I still think the whole system is INSANE!!! Why make us wait until 66 and 8 months? Why not just 66 or 67? And the earnings limit is PUNISHING people who work. If I didn't need the money I wouldn't still be working at 66!!! Anyone else feel like the system is designed to confuse us????

The FRA calculation can definitely be confusing! Just to reinforce what others have said - you'll reach FRA in January 2025, not December 2024. SSA uses a specific rule where you "attain" an age on the first day of the month after you actually reach that age milestone. Here's what to expect for your timeline: - 2024: You'll be subject to the earnings limit all year, but it's the higher limit for the year you reach FRA (around $59,520 for 2024) - January 2025: FRA month - no earnings limit from this point forward - February 2025: You'll receive your first full Social Security payment regardless of earnings - Spring 2025: SSA should automatically recalculate your benefit to give you credit for all those months of withheld benefits over the years Keep checking your mySocialSecurity account to make sure your earnings are being recorded correctly. That ARF adjustment could be a nice bump in your monthly payment after all those years of dealing with the earnings test!

To find out what your late husband's full benefit would be, you'll need to speak with an SSA representative. This information isn't readily available on your my Social Security account. When you call, ask specifically for what his Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) was - that's the term for his full benefit amount. Then compare that to your own benefit to see which will be higher at your FRA.

I'm in a similar situation and have been researching this extensively. One thing I learned that might help you is that you can actually do a "restricted application" strategy in some cases. Since you're currently receiving both SSDI and survivor benefits, when you reach FRA you'll want to calculate which option gives you the most money overall. Sometimes it makes sense to take your full survivor benefit now and delay your own retirement benefit until age 70 to get delayed retirement credits (8% per year), but this depends on your specific numbers. Also, make sure to get everything in writing when you speak with SSA - I've heard too many stories of people getting different answers from different representatives. Document the date, time, and name of whoever you speak with.

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!

my sister said when they adopted their foster kids the benefits got reduced but then they qualified for adoption subsidies from the state that made up the difference. maybe look into that too?

I went through a similar situation last year when we were considering adopting my nephew. One thing that really helped was getting a written estimate from SSA before making any final decisions. I used the appointment system online and specifically requested they calculate the exact family maximum for our situation - not just rough estimates. The agent was able to print out a detailed breakdown showing exactly how each person's benefits would be affected. It took about 3 weeks to get the appointment, but having those concrete numbers made all the difference in our planning. Also, don't forget that if you do adopt, the grandchildren's benefits would continue until they turn 18 (or 19 if still in high school), so factor in how the family maximum situation will change over time as beneficiaries age out.

This is such valuable information for anyone approaching FRA! I'm still a few years away from my full retirement age, but I've been trying to understand how the timing works. One question for those who have been through this process: When you applied online and selected your future start date, did you receive any interim communications from SSA between your application date and your chosen start month? I'm wondering if they send reminders or confirmations during that waiting period, or if you just wait until the start month arrives. Also, @Anastasia Romanov, have you considered using the SSA's benefit calculators to double-check those projected amounts? Sometimes the online estimates can vary slightly from the final calculated benefit, though usually not by much.

I'm about 5 years away from my FRA but following this discussion closely since I want to maximize my benefits too. One thing I'm curious about - for those who have successfully done this (applied early but selected a later start date), did you notice any difference in how quickly SSA processed your application compared to people who applied with an immediate start date? I'm wondering if selecting a future start date might actually give you more time to resolve any potential issues with your application before benefits need to begin. Seems like it could be a smart strategy beyond just the financial benefits of earning those extra DRCs. Also, @Anastasia Romanov, I'd be interested to know if you've factored in the tax implications of the higher monthly amount versus receiving benefits sooner. Sometimes the total after-tax benefit over time can be different than the gross monthly comparison, especially depending on your other retirement income sources.