No, this only affects people who were subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions reduced Social Security benefits for people who receive pensions from jobs that didn't pay into Social Security (like certain state/local government jobs, federal jobs under the Civil Service Retirement System, or foreign employment). If you never worked in one of these \

As someone who just started learning about this issue, I'm amazed by how much this law is helping people! Reading through all these experiences really shows how unfair WEP and GPO were. I had no idea that teachers and government workers were getting their Social Security benefits reduced just because they also earned a pension from their jobs. It seems like such a basic fairness issue - if you paid into Social Security, you should get what you earned, period. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and updates. It's really helpful to see the real-world impact of this change, especially for those still waiting for their adjustments. The fact that some people are seeing increases of $800+ per month is incredible - that's life-changing money for retirees on fixed incomes!

I'm so sorry for your loss. This is definitely one of those confusing administrative details that adds stress during an already difficult time. Based on what others have shared here, it sounds like you're in good shape with that September payment since Social Security pays in arrears - meaning that September deposit was actually for August when your father-in-law was alive the entire month. I'd recommend calling SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to confirm two things: 1) that the death notification has been properly processed in their system, and 2) which specific month that September payment was credited for. Getting this confirmation directly from them will give you peace of mind and proper documentation for the estate. Also, even though the funeral home said they'd handle the death notification, it's always good to verify this was actually completed. Sometimes there can be delays or miscommunications in that process. You're being very responsible by asking these questions upfront rather than waiting to see what happens. That proactive approach will save you potential headaches down the road.

I'm so sorry for your loss. This is definitely a stressful situation to navigate during an already difficult time, but you're absolutely doing the right thing by asking these questions upfront. From what I understand about Social Security timing, that September payment was most likely for August (since benefits are paid in arrears), which means your father-in-law was entitled to it since he was alive for the entire month of August. However, I'd strongly recommend calling SSA directly at 1-800-772-1213 to get definitive confirmation about which month that specific payment covers. When you call, also verify that the death notification has been properly processed in their system. Even though the funeral home said they'd handle it, it's worth confirming this was actually completed - sometimes there can be processing delays. Make sure to ask for a reference number for your call and keep detailed notes of what they tell you. This documentation will be helpful for estate records and your own peace of mind. You're handling this very thoughtfully by being proactive rather than just waiting to see what happens. That approach will definitely help avoid any potential complications down the road.

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.

I'm new to Medicare and Social Security benefits, and this thread has been really eye-opening! I had no idea that Medicare premiums would be treated this way on tax forms. It does seem counterintuitive that we'd pay taxes on money we never actually received in our bank accounts. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like this is just how the system works, even if it feels unfair. I appreciate all the explanations about the SSA-1099 form and the difference between Box 3 and Box 5 amounts. For those of us who are frustrated by this, has anyone had success advocating for changes to this policy through their representatives? Or is this just something we have to accept as part of how Social Security and Medicare interact with the tax system?

Just wanted to share my experience from last year - I help my elderly father with his taxes too and we had a similar situation. His SSA-1099 arrived on January 23rd, which was perfect timing for our planned visit. One thing that really helped was creating a checklist ahead of time of all the documents we'd need (W-2s, bank statements, etc.) so when I got there we could tackle everything efficiently in one trip. Also, if you're concerned about timing, you might want to have a backup plan ready - either the local SSA office visit that Sean mentioned or that phone service Katherine suggested. Having multiple options gave me peace of mind. Good luck with helping your brother!

I'm in a similar situation helping my grandmother with her taxes. Based on what I've seen in our family, the forms usually arrive between January 15-25th, so you should be in good shape for your early February visit. One thing I'd add is to maybe call your brother a few days before your trip to confirm the form arrived - that way you can adjust your plans if needed. Also, consider bringing a copy of last year's return with you as a reference, especially helpful when someone has memory issues. The consistency can be reassuring for them and makes the process smoother.

I work in payroll administration and see this issue fairly often. What likely happened is that your employer submitted your W-2 information to SSA with either a transposed digit in your SSN or a slight name variation that prevented the automated matching system from crediting the earnings to your record. The SSA rep can see the "unmatched" wage data in their system - it's there, but it's essentially in limbo because the computer couldn't definitively match it to your specific earnings record. This is why she could tell you the employers and earnings amount but it's not showing up in your official record. For $11K from 1999, honestly it's probably not worth the paperwork hassle unless you're close to retirement and every dollar counts. The indexed value of those earnings for benefit calculation purposes would be relatively small compared to your more recent work years. If you're curious about the exact process, you could always request a detailed earnings inquiry from SSA, but based on what you've described, this sounds like a classic case of employer reporting error that created an unmatched record.

I had a similar issue with missing earnings from 2003! When I called SSA about it, the representative could see my employer information and even knew how much I made that year, but it wasn't showing up in my actual earnings record. She explained that sometimes the IRS data and SSA records don't sync properly due to reporting errors. In my case, it turned out my employer had submitted my W-2 with one digit wrong in my Social Security number. The earnings were sitting in SSA's system as "unmatched" - they had the data but couldn't link it to my record because of the SSN mismatch. I ended up fixing mine because I was worried about qualifying for disability benefits at the time, but it took about 6 months and a lot of paperwork. For your situation with $11K from 1999, the rep is probably right that it won't significantly impact your benefits. Those older earnings get indexed for inflation, but they're still relatively small compared to what you'd earn in more recent years. The fact that she mentioned employers from different years makes sense too - they're probably looking at a screen that shows multiple years of tax data all at once.