Just to add some clarity on backpay: Since your disability onset was established at 8 months ago, and there's a 5-month waiting period, you should be eligible for approximately 3 months of backpay. This is typically processed separately from your ongoing monthly benefits. You might receive this as a lump sum or in installments depending on the total amount. It's a good idea to keep checking your MySocialSecurity account online for updates about both your regular payments and backpay status.

When I got my approval letter last year, it took exactly 24 days from the date on the letter until I saw my first payment. I actually ended up calling SSA twice during that waiting period because I was worried something had gone wrong. If you need to call them, try early morning right when they open - around 7-8am depending on your time zone. Cuts down the wait time substantially.

my aunt switched from her own benefit to my uncles when he died and she got his FULL benefit no reductions. but she was already at full retirement age when she applied. age matters alot with this stuff

WEP and GPO are the two WORST rules in social security!!! teachers and other public servants get totally screwed by these rules. call your congressperson and tell them to support the Social Security Fairness Act to repeal both these unfair penalties!!!

My sister had this exact problem last year and when she finally got through to someone at Social Security they told her it would be fixed "automatically" on the next payment but it wasn't! She had to call THREE more times! Just be persistent and keep calling until they fix it.

Just to add another important point - make sure you check both your AND your wife's benefits since you mentioned you're both on Medicare. Sometimes these errors can affect one account but not the other, especially if you enrolled at different times or have different IRMAA tiers. Also, if you do need to call SSA, have your Medicare card, recent Social Security statement, and the Medicare premium notice all ready before the call. The more prepared you are with documentation numbers, the faster they can help resolve the issue.

For the 9-month spend down period, it starts from when she actually RECEIVES each back payment installment. SSI back pay often comes in up to 3 installments if over $7,740 (for adults). Each installment has its own 9-month clock. Make sure she's tracking which installment is which. Also something no one mentioned - if she's paying YOU rent and you claim it as income on YOUR taxes, that could potentially affect HER benefits if SSA considers it in-kind support. The documentation everyone mentioned is critical to show this is a business arrangement, not family support.

To answer your question about installments: SSI back pay over $7,740 for adults is generally paid in up to three installments, six months apart. However, there are exceptions if the recipient has certain pressing needs or medical expenses. Regarding your question about rent agreements: SSA doesn't provide a specific form for rental agreements between family members. Any formal agreement that includes: - Names of both parties - Property address - Monthly payment amount - What the payment covers (rent/utilities/etc) - Signatures of both parties - Date Should be sufficient. Just make sure the amount is reasonable for your area and her portion of housing (typically 50% for shared housing with one other person). You mentioned $700 plus utilities as her half of $1400 rent - that's perfectly reasonable and should not raise any flags with SSA.

my neighbor says his son works for ssa and says all the good employees work at the field offices and they put the new people on the phones lol. not sure if thats true but made me laugh

One important thing to consider in your situation - since your husband is only 61, he'll be filing early (before FRA), which means a permanently reduced benefit. Make sure whoever helps you explains exactly how much the reduction will be and whether it makes financial sense given your overall situation. Sometimes it's better to live off savings for a while rather than lock in a reduced benefit for life, especially if he might find another job soon. This is exactly the kind of nuanced discussion that works better in person.

make sure ur calculating the spousal benefit right btw. its not just 'half his benefit' like most ppl think. if ur already getting ur own ss check the spousal just makes up the difference to get u to half of his. alot of times its way less than people expect

My advice after 30+ years dealing with SSA: always be proactive. Their systems are backlogged and understaffed. I'd recommend both calling AND visiting your local office with marriage certificate in hand. For calling, try exactly at opening time (usually 7am) on Wednesdays or Thursdays when call volumes tend to be lower based on my experience. Don't count on them figuring things out automatically.

by the way since you both just turned 65 make sure you signed up for medicare part b on time. theres big penalties if you miss the deadline and its not automatic for everyone

To summarize what everyone has shared: 1. Withdrawals from 401k/IRA accounts will NOT reduce your monthly Social Security benefit amount 2. These withdrawals ARE considered income for determining how much of your Social Security becomes taxable 3. If your combined income (AGI + non-taxable interest + 1/2 of SS benefits) exceeds certain thresholds, up to 85% of your SS benefits could be subject to income tax 4. For 2025, those thresholds are: - 50% taxable when combined income exceeds $32,000 (married filing jointly) - 85% taxable when combined income exceeds $44,000 (married filing jointly) 5. Once you reach age 73, Required Minimum Distributions from traditional retirement accounts (not Roth) will be mandatory This is why many retirees benefit from tax planning that balances withdrawals across different account types to manage their tax liability effectively.

anybody know if military service counts extra for social security? i heard something about special credits but dont know if thats real

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I'm going to try the detailed calculator and also consider whether I might be able to do some part-time work to replace some of those zero years. It sounds like even modest earnings could help improve my benefit calculation significantly. I'm also going to try reaching out directly to SSA to get a more personalized estimate given my specific situation. Really appreciate all the insights!

fyi you could put some of that money in an IRA to offset the income if ur worried about taxes. thats what my tax guy told me to do with my bonus last year

Update: I called SSA using that Claimyr service someone recommended (it actually worked!) and got through to an agent in about 20 minutes. She confirmed what most of you said - my regular SS retirement won't be affected since I'm past FRA, but I'll likely have to pay taxes on some of my benefits next year. She recommended I set aside about 20% of the winnings for potential taxes. Also warned me about the Medicare premium increase in 2027. Thanks everyone for your help!

Let me clarify a few points based on my experience as a disability advocate: 1. Your son's eligibility for Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits requires that his disability began before age 22, but benefits don't automatically start at any specific age. They can begin when the parent (your husband) starts receiving retirement benefits, becomes disabled, or passes away. 2. The amount your son can receive as a DAC is up to 50% of your husband's full retirement benefit (his PIA), regardless of when your husband claims. However, the Family Maximum Benefit (FMB) does come into play, especially with early retirement. 3. If your husband claims at 62, his personal benefit is reduced permanently (about 30% less than waiting until full retirement age). While this doesn't directly reduce your son's potential 50% of PIA, it does affect how the FMB calculations work. 4. Start the SSI application process for your son before he turns 18. Even if he doesn't qualify for SSI due to family income, this establishes his disability determination, which will be vital for future DAC benefits. The DAC benefit is valuable because it comes with Medicare after 24 months, regardless of your son's age, which is a significant advantage over many other options.

Just wanted to update that I called SSA this morning using that Claimyr service I mentioned, and I asked them specifically about this situation for my own planning. The agent confirmed that when a parent takes reduced retirement benefits, it doesn't directly reduce the disabled adult child's benefit percentage (still 50% of PIA), but it can affect how the family maximum is applied, which might result in slightly lower payments. The agent recommended scheduling an in-person appointment to get specific calculations for your situation.