Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I feel much more confident now in my plan to take survivor benefits at 67 and then switch to my own retirement benefit at 70. I'm going to: 1. Double-check my Social Security statement online to confirm my projected benefit at 70 2. Call SSA (using that Claimyr service someone mentioned to save time) to verify my survivor benefit amount 3. Do the math to confirm my own benefit at 70 will indeed be higher than the survivor benefit I really appreciate how this community has helped ease my anxiety about this decision. Social Security planning is so much more complicated than I expected, especially with survivor benefits in the mix.

I just want to add one more important consideration that I learned the hard way - make sure you understand exactly when your survivor benefits will start if you apply at 67. There can be a delay between when you file and when you receive your first payment, and the timing matters for your strategy. Also, keep detailed records of everything! When I was navigating this process after my spouse passed, having documentation of all my conversations with SSA representatives was incredibly helpful. Different reps sometimes gave slightly different information, so being able to reference previous conversations helped me stay consistent with my plan. Your strategy sounds exactly right based on what you've described. The fact that you're still working and have a solid earnings record puts you in a great position to maximize this approach. Just make sure to file for the survivor benefits a few months before you turn 67 so there are no delays in getting that income stream started while you wait for your own benefit to grow.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I understand much better now - I need to watch the monthly amounts this first year (2025), but in future years only the annual total matters. I'll keep my earnings under the limits and keep good records of everything. One follow-up question though: does anyone know if they automatically track my earnings through payroll reporting, or do I need to report my earnings to SSA myself throughout the year?

As someone who went through this exact situation a few years ago, I can confirm what others have said about the first-year rules being different. Just wanted to add a practical tip: I found it helpful to calculate my monthly average early in the year to make sure I stayed on track. Since you get paid bi-weekly, you'll have 26 paychecks for the year. Divide your annual limit ($23,400) by 26 to get your maximum per-paycheck amount ($900). This way you can easily check each paycheck to make sure you're not getting too close to the limit. Also, if you do accidentally go over in any month this first year, don't panic - they'll just reduce benefits for that specific month, not cancel everything. The system is designed to work with people, not against them (even though it doesn't always feel that way!).

Based on what you've shared about your situation, here's what I'd recommend: 1. Since you'll be earning $65,000, which is well above the $22,320 earnings limit, a significant amount of your benefits will be withheld. 2. The SSA withholds benefits starting from January of each year until they've covered the projected withholding amount. This means you might receive no benefits for several months of the year. 3. For every month where your entire benefit is withheld due to work, the SSA will adjust your early retirement reduction when you reach full retirement age. 4. Given your earnings and the short time since you started benefits, the automatic adjustment at FRA might be more advantageous than withdrawing and repaying $18,000 now. I'd recommend creating a my Social Security account online and using the retirement calculator to model both scenarios with your specific numbers.

Just wanted to add one more consideration - make sure to keep detailed records of your earnings throughout the year. SSA will want documentation when they do their annual earnings review, and having everything organized will make the process much smoother. Also, if your income varies month to month, you might want to estimate conservatively and report any changes to SSA promptly. They can adjust the withholding mid-year if your circumstances change, which could help you avoid overpayment situations that need to be sorted out later.

You can apply up to 4 months before you want your benefits to begin. Since you want benefits to start in January 2025, you could apply as early as September 2024. I'd recommend applying about 2-3 months in advance to give SSA time to process everything. So October or November would be ideal. Make sure to clearly specify January 2025 as your benefit start month when you apply. Applying online at ssa.gov is usually the fastest and easiest method. You'll need to have your bank information ready for direct deposit, and they'll ask about your expected earnings for 2025 (which should be zero if you're stopping work on December 31st).

Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - when you do apply in October, make sure to keep copies of everything you submit. I've seen cases where SSA loses paperwork or there are processing delays, and having your own records makes it much easier to follow up if needed. Also, once you get your award letter, double-check all the details carefully. Sometimes they get the benefit start date wrong or miscalculate the reduction for early retirement. It's much easier to fix these issues before your first payment than after. Good luck with your retirement planning! Sounds like you've got a solid plan now with stopping work on December 31st.

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to add my voice to thank everyone for this incredibly comprehensive and helpful discussion! I've been dealing with the exact same mySocialSecurity account setup failures on my iPhone and iPad for over a month now, and this thread has been absolutely invaluable. What really stands out to me is how everyone's experiences reveal such consistent patterns - it's clearly not just bad luck with random glitches, but specific compatibility issues with mobile browsers and the ID.me verification system. I had absolutely no idea that credit freezes and monitoring services could block government account verification until reading all these detailed accounts - that's been a huge revelation. I'm taking detailed notes on the proven approach that has worked for so many people: desktop computer with Chrome/Firefox, temporarily lift credit freezes and monitoring, gather tax documents for those tricky verification questions, disable browser extensions and VPNs, clear all cache and cookies, and enter everything manually without autofill. As someone who's 60 and just starting to get serious about Social Security planning, I'm also really encouraged by everyone's insights about the benefit calculators and retirement planning tools being genuinely worth the effort. Sometimes when you're stuck on a frustrating government website, you start wondering if it's even worth pushing through! I'm going to follow the collective wisdom here and try the desktop method this weekend with all the preparation steps outlined. This community has transformed what felt like an isolated technical nightmare into a shared problem with proven solutions - exactly what I was hoping to find when dealing with government services. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences so generously!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to say thank you for this incredibly thorough and helpful thread! I've been struggling with the exact same mySocialSecurity account setup issues on my tablet for the past few weeks, and reading through everyone's detailed experiences has given me so much clarity and hope. What's really eye-opening is how consistent the solutions are across so many different people's stories - it's clearly systematic issues with mobile compatibility and ID.me verification rather than random technical problems. I had no idea that credit freezes could interfere with government account verification, but after reading multiple accounts here, it makes perfect sense. I'm taking notes on the proven approach: desktop computer with Chrome/Firefox, temporarily lift credit freezes, have tax documents ready for verification questions, disable browser extensions, clear cache, and manual entry without autofill. The fact that this method has worked for virtually everyone after mobile failures gives me real confidence. As someone approaching retirement planning decisions, I'm also encouraged by all the insights about the SSA benefit calculators being genuinely valuable tools. Knowing there are useful retirement planning resources waiting makes all this technical troubleshooting feel worthwhile. I'm planning to try the desktop approach this weekend following all the preparation steps outlined here. This community has transformed what felt like an impossible individual problem into a shared challenge with clear solutions - exactly the kind of support I was hoping for when dealing with government services!