Thank you all for the incredibly helpful responses! I feel so much better knowing I won't lose any benefits due to my earnings. I'll definitely keep the tax implications in mind though - I hadn't considered that 85% of my SS might be taxable with my income level. The news that my higher earnings might actually INCREASE my future benefits is a great bonus I wasn't expecting! I'm going to look into that Claimyr service too since I'd like to confirm everything directly with SSA before tax time. This community is amazing - I got better information here than from all the confusing articles I tried reading online!

Welcome to the community! I'm glad you found the information helpful here. One additional tip since you mentioned planning to fully retire next April - you might want to consider the timing of when you actually stop working in relation to your final paycheck and any unused vacation/sick time payout. While your earnings won't affect your Social Security benefits, those final payments could bump up your total income for tax purposes. Some folks find it beneficial to spread out their final compensation across tax years if possible. Your tax professional can help you figure out the best strategy for your specific situation. Best of luck with your retirement planning!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My ex-husband also has a government pension and I've been putting off looking into ex-spousal benefits because I thought his pension would drastically reduce what I could get. Reading through all these responses has been really eye-opening - I had no idea that HIS pension doesn't directly affect MY ex-spousal benefits. I think a lot of us get confused about how WEP and GPO actually work. It sounds like the key thing is whether YOU have a government pension, not your ex-spouse. I'm definitely going to call SSA now to get my situation reviewed. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's so helpful to hear from people who've actually been through this process!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm new to this community but I'm dealing with a very similar situation with my ex-husband who has both a federal pension and Social Security. I've been hesitant to apply for ex-spousal benefits because I assumed his government pension would drastically reduce what I could receive. After reading through everyone's experiences, I realize I may have been completely wrong about how this works. It sounds like his WEP reduction doesn't affect my potential ex-spousal benefits at all - only whether I have my own government pension would trigger GPO for me. I'm definitely going to contact SSA to have my case reviewed. Has anyone had success getting through to SSA recently, or should I try that Claimyr service that was mentioned? I'm 68 and have been collecting my own benefits for 2 years, but now I'm wondering if I've been leaving money on the table this whole time!

Just to address your last question: If you decide to remarry now, you will definitely continue receiving your SSDI benefits (these are based on your own work record and are not affected by marriage). However, you would give up the potential to claim divorced spouse benefits from your first husband until/unless your new marriage ends. Since you're already 60, if you wait until 62, you could compare your SSDI amount with potential divorced spouse benefits and choose the higher option - but ONLY if you remain unmarried. This is why getting those specific benefit amounts from SSA is so important to your decision-making process.

I work for a benefits counseling organization and see cases like yours frequently. Here's what you need to know definitively: 1) **Second husband survivor benefits**: No, you cannot receive survivor benefits from your second ex-husband because you were divorced when he died. The one-week timing doesn't create an exception - the law requires you to be married at time of death. 2) **First husband benefits**: You ARE eligible for divorced spouse benefits from your 28-year marriage starting at age 62 (reduced) or full retirement age (100% of benefit). This could potentially be higher than your current $1,875 SSDI. 3) **Key decision point**: At age 62, you can compare your SSDI with potential divorced spouse benefits and receive whichever is higher. At full retirement age, your SSDI automatically converts to retirement benefits at the same amount. **My strong recommendation**: Before making any remarriage decisions, get your benefit estimates from SSA. Use form SSA-7004 to request a statement showing your ex-husband's benefit amount. If his divorced spouse benefit would be significantly higher than your $1,875, remaining unmarried until you can claim it might be financially advantageous. The financial impact of this decision could be substantial over your lifetime, so definitely get those concrete numbers first!

Has anyone mentioned the RIB-LIM rule yet?? That caught me by surprise with survivor benefits. If you take your OWN retirement early before applying for survivor benefits, they limit your survivor amount later! The SSA website doesn't explain this clearly AT ALL!!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Carmen. Losing a spouse so young is devastating, and trying to navigate all these financial decisions while grieving is incredibly difficult. From what everyone has shared, it sounds like you have a few strategic options to consider: 1. **Apply now at 63**: You'd get about $370/month after the earnings test reduction, but you'd be locked into that reduced survivor benefit percentage (around 81%). 2. **Wait until you're closer to retirement**: At 65, you'd get ~92% of her benefit, and if you reduce your work hours, less would be lost to the earnings test. 3. **Wait until your FRA at 67**: You'd get 100% of her benefit with no earnings test reduction. The key insight from the discussion is that survivor benefits are unique - you can switch between your own retirement and survivor benefits to maximize your total lifetime benefits. Many financial advisors recommend taking the lower benefit first, then switching to the higher one at age 70 if applicable. Given your situation, I'd strongly recommend getting a personalized benefit estimate from SSA (using that Claimyr service someone mentioned might help you actually reach them). They can run the numbers for your specific case and help you understand exactly what your survivor benefit would be versus your own retirement benefit at different ages. You don't have to make this decision alone, and there's no rush - take time to get all the information you need.

wait how do u report a death to SS anyway? i need to know for my parents (they're getting older

Just wanted to add that if your mother-in-law runs into any issues with the SSA-1724 form or the process, she might want to consider visiting her local Social Security office in person rather than trying to handle everything over the phone. Sometimes the in-person staff can be more helpful and can walk through the paperwork with her. Also, bring multiple copies of the death certificate since they often need to keep one for their records. I had to do this when my grandmother passed and the local office was much more efficient than the phone system.