Great advice from everyone here! Just wanted to add one more tip - when you do meet with SSA next week, bring documentation showing your last day of work (like a letter from HR or your final paystub). This can help speed up the process and avoid any confusion later. Also, if you're planning to do any freelance or consulting work in the future, make sure to ask about how that would affect your benefits so you're prepared. Good luck with your retirement!

One thing I'd add is to make sure you understand the difference between the monthly and annual earnings tests for your first year of retirement. Since you're stopping work in February and starting benefits in April, the monthly test will protect you even if your January-February earnings were substantial. But it's also worth noting that once you reach full retirement age (probably 67), there's no earnings limit at all - you can work as much as you want without any benefit reduction. The permanent early retirement reduction you'll get at 63 is separate from the temporary earnings test reductions. Sounds like you've got good advice here about documenting your work stoppage with SSA!

I work in HR and see this confusion a lot! Just to add some context - when you see taxes being withheld from your paycheck, that money goes to the IRS immediately, but the REPORTING of your wages to SSA happens on a different timeline. Think of it like this: the government gets your tax money right away, but the paperwork about how much you earned gets filed later in batches. That $646 could be from your employer's first quarterly report, or even from a small 1099 job if you did any freelance work. The key thing is that your employer's year-end W-2 will have your complete 2024 earnings, and THAT'S what ultimately gets used for your Social Security record. The partial amounts you see during the year are just snapshots, not the final picture.

I'm dealing with something similar! My MySocialSecurity account was showing $0 for 2024 until about two weeks ago, and now it's showing $1,847. I've actually earned around $18,000 so far this year, so like you, I was initially worried. But after reading through everyone's responses here, it sounds like this partial reporting is completely normal. I did some digging and found out my employer files their quarterly reports electronically, but apparently even electronic submissions can take 6-8 weeks to show up in the SSA system. The $1,847 probably represents wages from my first quarter that finally got processed. It's frustrating not seeing real-time data, but I'm going to follow the advice here and just wait for the full year to process through after tax season next year.

I can definitely relate to your anxiety about this! I had my SSA interview about 8 months ago and they asked me similar questions about my ex-husband, including details about his siblings and even what street we lived on 18 years ago. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't remember most of it, especially since the agent kept pressing me for more details. But here's what helped calm my nerves - I called the SSA office a few weeks later to check on my application status, and the representative I spoke with actually explained that these verification questions are completely routine. She told me they ask them for every applicant with previous marriages because they need to document relationship history for their records, but they don't expect perfect memory recall. My benefits were approved without any issues, even though I probably answered "I don't remember" to at least half their questions about my ex. The key thing that worked in my favor (and yours too) was being completely honest about what I didn't know rather than trying to guess or make something up. Since you have your divorce decree and remembered the important stuff like your marriage date, you should be fine. Try not to stress too much - you handled it exactly right by being truthful!

I'm going through my SSA application process right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I've been dreading my interview because I know they're going to ask about my ex-husband from 14 years ago, and honestly I can barely remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, let alone specific details about someone I haven't spoken to in over a decade. Reading all these experiences where people forgot similar details but still got approved is really reassuring. It sounds like the key takeaway is to be honest about what you don't remember rather than guessing, and to have whatever documentation you can find (like divorce decrees). @Dyllan, I think you handled your interview perfectly by being truthful. The fact that so many people here have shared nearly identical experiences with successful outcomes should definitely put your mind at ease. Thanks to everyone for sharing - this is exactly the kind of real-world insight that's impossible to find in official SSA guides!

I went through this exact situation with my employer's car allowance program about 6 months ago. Here's what I learned after consulting with both my tax preparer and calling SSA directly: if your employer reports it in Box 1 of your W-2 (which they almost certainly will for a flat $750/month allowance), then SSA will count it toward the earnings test regardless of what your HR department calls it. The only way around this is if they can restructure it as a true accountable plan where you submit actual receipts and only get reimbursed for documented expenses. I ended up having to decline the allowance because it would have pushed me over the limit by about $3,000, which would have cost me $1,500 in reduced benefits. My advice is to get clarity from HR about whether they can switch to a receipt-based reimbursement system, and if not, do the math to see if it's still worth it financially given the benefit reduction formula.

I work for a benefits consulting firm and deal with these situations frequently. The distinction everyone is making between allowances and reimbursements is absolutely correct, but I wanted to add one more consideration: timing. If you do end up going over the earnings limit, SSA typically doesn't catch it until they get your W-2 information the following year. This means you could potentially receive a full year of benefits and then face a large overpayment demand later. Given that you're only 64, you have several more years before FRA where this could be an ongoing issue. I'd strongly recommend either getting that accountable plan structure in place or declining the allowance altogether. The peace of mind is worth more than the hassle of dealing with SSA overpayment collections, which can be a nightmare to resolve.

Just to add one more technical detail - the DRC rate is 2/3 of 1% per month, which works out to 8% per year for each full year you delay. So in the original poster's case, if they suspend from age 68 to 70, they'd get approximately 16% increase from the DRCs earned during suspension (plus any COLAs that occur during that period). Also important: while benefits are suspended, any benefits payable to others on your record (like spousal benefits) are also suspended, except for divorced spouse benefits. Make sure that doesn't impact your situation.

I'm so glad you posted this question because I was literally in the exact same boat last month! I started my benefits at 67.5, collected for about 6 months, then decided to suspend to maximize my lifetime benefits. The first rep I spoke with was super knowledgeable and walked me through the whole process, explaining how I'd earn DRCs during suspension. But then I called back a few weeks later with a question and got a completely different story from another rep who seemed to think suspension and withdrawal were the same thing. What really helped me was going to my local SSA office in person with printed pages from ssa.gov showing the official policy on voluntary suspension after FRA. The local office staff seemed much more knowledgeable than the phone reps, and they were able to pull up my record and confirm everything was processed correctly as a voluntary suspension (not administrative). One tip: when you call, specifically use the phrase "voluntary suspension after Full Retirement Age to earn Delayed Retirement Credits" - this seems to help the reps understand exactly what you're talking about. And definitely get that written confirmation! You did nothing wrong, and you'll absolutely get those DRCs when you restart at 70.