doesnt this only matter if hes close to retirement? how old is he? maybe not worth the hassle if hes younger

One important clarification on totalization that hasn't been mentioned: the agreement doesn't mean those German earnings will show up on his SSA earnings record the way US wages would. Instead, SSA will calculate something called a "theoretical benefit" as if all combined work periods were under US Social Security, then prorate it based on the percentage of work performed in the US. This means that after all your paperwork is processed, his earnings record might still show zeros for those years, but SSA will have internal documentation about the German covered employment that will increase his benefit calculation when he applies for retirement benefits. The most important document is the German equivalent of our Social Security statement showing covered earnings and contributions to their system.

To answer your question about Medicaid: When your son transitions from SSI to the higher DAC benefits, he may initially lose Medicaid eligibility due to the increased income. However, there's special protection called

This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I'll ask specifically about the 'deemed SSI recipient' status at my appointment next month. I had no idea there were these protections in place. I've been so worried about him losing medical coverage during this transition.

I received mine January 18th last year and January 20th the year before. But I have direct deposit for my benefits, so maybe they prioritize sending tax forms to people with direct deposit? Just a theory. My neighbor gets a paper check and always gets her 1099 later than me. Could be totally random though!

One more thought - if the form hasn't arrived when you visit, you can take your brother to a local SSA office with proper ID and they can print a duplicate 1099 on the spot. Might be easier than trying to call if you're already there with him. Just be sure to check the office hours before you go and bring your own ID too since you're helping him.

make sure ur ex-hubby dosnt have other ex-wives that were married to him longer than u were... there's some kinda rule about who gets what when there's multiple exes

Just wondering... what happens if both your current husband AND your ex-husband pass away? Can you choose the higher of the two survivor benefits? Or does one cancel out the other?

wait does this mean the ex husband gets less SS money if the kid and mom get some too???

Thank you all for the helpful information! I just called my local SSA office and they said I need to bring our divorce decree, my son's birth certificate, and proof that he lives with me full-time. They also said I should wait until my ex actually files before I submit our applications. I'm still nervous about the whole process but feel much better knowing what to expect.

wait im confused now. does this mean the money from ss is completely separate from the earnings limit? so u can get full ex spouse benefits as long as ur job doesnt pay too much?

Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I think I understand now - my spousal benefits don't count toward the earnings limit, but my work income might reduce how much I receive if I earn over $22,320 this year. I'll definitely contact SSA to set up the proper reporting for my estimated income. When I reach my Full Retirement Age in a few years, none of this will matter anymore and I can earn whatever amount without reductions. This community has been so much more helpful than the confusing explanations I got elsewhere!

My husband and I just went through this! What we found out is that if you make too much, they don't just reduce your benefits - they stop them completely until they've withheld enough to cover the excess earnings. Then they start paying again. So if you earn way over the limit early in the year you might not see any SS payments until later in the year. Just something to be prepared for!

One more important thing to consider: while benefits are reduced if you earn over the limit before FRA, you actually get those reduced benefits back later. SSA recalculates your benefit amount when you reach FRA to account for months when benefits were withheld. So you're not permanently losing that money - it's more like a delay in receiving it. This is called the Adjustment to the Reduction Factor (ARF). The information in section 202(x) of the Social Security Handbook explains this recalculation. Your monthly benefit will increase starting at FRA to account for those months when you received reduced or no benefits due to excess earnings.

I worked for 43 years and they're pinching pennies from me too! I did the math and I've lost over $140 in 13 years from this rounding nonsense. AND THEY WONDER WHY PEOPLE DON'T TRUST THE GOVERNMENT!!!

Just a practical tip - if this rounding issue bothers you, consider it when planning your claiming strategy. Since they always round down, if your calculated benefit would be $2,000.01 or $2,000.99, you'd get the same $2,000 payment either way. Sometimes delaying benefits by just a month can push you over to the next dollar in your monthly payment. It's a small difference, but over many years of retirement, an extra dollar per month adds up. This is especially relevant when deciding exactly which month to start benefits.

I WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME to check that my earnings record was correct BEFORE I applied!!! Make sure once you set up your mysocialsecurity account that you verify ALL your past earnings are correct. My benefit amount was calculated $400/month less than it should have been because some of my work from the 90s wasn't showing up correctly. Took 4 months to fix and I had to find old W-2s from 25+ years ago!!!! SO CHECK YOUR EARNINGS RECORD FIRST!!!

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I'm going to start by setting up my MySocialSecurity account this weekend, then spend some time organizing all my documents. I'll definitely check my earnings record too before applying. I appreciate all the tips!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I just checked my most recent SSA statement and it does mention I'm subject to GPO, so hopefully that means I'm in their system correctly. I'm going to try calling them next week to confirm. Does anyone know if there are specific documents I should have ready when I call? I have my husband's death certificate and his pension information, but not sure what else they might need.

I talked to my neighbor who used to work for Social Security and she said these changes are gonna be a administrative nightmare for SSA to implement. She thinks there will be delays and errors for the first couple years. So definitely keep an eye on your payments starting in 2025 and don't assume they'll get it right automatically!