In case anyone finds this thread later, here's a summary of key points about earnings after 60 and Social Security benefits: 1. Earnings at any age count toward your benefit calculation if they're among your highest 35 years 2. After age 60, earnings are counted at their actual dollar value (not indexed for inflation) 3. Your MySocialSecurity estimates assume you'll continue earning at your current level until you claim 4. Higher earnings between 62-70 can significantly increase your benefit, especially if replacing lower-earning years 5. There's no earnings limit after reaching Full Retirement Age (FRA) 6. Waiting until 70 to claim gives you the maximum possible monthly benefit (an extra 8% per year beyond FRA) 7. Check your earnings record annually to ensure all your income is properly recorded I hope this helps the original poster and others in similar situations!

This is such valuable information for anyone navigating Social Security planning! I'm 59 and considering a career change that could potentially increase my earnings significantly over the next few years. Reading about your situation and everyone's responses gives me hope that it's not "too late" to improve my SS benefits. The explanation about the 35-year calculation using your highest earning years regardless of when they occurred is particularly helpful. I had always assumed there was some kind of cutoff where later earnings didn't matter as much. It's encouraging to know that even at our age, career improvements can still have a meaningful impact on our retirement security. Best of luck with your new position - what an exciting opportunity at 62!

One other factor to consider: When your wife reaches her retirement age, the SSA will give her the larger of either her own retirement benefit or the spousal benefit she qualifies for. She doesn't get both. So if her teacher career ends up giving her a Social Security benefit that's more than half of your FRA amount, the spousal benefit would be irrelevant. If the GPO applies though, it could significantly reduce or eliminate any spousal benefits. Definitely worth contacting SSA directly to get a personalized analysis of your situation. They can do calculations specific to your earnings records.

Since she's only 52 now any planning you do is just rough estimates anyway. The rules might change by the time she's old enough to claim anything!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful to have found this thread! My foster son turns 18 in July and I've been getting so much conflicting information from SSA that I was starting to panic. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been more helpful than months of trying to navigate this system on my own. A few things I wanted to add from our recent experience: **Documentation is EVERYTHING** - I started keeping a detailed log after our first SSA call where they told us three different things in one conversation. Now I record the date, time, representative name/ID, and exactly what they told us. This has already saved us twice when follow-up calls contradicted previous advice. **Local office vs phone** - We've had much better luck with our local SSA office than the national phone line. Yes, appointments are hard to get, but the in-person staff seem to have better training on foster care transitions. They also gave us printed copies of relevant forms instead of us having to hunt them down online. **School coordination** - Make sure your foster daughter's school counselor understands this isn't just a standard transcript request. We had to educate our school about the specific SSA requirements for continued benefits. They initially wanted to just provide a basic enrollment letter, which wouldn't have been sufficient. Starting 4 months early was absolutely the right call. The horror stories about delays and lost paperwork in this thread are unfortunately very real, but being proactive gives you the best chance of avoiding those pitfalls. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is invaluable for those of us trying to help these kids navigate such a complex system!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm finding this discussion incredibly valuable! My foster daughter is in a very similar situation - she'll be turning 18 in a few months and we're dealing with the same confusing and contradictory information from SSA representatives. What strikes me most about this thread is how consistent everyone's experience has been with the system being backlogged and representatives giving different answers. It's both frustrating and reassuring to know we're not alone in this struggle. I wanted to ask about something I haven't seen mentioned yet - has anyone dealt with complications when the foster child's birth state is different from where they currently live? We're in California now, but she was born in Texas, and I'm wondering if that adds any additional complexity to the survivor benefits transition process. Also, for those who successfully got through this process - approximately how long did it take from submitting the advance notice paperwork to actually seeing the benefits start flowing to the new payee after they turned 18? I'm trying to set realistic expectations for my foster daughter about potential delays. Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences here. The detailed, practical advice is so much more helpful than anything we've received from official channels. It's clear that starting early and being persistent is absolutely the right approach, despite what some SSA representatives might suggest.

As a newcomer to this community, I found this entire discussion incredibly enlightening! I'm in a somewhat similar situation (turning 63 next year, still working, also divorced after 15+ years of marriage) and had no idea these benefit matrices even existed. Reading through everyone's explanations has been more helpful than anything I've found online. The clarification about the rule changes for those born after 1954 is particularly important - I had been under the impression I could still do the "file and suspend" strategy I'd read about, but apparently that's no longer an option. @Mei Liu - your situation really mirrors mine, and seeing how methodically you worked through understanding your options gives me hope I can do the same. I think I need to request my own benefit matrix and start planning now rather than waiting until I'm closer to 62. Thank you to everyone who contributed their knowledge here. This is exactly the kind of practical, real-world advice that makes navigating Social Security so much less intimidating!

As someone who just joined this community and is facing a similar crossroads at 61, I can't thank you all enough for this incredibly detailed discussion! I've been putting off dealing with my Social Security planning because it felt so overwhelming, but seeing how methodically you all worked through @Mei Liu's situation has given me the confidence to tackle my own. I had no idea about the earnings test implications for early claiming while still working - that's a huge factor I hadn't considered. The clarification about the rule changes eliminating the old "file and suspend" strategies is also crucial information that I haven't seen clearly explained elsewhere. What strikes me most is how personalized these decisions really are. It's not just about the numbers on the matrix, but about your work situation, health, family circumstances, and so many other factors. This thread perfectly demonstrates why generic online advice often falls short. I'm definitely going to request my own benefit matrix this week and start having these conversations with SSA representatives. Thanks for showing that with patience and the right questions, you can actually get useful answers from the system!

I went through a similar situation when I switched from my own retirement to my late husband's survivor benefits at FRA. You will definitely receive an award letter in the mail, though the timing can vary - mine arrived about 10 days before my first payment at the new amount. Given all the conflicting information you've received, I'd recommend doing two things: First, call SSA and specifically ask them to confirm your mailing address and whether the RIB-LIM rule applies to your case (since your wife claimed early). Second, when you do get that award letter, read it carefully and don't hesitate to call if the amount seems wrong. One thing that helped me was keeping a written record of every conversation I had with SSA representatives, including dates, times, and what they told me. It made it much easier to reference when I had questions about my final award letter. The good news is that once you receive the letter, that's the official amount and you'll know exactly what to expect going forward. Hang in there - you're almost through this process!

I just went through this exact transition in January! Yes, SSA will absolutely mail you an award letter - mine arrived about 2 weeks before my first survivor benefit payment. The letter will show the official monthly amount and explain how they calculated it. About those different estimates you received - this is unfortunately very common. The phone reps often give preliminary calculations, while the local office staff have access to more detailed records. The final amount on your award letter will be the definitive number. Regarding your MySocialSecurity account troubles, I had the same nightmare experience! After multiple failed attempts, I ended up going to my local office and they were able to help me create a new account from scratch. It's worth the trip if you have time before your benefit switch. One tip: when your award letter arrives, check that all the dates and amounts match what you expect. If there's any discrepancy, you have 60 days to file an appeal. Keep that letter in a safe place - you'll need it for tax purposes and other documentation. Good luck with your transition in March! The uncertainty is stressful, but once you get that official letter, you'll have peace of mind.