my neighbor just did this and said make sure you print or save ALL confirmation screens!! she had some weird glitch where her application disappeared for like 2 weeks from the system and the only proof she had was her saved confirmation!

One last thing that might be helpful - since your birthday is in mid-July, your benefit computation date will be July 1, 2025. Social Security doesn't prorate benefits by days within a month, so you get the full month's benefit regardless of whether your birthday is on the 1st or the 31st. Your payment for July (your first month of entitlement) will arrive in August 2025.

When my father passed last year, it took me FOREVER to figure out when my survivor benefits would come! Turned out they use MY birthday for the schedule, not his. Just FYI if anyone else is dealing with survivor benefits.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! This makes much more sense now. I'll be setting up direct deposit when I apply to avoid any mail delays. Really appreciate all the explanations!

One more important point: the month you reach full retirement age (not just the year, but the actual month), the earnings test becomes much more generous. For that partial year, the 2025 limit is around $56,520, and they only withhold $1 for every $3 you earn over that amount. Then the month you hit FRA, the earnings test disappears completely. So your strategy might evolve as you get closer to FRA. You might decide to take a larger salary in the year you reach FRA since the impact will be much less.

my brothers friend got AUDITED when he did this!!!! be careful!!!!!!

I just want to clarify something that might help others: if you file for benefits in December 2024, you'll receive your FIRST payment in January 2025, which covers December 2024. But even though it's for December 2024, it counts as 2025 income for tax purposes because that's when you received it. Also, if you're worried about taxation of your benefits, remember that at most 85% of your benefits can be taxed - never 100%. And the actual amount depends on your "combined income" as others have mentioned.

so does this mean if i applied like RIGHT NOW in october but my first check comes in november, that november check counts for 2024 taxes?? i was planning to wait till january to apply but maybe i should do it now????

make sure he applys for BOTH his own ss retirement AND a spousal benefit!!! my friend got an extra $230 a month from her husbands record even tho she worked to!! u have to ask for it they dont tell u about it!!!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I've taken notes on everything. I'm going to help my husband apply for retirement benefits about 3 months before his birthday in June, and I'll specifically ask about spousal benefits too. I'll also double-check about the Medicare continuation - sounds like that should continue, but I want to make sure there's no gap in coverage. I might try that Claimyr service since it seems impossible to get through to SSA otherwise. The peace of mind would be worth it to make sure everything transitions smoothly. I appreciate everyone's help and experiences! This community has been so much more helpful than my hours of waiting on hold.

what about that thing where if u worked for the government ur ss gets cut? my friend had that happen, windfall something?

I really appreciate everyone's input. I think I'm going to take a breath and not make a hasty decision based on fear. The 25% permanent reduction would be a big hit to take just to avoid a theoretical future cut that might not even happen, especially since it sounds like near-retirees like me would likely be protected anyway. Still anxious about it, but at least I understand the situation better now. I'll talk to my financial planner again with this new perspective.

Thanks everyone for your helpful responses! I feel so much better now understanding that this is normal and actually comes with some benefits (no more reviews, no earnings limits). I appreciate all your insights - this community is always so helpful when the SSA letters leave out important details!

Just to add one more thing - if you were receiving any auxiliary benefits (like for dependent children) while on SSDI, those might be affected when you transition to retirement. Children's benefits from a disabled parent can continue until they turn 18 (or 19 if still in high school), but the rules are different under retirement. Might not apply to your situation, but worth mentioning for others reading this thread.

this might sound stupid but i thought survivor benefits were only for ppl who never worked? if u were working and getting ssdi on ur own record why would u even qualify for anything from his record?

After reading through this thread, I'd like to add one important point: even if it turns out you can't get retroactive payments, you should still pursue this because if your survivor benefit is higher than your current benefit, you can switch to it now and increase your monthly payment going forward. At age 70, that could mean many years of higher benefits. One strategy to consider: when you contact SSA, first ask for an explanation of what your husband's benefit would have been if he had lived to claiming age, with all applicable COLAs. Get that specific number before discussing any retroactive claim issues. This separates the question of "what should I be receiving now" from the more complicated question of "what should I have received in the past."

kinda off topic but have u considered just waiting till FRA to collect?? my sis started at 63 like u and always stressing about the earnings limit. i waited till FRA and dont have to worry about any of this stuff!!

If restructuring isn't possible, you might consider calculating how much this will put you over the limit. Remember, for every $2 you earn above the annual limit, your benefits are reduced by $1. So if your car allowance is $9,000/year, and that puts you $5,000 over the limit, you'd only lose $2,500 in benefits. Depending on your other income and benefits amount, it might still be worthwhile to keep the arrangement.

Another consideration is that once your grandchildren are approved for SSI, they'll automatically qualify for Medicaid which can be extremely valuable for covering therapy services, medications, and medical equipment that private insurance might not fully cover. This alone can be worth thousands in healthcare savings annually. If you haven't already, you should also check if they qualify for any state disability programs, special education services, or ABLE accounts (tax-advantaged savings accounts for disabled individuals that don't count against SSI resource limits).

my friend just went thru this with her autistic twins!! she said the SSI application took forever but the interviewer was super nice and walked her thru everything. dont forget to bring proof that you have legal custody of them and all their diagnosis paperwork!! and when you get to the SSA office bring snacks cuz youll be there ALL DAY lol