I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! Just started receiving benefits this month and was shocked when my deposit was $400+ less than my award letter said. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - especially learning about the automatic Part D enrollment and tax withholding that can happen without you realizing it. I'm going to check my Medicare.gov account tonight to see if I got auto-enrolled in a Part D plan I don't remember signing up for. It's really frustrating that SSA doesn't provide clearer upfront communication about all these potential deductions, but this community has been more helpful than any official resource I've found so far. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm about to start receiving my benefits next month and had no idea about all these potential automatic deductions and enrollments. Reading about the Medicare Part D auto-enrollment, automatic tax withholding, and the delayed appearance of the Payment History link has given me a much better idea of what to expect. I'm definitely going to bookmark this conversation and check both my MySocialSecurity account AND Medicare.gov account carefully after my first payment hits. It's really unfortunate that SSA doesn't provide a clear "what to expect with your first payment" guide that covers all these possibilities upfront. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical information that new beneficiaries need but can't seem to find in official resources!

Something nobody mentioned - if your husband passes, MAKE SURE you contact SSA immediately. My mother didn't report my father's death quickly, kept receiving his benefits, and had to pay everything back plus penalties. They don't automatically know about the death, and they will demand every penny back if they keep paying his benefits!

I'm in a similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Just wanted to add that you might want to consider meeting with a financial planner who specializes in Social Security to run some scenarios. They can help you understand not just the survivor benefits, but also things like potential tax implications and Medicare considerations if your household income changes significantly. My advisor helped me realize there are some planning strategies around timing and tax withholdings that can make a difference in the long run, even if the benefit amount itself doesn't change. Worth the consultation fee for peace of mind!

To summarize everything correctly: 1. You reach FRA on March 8, 2025 2. SSA considers you at FRA for the entire month of March 3. March 2025 is your first month of entitlement 4. You'll receive your first payment in April 2025 (for March) 5. Payment will likely arrive on the second Wednesday of April 6. Earnings limits disappear starting March 2025 This is standard procedure for all Social Security retirement benefits.

Don't forget to create your my Social Security account online if you haven't already! You can track your application status, view your payment history once payments start, and update your direct deposit information all through the portal. It's much easier than trying to call, and you can access it 24/7. Just go to ssa.gov and look for "Sign In or Create an Account." You'll need to verify your identity, but it's worth having everything at your fingertips, especially when those first payments start coming in April.

Just sharing my experience - I'm getting survivor benefits now at age 66 (my FRA) after taking my own reduced benefits at 62. When my husband passed last year, SSA automatically gave me the higher amount (his benefit). I didn't have to do anything special because they already had his death certificate from the funeral home. Maybe it varies by state though.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that you might want to consider using the SSA's online benefit calculators before making your final decision. The Retirement Estimator can show you exactly how much your benefit would be reduced by filing at 63 versus waiting until FRA. Since you mentioned your husband's benefit will be about 60% higher than yours, you can also estimate his survivor benefit amount if he waits until 70. Having those specific dollar amounts will help you make a more informed decision about whether the early filing strategy makes sense for your household. The calculators are free on ssa.gov and don't require creating an account.

After you submit the withdrawal form, make sure you get written confirmation that it was processed! When I did mine, I assumed everything was fine until I suddenly got a direct deposit three weeks later. Turned out they had a backlog and hadn't processed my withdrawal. Created a huge headache having to return the payment.

Hey Genevieve! Just wanted to add that timing is really critical here. Since you mentioned you applied back in March and it's now nearly April, your first payment could be processed any day now. The SSA typically processes retirement applications within 3-4 months, so you're right at that window. I'd recommend calling first thing Monday morning (or using that Claimyr service others mentioned) to get the ball rolling on your withdrawal ASAP. Even if you can't get through by phone immediately, I'd also suggest going to your local office in person with the SSA-521 form as a backup plan. Better to have multiple approaches going than risk missing your window! Good luck with the new job - sounds like a great opportunity!