One more tip for when you do apply - make sure you have all your documents ready beforehand! You'll need your birth certificate, W-2 forms or self-employment tax returns for the last year, military discharge papers if applicable, and your bank account information for direct deposit. Having everything organized will make the online application process much smoother. I learned this the hard way when I had to stop halfway through my application to hunt down paperwork!

As someone who just went through this process last year, I can confirm what others have said about the timing. I also turned 62 in the middle of a month and had to wait for the following month to start receiving benefits. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier - if you're on the fence about claiming at 62 vs waiting, try running the break-even analysis. For me, even with the reduced benefits, I would have had to live past 78 to make up for the money I'd lose by waiting until full retirement age. Given my family history and financial needs, claiming early made sense. The SSA's online tools are definitely the way to go - I got my application submitted in about 45 minutes once I had all my documents ready. Much better than dealing with their phone system!

Just wanted to update - I called SSA this morning about my situation and spent 2.5 hours on hold only to get disconnected when someone finally picked up. So frustrating! Will try again tomorrow I guess.

I'm dealing with a similar situation and wanted to share what I've learned so far. I'm 64 and took early retirement at 62 due to chronic pain from fibromyalgia and arthritis. My condition has worsened significantly since then. After reading through all these responses, I called my local SSA office directly instead of the national number and had much better luck - only waited about 45 minutes. The representative told me that yes, I can still apply for SSDI even though I'm receiving retirement benefits, but I need to prove my disability existed before my full retirement age. She also mentioned something important that I don't think was covered here - if you're approved for SSDI, they'll look at whether you were actually disabled when you first filed for early retirement. If so, you might get retroactive benefits going back to when you should have filed for disability instead of retirement. The key thing she emphasized is getting current medical evidence showing your functional limitations. It's not enough to just have the surgery records - you need recent documentation from your doctors explaining exactly how your condition prevents you from working. Hope this helps!

After calling literally 47 TIMES over 3 days trying to get an update on my disability review, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through in under an hour. If your sister needs to actually speak to someone at SSA about her case status, it's worth checking out. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Also - make sure she checks her online mySocialSecurity account DAILY! Sometimes they'll request additional info and only give a short window to respond, and the mailed notices often arrive AFTER the deadline!

I'm going through a similar situation with my dad who had a stroke at 59. Just wanted to add that if your sister is having trouble with daily activities, make sure that's well documented by her doctors too - not just the medical diagnosis but the functional limitations. SSA really looks at how the condition affects her ability to work and perform daily tasks. Also, regarding the house sale - we were in the same boat and our disability lawyer told us to go ahead with the sale since SSDI doesn't have asset limits. Just keep all the paperwork in case you need it later. The stress of maintaining a home she can't manage isn't worth it, especially when dealing with stroke recovery. Hang in there - the waiting is the worst part but stroke cases often have good outcomes if the medical evidence is strong.

As someone who just went through this decision process last year, I wanted to share what I learned from meeting with both SSA and a financial advisor. The key insight that helped me was understanding that this isn't just a Social Security question - it's really about your overall retirement cash flow strategy. Yes, your early filing won't reduce your wife's spousal benefit calculation (that's based on your PIA), but you need to consider: Can you afford to wait? Do you have other income sources? What's your health situation? One thing that surprised me was learning about the "restricted application" strategy that used to exist but was phased out - make sure any advice you're getting is current, as SS rules have changed significantly in recent years. My recommendation: Use the SSA.gov "my Social Security" account to get your exact benefit estimates, then consider the total household income picture. Sometimes claiming early makes perfect sense even if it's not theoretically "optimal" on paper. Financial security today might be worth more than maximizing benefits on a spreadsheet. Also, don't forget about Medicare timing - you'll both need to enroll when eligible regardless of when you claim Social Security, and that has its own set of considerations if you're still on employer insurance.

I'm dealing with a similar decision at 64 and wanted to add something that helped clarify things for me - the SSA's online benefit calculators can be a bit misleading if you don't understand what they're showing you. When I first looked at them, I thought my early filing would definitely hurt my spouse's benefits, but that was because I was confusing the different types of benefits. What really helped me was calling SSA and specifically asking them to walk me through the difference between my "Primary Insurance Amount" (PIA) and my "actual benefit amount if I claim early." They explained that my wife's spousal benefit calculation will ALWAYS be based on my PIA (what I'd get at full retirement age), not what I actually receive if I file early. The survivor benefit issue others mentioned is real though - that one IS based on what I'm actually receiving when I die, so there's definitely a trade-off to consider there. One more thing - if you're thinking about claiming early, make sure you understand the earnings test if you're still working. I almost made a costly mistake there by not realizing how much of my benefits would be withheld due to my part-time income.

I just went through something very similar last month! The key thing to understand is that Social Security uses what's called a "dual entitlement" system. You're not getting two separate benefits - you're getting the higher of either your own benefit OR the spousal benefit calculation. When your own benefit increases (likely from those part-time earnings being added to your record), the system automatically recalculates to make sure you're still getting the correct total amount. The spousal portion isn't a fixed percentage - it's whatever additional amount is needed to bring you up to your full entitlement. So if you were entitled to, say, $1,500 total, and your own benefit went from $800 to $900, then your spousal add-on would decrease from $700 to $600 to keep your total at $1,500. This is exactly what should happen according to Social Security rules. The confusing part is how they present it on the statements, but mathematically it's working correctly. Your total benefit amount is what matters most!

I experienced this exact same situation about 6 months ago and it really threw me for a loop initially! What you're seeing is actually a positive development - it means your work record has been updated to reflect those part-time earnings from your last 6 years of work. Here's what's happening: Social Security recalculates your benefit annually based on your highest 35 years of earnings. When those recent part-time years got factored into your calculation, it boosted your own Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). Since the spousal benefit formula ensures you get the higher of either your own benefit OR up to 50% of your spouse's PIA (both reduced for early claiming), the system automatically adjusted the split. Think of it like this - you have a "benefit ceiling" based on the spousal calculation. Your own benefit just got closer to that ceiling, so less spousal supplement is needed to reach your total entitled amount. The total staying the same confirms everything is working correctly. I'd recommend keeping your latest benefit statement for your records, and if you want peace of mind, you can always request a detailed benefit calculation from SSA. But based on what you've described, this sounds like a routine and correct adjustment!