I'm a newcomer to this community but have been dealing with similar retirement income questions. This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm particularly interested in the documentation aspect everyone mentioned. For those who have gone through this process, what specific documents did you keep to prove passive ownership? I'm thinking of setting up an S corp for some rental properties I inherited, but want to make sure I structure everything properly from the start to avoid issues with SSA later. Also, does anyone know if there are differences in how SSA treats inherited rental properties versus ones you purchased yourself? Thanks for all the great information shared here!

As a newcomer to this community, I've been following this thread closely as I'm considering early retirement next year and have been worried about how my small business income might affect Social Security benefits. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly educational! One thing I'm curious about that hasn't been fully addressed: for those of you who have S corps with rental properties, how do you handle the timing of reporting to SSA? Do you report your expected salary at the beginning of the year, or wait until you know your actual earnings? I'm particularly concerned about accidentally under-reporting and then having issues later if circumstances change. Also, @Andre Dubois - have you been able to connect with SSA yet using the Claimyr service that @Liam O'Donnell mentioned? I'm very interested to hear how that goes since I've had similar frustrations trying to reach someone by phone. Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences here. This thread has been more helpful than hours of trying to research this topic on my own!

OMG ppl are so lucky with military pensions! My dad worked for the county for 35 years and gets a good pension but when he tried to get any SS from my moms record they said nope because of that GPO thing. makes no sense why military is treated different from other govt workers!

As someone new to understanding Social Security benefits, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a somewhat similar situation - my spouse worked for a state agency that didn't pay into Social Security for most of their career, but I've been in the private sector my whole working life. Reading about how military pensions are treated differently than other government pensions really clarifies why we're facing the GPO reduction while military families like yours won't. It sounds like you and your husband are in a much better position than I initially thought when I saw your question. The key takeaway I'm getting is that the type of government service really matters - if Social Security taxes were paid during that service, then GPO doesn't apply. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and knowledge!

Anyone else notice the Medicare Part B premium went up again?? That ate up almost half of my COLA increase! Every year they give with one hand and take with the other. My actual increase after the Medicare premium went up was only $32.

I'm in the same boat - still waiting for my COLA letter! My friend who lives across town got hers 10 days ago, but nothing in my mailbox yet. I called the post office thinking it might be a mail delivery issue, but they said SSA mail is usually pretty reliable. It's frustrating not knowing the exact amount for budgeting purposes, especially with all the end-of-year financial planning we need to do. At least it sounds like this is normal based on everyone's experiences here. I'll try that 2.5% calculation method someone mentioned and keep checking my online account in December.

I'm so sorry for your loss and everything you're going through right now. The combination of grief and navigating these complex benefit rules is overwhelming. Based on what you've shared, I'd strongly recommend bringing a few key documents to your SSA appointment: your husband's death certificate, your marriage certificate, and any records of his police pension amount. Since he worked 12-15 years paying into Social Security before joining the police force, there's a real possibility he earned enough credits for you to receive some survivor benefits, even with the GPO reduction. The fact that you're getting conflicting information over the phone is unfortunately common - getting an in-person appointment for an official determination is definitely the right approach. Also, please don't give up on that $255 death benefit - as his current spouse living with him at the time of death, you should be entitled to it regardless of his ex-wife's status. Take care of yourself during this difficult time.

I'm so deeply sorry for your loss, and I can only imagine how overwhelming this must feel while you're still grieving. The WEP/GPO rules are incredibly confusing even for people who aren't dealing with loss. Based on what you've shared, you absolutely should pursue this further - don't let phone representatives discourage you from applying. With 12-15 years of Social Security-covered work, your husband likely earned enough quarters to qualify for his own Social Security benefits (you need 40 quarters/10 years). Even though WEP would have reduced his benefit amount, if he qualified for ANY Social Security retirement benefit, you should be eligible for survivor benefits - they'll just be reduced by the GPO formula (2/3 of your pension amount). Also, please fight for that $255 death benefit - the ex-wife being the life insurance beneficiary has nothing to do with the Social Security death benefit, which goes to the surviving spouse who was living with the deceased. Bring your marriage certificate and his death certificate, and don't leave without an official written determination. You deserve clear answers during this difficult time.

anybody know if taking ss early affects spouse benefits?? my wife never worked much

As someone who went through a similar decision process last year, I can confirm what others have said - there are no enrollment periods for Social Security retirement benefits. You can apply anytime after 62. One thing that really helped me was using the SSA's online retirement estimator to see exactly how much my monthly benefit would be at different claiming ages. The difference between 65 and 67 for me was about $180/month, which sounds like a lot until you factor in getting 24 extra months of payments. Since you mentioned health concerns, you might also want to consider that Social Security has a "do-over" option - if you claim benefits and then change your mind within the first 12 months, you can withdraw your application (you just have to pay back everything you received). This could give you some peace of mind if you're on the fence. The application process itself was straightforward - took me about 45 minutes online, and my first payment arrived about 5 weeks later. Just make sure you have your documents ready (birth certificate, W-2s from last year, bank account info for direct deposit).