I went through something very similar when I was 63! The confusion around what counts as "earned income" for Social Security purposes is really common. Everyone here is absolutely right - annuity payments are considered unearned income and won't affect your Social Security benefits at all. The earnings limit only applies to wages from employment or net self-employment income. Since you're just 2 months away from your FRA, you're almost home free anyway! At that point, the earnings test disappears completely and you can have unlimited income from any source without any benefit reductions. One thing I'd suggest is keeping good records of your annuity payments for tax purposes, even though they don't count toward the earnings limit. As someone else mentioned, they could affect the taxability of your Social Security benefits depending on your total income. But that's a separate issue from the earnings test you were worried about. Hang in there - you're so close to FRA and then all these worries will be behind you!

I just wanted to chime in as someone who works in retirement planning - everyone here is absolutely correct that annuity payments do NOT count toward the Social Security earnings limit. The confusion is totally understandable because the SSA's terminology around "earned" vs "unearned" income isn't always crystal clear. The earnings test specifically targets income from active work - W-2 wages, 1099-NEC payments, or net self-employment earnings. Your annuity is considered "unearned income" along with things like pensions, IRA distributions, investment dividends, rental income, etc. None of these affect your Social Security benefits under the earnings test. Since you're only 2 months from FRA, you're practically in the clear anyway! At that point, you could literally win the lottery and it wouldn't impact your SS benefits. The earnings test completely disappears at full retirement age. One small tip: when you do call SSA (whether through regular channels or that Claimyr service someone mentioned), have your annuity contract handy. Sometimes it helps to clarify exactly what type of annuity you have (immediate vs deferred, etc.) just to be thorough, though the answer will be the same regardless. Congratulations on being so close to FRA - you've made it through the trickiest part of the earnings test rules!

I'm in a similar situation but just starting this process - my husband was also a federal employee who passed from work-related injuries. I'm not yet at the age to collect survivor benefits, but reading through all these responses is really eye-opening about how complicated the interaction between Workers' Comp and Social Security can be. It sounds like the key takeaways are: 1) Survivor benefits don't automatically convert to retirement benefits at any age, 2) The Workers' Comp offset calculation method changes at retirement eligibility age (not the benefits themselves), and 3) Getting everything in writing from both SSA and OWCP is crucial because phone representatives often give inconsistent information. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world insight that's so hard to find elsewhere. I'm going to save this thread to reference when I get closer to filing for my benefits.

I'm going through something very similar and wanted to share what I learned after months of confusion. The Workers' Comp representative was technically correct but using confusing language - the offset calculation DOES change at 62, but your survivor benefits themselves don't convert to anything else. Here's what actually happens: At 62, you become eligible for your own Social Security retirement benefits. Even if you don't apply for them, OWCP has to factor that eligibility into their offset calculation. This is what they mean by "collect retirement on his record" - they're not talking about survivor benefits converting, but rather how they calculate the offset amount. The $2,143.65 monthly deduction you're seeing now might decrease (or increase) at 62 depending on what your own retirement benefit would be versus your current survivor benefit amount. OWCP uses a complex formula that considers the higher of the two benefits you're eligible for. My advice: Request a written projection from OWCP showing exactly how your offset will change at 62, and get a benefit estimate from SSA for your own retirement benefits. Don't let them give you verbal explanations - insist on documentation. The terminology they use makes everything sound more complicated than it needs to be. You're absolutely right to plan ahead for this - understanding these changes in advance will help you budget properly and make informed decisions about your benefits.

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.

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 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!