ANYONE else notice how they NEVER explain this stuff clearly on their website?? It's almost like they WANT us to get confused and give up! My sister worked for the post office and got hit with WEP AND GPO and shes been fighting for months to get everything straightened out.

One more important point: keep detailed records of everything. Write down the date of your call, the representative's name and ID number if they provide one, and take notes about what they tell you. If something doesn't happen as promised, these notes will be essential when you follow up. Also, be aware that the WEP recalculations are being done in phases, and there have been reports of some taking longer than others. If you don't see your adjustment within a month after your call, it would be reasonable to follow up.

Thank you all SO much for these detailed explanations. This makes much more sense now. I'm going to call SSA again and specifically request a comparison between my survivor benefit at FRA and my own benefit projected to age 70. I'll make sure to ask for someone in the survivor benefits department too. It sounds like my best approach is to: 1. Take survivor benefits at my FRA (Feb 2025) 2. Let my own benefit grow until 70 3. Switch to my own benefit at 70 *only if* it exceeds the survivor benefit I feel so much more confident now! I'll update when I get the actual numbers from SSA.

Sounds like you've got the perfect plan! And don't worry if the first SSA rep you talk to seems confused - ask for a supervisor or someone who specializes in survivor benefits if needed. Good luck!

My sister went thru this last year. Make sure u bring pay stubs to ur appointment! They want proof of income. And double-check everything they tell u because different reps told her different things every time she called. The whole process was a nightmare for her.

Random question nobody's addressed yet - did they tell you WHY you can't start survivor benefits until March if your wife passed in August? There's usually only a short waiting period for survivor benefits, like one month after death. Just wondering if they're making you wait unnecessarily! The SSA is notorious for giving incorrect information about when you can apply.

my mom got confused about this too ended up leaving like $20k on the table over the yrs cause nobody explaind it right

OK, now I think I understand all this correctly. To summarize: 1. I'll get my own benefit ($1,400) plus a top-off to reach half of my husband's FRA benefit ($1,600 total). 2. The $1,911 figure is irrelevant to my situation. 3. My husband must file for his benefits before I can claim any spousal benefits. 4. If I claim before my FRA, both parts of my benefit get reduced. 5. The spousal benefit is based on my husband's FRA amount, not his actual payment if he delays. Did I get all this right? I feel so much more prepared for my SSA appointment now!

Has anyone mentioned yet that you should check if you're eligible for the lump-sum death benefit? It's only $255 but hey, money is money! Though after 12 years they might say it's too late for that particular benefit.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I'm going to try to contact SSA directly to discuss my specific situation. Sounds like I should probably wait until I'm either closer to 60 or possibly even until my full retirement age given my current income. I appreciate all the information about the different options and considerations - this is way more complicated than I thought it would be!

ANYONE else notice how IMPOSSIBLE it is to get correct information from SSA these days?!?! I swear every rep tells you something different! My neighbor filed last year and got told THREE different things about how her pension would affect her SS benefit! The whole system is a mess!!

to answer that other persons question YES u can wait to take survivor benefits even if already getting ur own. my sister was getting her own SS when her husband died last year and the SS person told her she could wait til her FRA to switch to survivors to get the full amount. shes 63 now and waiting til 67 to switch

THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!!! I've been dealing with this for YEARS and it makes me so angry every tax season. The government takes my money for Medicare, then TAXES me on it even though I never got to use that money!!!! Double-dipping if you ask me!!!! And don't get me started on how they tax Social Security benefits that we already paid taxes on when we were working!!!

Just to clarify one point - Social Security sends an SSA-1099 form, not a W-2. The SSA-1099 shows your benefits in Box 3 (total amount) and Box 5 (net amount after deductions). For most people, the difference between these amounts is their Medicare Part B premium. This is just how the tax system is structured. The IRS views the full benefit as being paid to you, and then you paying Medicare separately, even though it was automatically deducted. Unfortunately, you can't get a corrected form because the current one is technically correct according to IRS rules.

Let me clarify a few things about the lump sum option: 1. It's officially called "retroactive benefits" and is limited to 6 months maximum when filing after FRA 2. You must specifically request it when filing - it's not automatic 3. Your benefit amount will be permanently calculated based on the retroactive start date 4. This is different from suspended benefits (if you had suspended instead of withdrawn) One important consideration: The lump sum could potentially push you into a higher tax bracket for that year, so factor that into your decision. Also, if you're still working at 70, remember that there's no earnings test after FRA, so your benefit won't be reduced regardless of how much you earn.

I forgot to mention in my previous comment - make SURE you save a copy of your withdrawal confirmation!!! When I filed at 70, the SSA had no record of my withdrawal and tried to tell me I couldn't file again!! Took THREE visits to my local office to sort out. Keep ALL paperwork!!

my mom is on SSDI not retirement and they told her theres always an earnings limit even after retirement age is this different for disability?? now im worried shes getting wrong info

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! I feel much better about my decision to wait until my FRA next July before claiming. To summarize what I've learned: 1. At FRA, there is NO earnings limit whatsoever 2. Since I'll be claiming at 67 (my FRA), I can keep working and earning $32,000 with no reduction in SS benefits 3. I should still be aware of possible tax implications Really appreciate all the explanations - this community is incredibly helpful!

my neighbor said she had to REQUEST a recalculation it wasnt automatic for her. anyone else have that problem??

I'm confused about something... If we have to wait a year for earnings to be added, how does SSA know what we earned? Do they get it from our tax returns or from employers directly? And what if there's a mistake in what's reported?