Great plan Andrew! One additional tip - when you do get through to Social Security, ask them specifically about the effective date of your ex-spousal benefits. Sometimes there can be confusion about whether benefits start the month you applied or the month after, especially with ex-spousal claims that require additional documentation. Getting clarity on the exact start date will help you plan the transition from unemployment more precisely. Also, keep detailed records of all your conversations with both agencies - dates, times, and who you spoke with. This documentation can be really helpful if there are any questions later about timing or overpayments. Good luck with everything!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! I applied for Social Security in January and I'm still waiting for my first payment. What I learned from calling my state unemployment office is that they consider you "available for work" as long as you're actively job searching, even if you've applied for SS retirement benefits. The key is being transparent about everything. I reported my SS application immediately, and they told me to continue certifying for unemployment until I actually receive my first Social Security payment. Then I need to report that income right away. The unemployment caseworker also mentioned that if I get any retroactive SS payments, I might need to pay back some unemployment for those overlapping weeks, but they'll calculate that when it happens. Every state is different though, so definitely check with your specific unemployment office. Hang in there - this transition period is stressful but you're handling it the right way by asking questions and staying on top of the reporting requirements!

I'm a retired federal employee (FERS) who's been following this closely. One important thing to note is that while SSA says they'll automatically recalculate benefits for those previously denied, I'd strongly recommend keeping documentation of your wife's original application and denial. Also, since she has 34 credits, she's actually pretty close to the 40 needed for her own benefit. If she's still under 70, it might be worth having her work a part-time job for a year or two to earn those final 6 credits - that could give her both her own SS benefit AND spousal benefits (she'd get the higher of the two). Just a thought to maximize your household's SS income! The timing couldn't be better for folks like your wife. After decades of being penalized for public service, this feels like justice finally being served.

This is such great news for so many families! As someone who works in benefits administration, I wanted to add a few practical tips for navigating this process: 1. **Document everything** - Keep copies of any previous applications, denials, or correspondence with SSA. This will be helpful if there are any delays or complications. 2. **Be patient with SSA's systems** - They're likely updating their computer systems to handle the GPO/WEP repeal, which can cause temporary glitches or delays in processing. 3. **Consider the timing** - If your wife is under 70, she might want to think about whether to claim spousal benefits immediately or wait, depending on your overall financial situation. The fact that you've been married 42 years and she has substantial work history makes this such a clear case of where GPO was unfairly penalizing public servants. I'm glad Congress finally acted on this - it's been a long time coming! Your wife definitely deserves to receive benefits based on your record after all these years of marriage and her own contributions to Social Security through her part-time work. Keep us posted on how the process goes - your experience will help others in similar situations!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I've learned so much: - It's 35 highest years, not 6 (big relief!) - I need to pay 15.3% self-employment tax and should make quarterly payments - At my FRA (67), there's no earnings limit - I might want to look into waiting until 70 to maximize benefits - I should open a Solo 401(k) or SEP IRA to reduce my overall tax burden I've created my SSA.gov account and am shocked to see my earnings record going back to my first job! I think I'll try that Claimyr service to ask specific questions about my situation. And definitely hiring an accountant before my first quarterly tax payment is due. Thanks again everyone - this has been incredibly helpful for a newbie like me!

Welcome to the self-employment world! I made the same transition 3 years ago and can share a few practical tips that helped me: 1) Open a separate business checking account immediately if you haven't already. This makes tracking income/expenses for Schedule SE much easier. 2) Set aside 25-30% of each payment you receive for taxes (not just the 15.3% SE tax, but also income tax). I use a high-yield savings account for this. 3) Consider paying quarterly estimated taxes to avoid a big surprise bill. The IRS has a safe harbor rule - if you pay 100% of last year's tax liability through estimated payments, you won't owe penalties even if you owe more at filing. 4) Keep detailed records of ALL business expenses - home office, internet, phone, equipment, etc. These reduce your net self-employment income, which reduces both your SE tax AND your income tax. One thing I wish I'd known earlier: you can actually contribute more to retirement accounts as self-employed than you could as a W-2 employee, which helps offset that higher tax burden. The Solo 401(k) limits for 2024 are $69,000 total ($76,500 if you're 50+). Good luck with the transition!

I'm going through something similar with my elderly father right now. One thing I learned is that you should also ask about becoming an "organizational representative payee" if you're worried about your own future ability to manage her benefits. This lets you designate a backup organization (like a nonprofit or financial institution) to take over if something happens to you. Also, when you do get the rep payee status, make sure to ask SSA about setting up online access through my Social Security. As her representative payee, you can create an account to manage her benefits online, which makes things much easier than calling or visiting offices all the time. The whole process took about 6 weeks for us from application to receiving the first benefit payment in my name. Just wanted to give you a realistic timeline expectation!

I went through this exact situation with my grandmother last year. A few things I learned that might help: 1. You can actually start both processes simultaneously - apply for rep payee status AND get the POA documents done. They don't interfere with each other. 2. For the SSA interview, they were very understanding about my grandmother's anxiety. The caseworker kept it short and asked simple questions like "Do you know who this person is?" and "Are you okay with them helping you with your Social Security?" 3. One thing nobody warned me about - once you become rep payee, her benefits will stop going to her account and start coming to yours. Make sure you coordinate this timing with her bill payments so nothing gets missed during the transition. 4. Keep a simple spreadsheet from day one tracking her benefit amount, what you spend it on, and the remaining balance. The annual reporting is much easier if you've been tracking all along. The whole process was less scary than I expected, but definitely start now while your mom can still participate in the decision. Good luck!

I'm a benefits counselor and wanted to add some clarity to this discussion. While the advice here has been generally good, there are a few nuances worth mentioning: First, regarding the "gap year" - you may not have zero income during that period. If you have your own work record (even from part-time work), you'll receive your own retirement benefit during the waiting period. The key is understanding what portion of your current $1,100 is YOUR benefit versus the spousal add-on. Second, about timing and FRA - the rule about remarrying after FRA is more restrictive than some comments suggest. You can only continue receiving divorced spousal benefits after remarrying at FRA if your NEW spouse is also receiving Social Security benefits. This isn't always the case. Third, consider this strategy: before remarrying, file a new application to switch from divorced spousal benefits to your own retirement benefit (if it's available and makes sense). This way, you'll know exactly what YOUR baseline benefit is, and remarriage won't create a sudden change - just a delay in accessing the new spousal benefit. I'd strongly recommend getting a personalized benefit estimate from SSA that shows all your options before making this decision. The difference in timing could easily be worth $10,000+ over your lifetime.

I'm going through a very similar situation right now! I'm 63 and receiving divorced spousal benefits, and my partner and I have been discussing marriage. After reading all these responses, I realize I need to get much more specific information from SSA before we make any decisions. One thing I wanted to add that might be helpful - I recently discovered that my local SSA office offers in-person appointments for complex benefit questions like this. It took about 3 weeks to get an appointment, but it was so much better than trying to get through on the phone. They were able to pull up my exact records and run different scenarios for me right there. Also, I found it really helpful to bring my partner with me to understand the financial implications together. This kind of decision affects both people in the relationship, and having those conversations upfront about the potential income gap and how to handle it made us both feel more confident about our planning. Good luck with whatever you decide! The most important thing is that you're being so thoughtful about getting all the information first.