One additional consideration for your planning: if you're married or divorced (after a marriage of at least 10 years), coordinating spousal benefits might impact your optimal claiming strategy. Also, if you're still working between 62-FRA, there's an earnings test that could reduce benefits temporarily if you claim early while earning above certain thresholds ($23,310 in 2025 if below FRA all year).

Great question! I just went through this same decision process last year. One thing that really helped me was using the SSA's online calculator at ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/estimator.html to see exactly how much my monthly benefit would be at different claiming ages. It made the numbers really concrete - like seeing that waiting from 62 to 67 would increase my monthly payment by about $800 for life. Also consider creating a my Social Security account online if you haven't already - you can see your complete earnings history and get benefit estimates without having to call anyone. The peace of mind of seeing everything laid out clearly was worth it for me!

Thanks everyone for all this great information! I think I'm going to hold off filing until I can get a clearer picture of what my benefit amounts would be. I'm working part-time now, so I can manage for a while longer. I'll definitely check out creating that my Social Security account to see the estimates. And thanks for the Claimyr tip - might use that to actually speak with someone about my specific situation!

One thing I didn't see mentioned - make sure you understand the earnings test if you're still working! If you file at 62 and earn more than $22,320 in 2024, Social Security will reduce your benefits by $1 for every $2 you earn above that limit. This applies until you reach your Full Retirement Age. Since you mentioned working part-time, this could affect your decision on when to file. The good news is that any benefits withheld due to the earnings test aren't lost forever - SSA will recalculate your benefit at FRA to give you credit for those withheld months.

One additional consideration: If your own benefit at Full Retirement Age would be more than 50% of your ex-spouse's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), you might want to run the numbers on a different strategy. It might be worth delaying your own retirement claim and taking reduced ex-spouse benefits now (if you're eligible). The math gets complicated, but a good SSA agent can help you compare scenarios. Also, when calculating potential survivor benefits, remember that your ex receiving $4,900/month means he delayed until 70, receiving 132% of his PIA. Survivor benefits are based on that higher amount (including the delayed retirement credits), not his original PIA.

As someone who recently went through a similar situation with my ex-husband's benefits, I wanted to share what I learned that might help clarify things. The key point that really helped me understand this was that survivor benefits and your own retirement benefits are completely separate calculations - taking one early doesn't affect your eligibility for the full amount of the other. Here's what worked for me: I took my own reduced retirement at 62 because I needed the income after losing my job. When my ex passed away two years later, I was able to switch to his survivor benefits, but I waited until my survivor FRA (which is different from regular retirement FRA - it was 66 for me) to get his full amount. The mistake I almost made was switching to survivor benefits immediately when he died because I thought "more money now is better." But waiting those extra months to reach survivor FRA meant getting about $800 more per month for the rest of my life. That math definitely works out better in the long run! One tip: keep copies of his Social Security statements if you can get them. It helped speed up the process when I applied for survivor benefits.

My cousin works for SSA and says they've been having system issues lately with SSDI payments. Some people got underpaid, some overpaid. They're supposed to be fixing it but who knows how long that'll take with the government lol

I'm sorry to hear about your situation - losing $160 suddenly from your monthly benefits is really stressful! Based on what you've shared about being on SSDI and working part-time, it sounds like the most likely explanations are either Trial Work Period/Extended Period of Eligibility issues or an overpayment recovery that SSA initiated without proper notice. Since you mentioned your mail sometimes gets mixed up in your building, I'd definitely check with neighbors to see if any SSA letters ended up elsewhere. They're legally required to notify you before reducing benefits, so if you didn't receive anything, that's a problem on their end. For getting through to SSA, try calling right when they open (8 AM local time) - that's usually when wait times are shortest. You can also try visiting your local field office in person, though you might need to wait there too. Don't give up - you have rights as a beneficiary and they need to explain exactly why your payment was reduced. Keep detailed records of all your attempts to contact them. Good luck!

I just joined this community after struggling with government websites for months, and wow - this thread is exactly what I needed to see! I've been putting off updating my contact info with SSA because I was dreading dealing with their website, but now I know I'm not crazy for expecting it to actually work properly. It's both frustrating and comforting to learn that these logout bugs have been affecting so many people for months. The detailed breakdown of solutions here is fantastic - from trying the mobile app to using services like Claimyr to skip hold times. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread for when I finally tackle my own account updates. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and follow up with what actually worked. This kind of community knowledge-sharing makes dealing with bureaucratic tech issues so much less overwhelming!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful to have found this thread! I've been putting off updating my email address with SSA for weeks because I kept running into the same logout error that everyone here has described. Reading through all these experiences has been so validating - I was starting to think I was doing something fundamentally wrong. The range of solutions shared here is impressive, from trying different browsers and timing strategies to using services like Claimyr to bypass the notorious hold times. It's particularly helpful to see Carmen's follow-up confirming that the agent assistance route actually worked. What strikes me most is how this community doesn't just identify problems but actively shares practical workarounds and real results. The tips about screenshotting error messages, using simpler passwords temporarily, and having backup verification methods ready are exactly the kind of detailed advice that can save hours of frustration. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to making this such a comprehensive resource for dealing with SSA's technical issues. This thread will definitely be my roadmap when I tackle my own account updates!