Thank you everyone for all this detailed information! This has been incredibly helpful. Just to make sure I understand correctly - I can take this job opportunity and potentially have my survivors benefits completely suspended for the next 4 years until I reach FRA at 67, and then at FRA: 1. The earnings test disappears completely (no more limits) 2. I can switch to my own retirement benefit if it's higher 3. Those higher earning years might actually boost my own retirement calculation And there's absolutely no risk of permanent disqualification or "striking out" after too many years over the limit? One follow-up question - when I do switch to my own retirement benefit at FRA, will SSA automatically calculate which is higher (my survivors benefit vs my own), or do I need to specifically request the comparison? This job opportunity could be life-changing for me, and it sounds like the temporary loss of survivors benefits might actually work out better long-term. Thanks again to this amazing community!

Just want to echo what everyone else has said - there's absolutely no time limit or permanent disqualification for exceeding the earnings test! I'm actually a former SSA employee and can confirm that the agency processes thousands of cases each year where people exceed the limit for multiple consecutive years. The system is designed to be flexible because Congress recognized that retirement isn't always a hard stop at a certain age. Many people need to continue working or want to pursue new opportunities. A few additional points that might help: - When your benefits resume (either because you reduce earnings or reach FRA), there's no "penalty period" or waiting time - SSA keeps track of all the months they withheld benefits, so you won't lose credit for anything - If you end up earning less than you initially projected, you can contact SSA mid-year to adjust and potentially get benefits reinstated sooner Take that job opportunity! The fact that you're thinking this through so carefully shows you'll handle the transition well. The temporary benefit suspension is just that - temporary. Your long-term financial security (both from the higher earnings and potential boost to your own retirement benefit) is what really matters here.

Welcome to the community! I'm new here too and wanted to add my perspective since my family dealt with almost the exact same situation recently. My mom was receiving about $850 monthly while my dad got $2,900, and we had no clue about spousal benefits until someone at their church mentioned it. When we finally contacted SSA, we learned that my mom was entitled to receive up to 50% of my dad's Primary Insurance Amount, which ended up increasing her monthly benefit to around $1,450. The key thing we discovered is that even though she had filed early at 62 (which reduced her own retirement benefit), the spousal benefit calculation could still result in a higher total payment. The process wasn't too complicated once we got started. We scheduled an appointment at our local SSA office, brought their marriage certificate, both Social Security cards, and recent benefit statements. The representative was able to process the adjustment within about 3 weeks, and mom received retroactive payments for the previous 6 months. One tip that really helped us: ask the representative to explain the difference between your mom's current benefit and what her spousal benefit would be, so you understand exactly how much the increase will be. With your parents' income gap and long marriage, I'd be very surprised if your mom isn't entitled to significantly more than $900 monthly. Hope this helps!

Hi there! I'm new to this community but wanted to share what we discovered with my grandparents in a very similar situation. My grandmother was only receiving about $920 monthly while my grandfather got $2,650, and it took us way too long to realize she might be eligible for more. When we finally contacted SSA, we learned that despite her filing early at age 62, she was still entitled to spousal benefits that brought her total monthly payment up to around $1,325 - a significant increase that really helped with their monthly expenses. The whole process took about 4-5 weeks from our initial appointment to seeing the increased payments. A couple of practical tips that made our experience smoother: First, we found that scheduling an in-person appointment worked better than trying to handle this over the phone. Second, we brought copies of both their Social Security statements (which you can print from ssa.gov), their marriage certificate, and recent benefit letters. Having all the paperwork ready seemed to speed things up considerably. One thing that surprised us was that my grandmother received retroactive payments for several months, which was a nice unexpected bonus. The SSA representative explained that even though she had claimed early, the spousal benefit calculation could still result in a higher overall payment than her reduced retirement benefit alone. With your parents' 55-year marriage and that income gap, I'd be very surprised if your mom isn't entitled to a significant increase. Don't wait on this - every month of delay means money they're missing out on. Best of luck with the process!

This is exactly why I always tell people to check their online account after the New Year! The Medicare premium increases can really catch people off guard. What's frustrating is that sometimes the Medicare Part D premiums vary by plan, so even people with the same Social Security benefit can see different net increases depending on which drug plan they chose during open enrollment. I've been getting Social Security for about 8 years now and I still have to remind myself every January that my COLA isn't just a simple percentage calculation - there are always other moving pieces. At least now with the online portal it's much easier to see the breakdown than it used to be when we had to wait for paper statements!

As someone who's been helping family members navigate Social Security for years, I want to add one more thing that might help others understand their payments better. If you have taxes withheld from your Social Security benefits (federal or state), those withholding amounts can also change from year to year, which adds another layer to why your net increase might be different than expected. The IRS adjusts tax withholding tables periodically, and sometimes people forget they elected to have taxes taken out when they first started receiving benefits. So even after accounting for the Medicare premium increases, you might still see a difference if your tax withholding changed. The key is really that online mySocialSecurity account - it breaks down everything line by line so you can see your gross benefit, COLA increase, Medicare premiums, tax withholding, and any other deductions. It's honestly the best tool they've given us to understand our payments!

One additional tip that might help with your planning - since you're concerned about managing your earnings carefully through May 23rd, consider asking your payroll department about the timing of when earnings are "credited" vs when you actually work. Social Security counts earnings when they're paid to you, not when the work is performed. So if you work the last week of May but don't get paid until June, that income wouldn't count toward your pre-FRA limit. This could give you some flexibility in scheduling those extra hours your boss wants you to take on - you might be able to do more work in late May that gets paid after your FRA date. Also, don't forget that the limit is annual, so if you're conservative in January-March, you could potentially earn more in April-May as long as your total stays under $62,160. Just make sure to track it carefully!

One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you understand how Social Security defines "earnings" for the earnings test. They count gross wages and net self-employment income, but there are some nuances that might affect your planning. For example, if you get a bonus or commission payment in 2025 for work you did in 2024, Social Security counts that toward your 2025 earnings limit even though the work was done in a previous year. Similarly, if you have any deferred compensation or salary that gets paid out, that typically counts too. On the flip side, things like employer contributions to your 401(k), health insurance premiums paid by your employer, and certain fringe benefits don't count toward the earnings limit. Since you mentioned your boss wants you to take on more hours and you're trying to plan carefully, it might be worth asking about the structure of any additional compensation - whether it's straight hourly wages, includes bonuses, has any deferred components, etc. This could help you be more precise in your calculations for those crucial January-May months. The SSA publication "How Work Affects Your Benefits" (Publication No. 05-10069) has all the detailed rules if you want to dive deeper into what counts and what doesn't.

One additional planning consideration: When you sell your business, will it be a lump sum or structured payout? If it's a lump sum, that year might have very high income and potentially cause more of your Social Security to be taxable if you're already collecting. Another reason delaying could be beneficial in your situation - you can coordinate the timing of the business sale and Social Security start to minimize overall taxation. Up to 85% of your SS benefits can be subject to income tax depending on your combined income.

As someone new to this community, I'm really impressed by the depth of knowledge shared here! Your strategy sounds very sound given your circumstances. One thing I'd add that I learned from my own research is to also consider the impact of Medicare premiums (IRMAA) when coordinating your business sale with Social Security timing. High income years can increase your Medicare Part B and D premiums for up to two years later. Since you're planning a lump sum business sale, delaying SS until after that transaction could help minimize both income taxes on SS benefits AND avoid higher Medicare premiums down the road. It's yet another piece of the puzzle that reinforces your approach of waiting until 70.