP. Then you need to call SSA to ask for your pre-WEP amount, as I don't see it displayed clearly anywhere on the site. Also, if you haven't already, check if you qualify for the WEP guarantee provision - in some cases, your WEP reduction cannot exceed 50% of your non-covered pension amount.
Thanks for checking your own account! I don't think I've heard of the WEP guarantee provision before - that's another thing for me to look into. I appreciate everyone's help with this confusing topic!
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also theres a one-time death benefit of $255 they pay when someone dies... not much but every little bit helps with funeral expenses
LOL $255 doesn't even cover the cost of flowers at a funeral these days! Can't believe they haven't increased that amount since like the 1950s or something ridiculous. Typical government program not keeping up with inflation!
One additional point that might be relevant for your situation: If your wife reports your death to SSA within the same month that you pass away, they may withhold your final monthly payment. However, if she reports it in the month after your death, your final payment is generally allowed to remain. This can make a difference of an entire month's benefit amount. The rules around this can be complex, so it's something to discuss with SSA when the time comes.
I had no idea about this timing issue for reporting. That's really valuable information - could make a difference of over $4,000 in our case. Thank you for pointing this out.
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One more important point I forgot to mention - your wife should apply for survivor benefits promptly after turning 60 if that's when she wants to start. There's a limit to retroactive benefits (only 6 months), so waiting too long after eligibility could mean losing out on some payments. Also, when applying, she'll need your death certificate, your Social Security number, her Social Security number, your marriage certificate, her birth certificate, and your W-2 forms or federal self-employment tax return for the most recent year. Having these documents ready in advance can help streamline the process.
This is excellent advice - I'll make sure we have all these documents organized and accessible. I'm trying to prepare everything possible in advance to make it easier for her. Would you recommend keeping physical copies or digital copies (or both) of these documents?
I'd recommend both! Keep the physical originals in a secure, fireproof location that your wife knows about. Make digital copies (scan or take clear photos) and store them both on a physical device (USB drive) and in secure cloud storage that she can access. Label everything clearly so she doesn't have to search when she's already dealing with grief.
I remember when my father passed, my mother was exactly in your wife's position (she was 58). She had to wait until 60 to claim anything, and even then it was reduced quite a bit because she was still working. I think the most frustrating part was just trying to get straight answers from SSA about how much she'd actually receive. The estimates they gave were always different from what actually showed up in her account. Honestly, the best advice I can give is to prepare financially for that gap period between your passing and when she turns 60. My mom wasn't prepared for that and it caused a lot of stress during an already difficult time.
That's really good advice about preparing for the gap period. I worry about that too. We have some savings, but I should probably look into whether life insurance would help bridge that gap as well. Did your mom have any issues with the application process itself?
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jsut be careful with those casino winnings cause they might make your SS benefits taxable if you win too much. happened to my brother last year and he was shocked when he had to pay taxes on his SS
That's a good point about taxation. Up to 85% of your Social Security benefits can become taxable if your combined income (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of your Social Security benefits) exceeds certain thresholds. For individuals, benefits start becoming taxable when combined income exceeds $25,000, and more so above $34,000. This doesn't affect your actual benefit amount - you'll still get the same monthly payment. It just means some portion might be subject to income tax.
I just went through this process last month! For 2024 income, I put "estimated" and entered my best guess. The online system accepted it without any issues. One tip: have all your documents ready before you start the online application. The system times out after a while, and you might lose your progress if you have to go hunting for information mid-application. I learned this the hard way!
Great tip about having documents ready! What documents did you end up needing besides tax returns? I have my birth certificate and driver's license ready, but wondering if there's anything else I should gather before starting.
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I'm still confused about survivor vs retirement benefits. Are they the same amount? How do you know which one to take?
They're usually different amounts. Your retirement benefit is based on your own work history. The survivor benefit is based on your ex-husband's work history - specifically, it's based on what he would have received at his full retirement age. The best strategy depends on your specific situation. Generally: 1. If your survivor benefit would be higher than your own benefit at age 70, take the survivor benefit at your FRA (to get the full amount). 2. If your own benefit at 70 would be higher than the survivor benefit, take the survivor benefit early (even with the reduction) and switch to your own at 70. This is why getting a detailed benefit calculation from SSA for both benefits is so important before making a decision.
Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I've made an appointment with my local SSA office for next month to discuss my specific situation. In the meantime, I'll gather my ex-husband's death certificate and our marriage/divorce documents. It's complicated, but it sounds like it might still be worth claiming survivor benefits even with the earnings reduction - especially if I can switch to my own benefit later. I'll definitely be clear about restricting my application to ONLY survivor benefits!
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my tax guy says we only pay taxes on 85% of SS no matter what. is that right?
That's not quite right. The maximum amount that can be taxable is 85% of your benefits, but many people pay taxes on less than that or even none at all. It depends on your "combined income" (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of your Social Security benefits). The actual percentage is calculated using the Social Security Benefits Worksheet in the 1040 instructions, or automatically by tax software.
oh wow ive been paying too much tax then! my income isnt that high since i retired. gonna talk to my tax guy again
Update: I found the SSA-1099 in my mySocialSecurity account! For anyone else looking, after you log in, click on "Replacement Documents" on the main page, then select "Replace Tax Form SSA-1099/1042S". Thanks everyone for your help! Now I just need to figure out how much of it is actually taxable.
Great! Glad you found it. To figure out how much is taxable, the easiest approach is to use tax software or have a tax preparer handle it. If you're doing it yourself with paper forms, you'll need to use the worksheet in the 1040 instructions. The taxable amount depends on your overall income and filing status.
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sorry 1 more thing!! make sure when u apply for ss benefits you tell them about the german pension even if u dont get it yet!! my uncle didnt tell them and got hit with huge overpayment notice later. they made him pay back like $17,000!!!! complete nightmare
This is an extremely important point. You must disclose your future entitlement to a foreign pension when you apply for Social Security benefits, even if you're not receiving it yet. The form specifically asks about this. Failing to disclose can result in significant overpayments that SSA will eventually detect and demand repayment, often with no option for a full waiver.
I was in a really similar situation (though with Canada not Germany). When I finally got thru to someone knowledgeable at SSA, they told me the most important fact: the rules for non-citizens receiving benefits abroad are different depending on which specific country you're moving to! There's a whole SSA publication about it called "Your Payments While You Are Outside The United States" that lists all the different country rules. Definitely worth reading before making any decisions.
Thank you for mentioning this publication! I'll definitely look it up. It's so hard to get consistent information, so having something official in writing would be really reassuring.
Miguel Herrera
Has anyone here successfully gotten an increase in their SS payment after having cancer??? My dad is going through something similar and we keep hitting dead ends... SO FRUSTRATING!!!
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Connor Murphy
•no increases with SS but check your state dept of aging. my husband got extra help with heating bills and some home care through our county office. not much but every little bit helped.
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Paolo Romano
I'm a volunteer with cancer patients, and while Social Security won't provide additional cash benefits beyond his retirement amount, please look into these resources that many miss: 1. Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition (CFAC) - searchable database of financial help 2. CancerCare provides small grants for treatment-related costs 3. Patient Advocate Foundation for help negotiating medical bills 4. If he was employed when diagnosed, check if his employer offered critical illness insurance 5. Veterans with cancer can access additional VA benefits if applicable Definitely apply for Extra Help with Medicare prescription drugs as others suggested - it can reduce costs dramatically.
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Dmitry Ivanov
•Thank you SO much for these resources! I hadn't heard of most of these. Will definitely check into all of them, especially the CancerCare grants. Every bit helps right now.
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