To directly answer your question about what to expect in 2025: Based on your 14 years of substantial earnings, your WEP penalty is likely reduced from the maximum by 40%. With the information you've provided, I estimate your benefit will increase by approximately $330-380 per month once WEP is eliminated. To get a more precise estimate, you can: 1. Log into your my Social Security account 2. Look for your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) before WEP reduction 3. Compare it to your current benefit amount The difference is approximately what you'll gain when WEP is eliminated. Keep in mind that there will also be COLA increases between now and 2025 that will make the actual dollar amount higher.

Thank you all for the helpful information! I've been trying to get straight answers for months. I'm going to request the non-WEP PIA calculation and try to get through to an agent. From what everyone has shared, it looks like I might see an increase of $300-350 per month once WEP is eliminated. That would make a huge difference for me. Does anyone know if we'll receive any official communication from SSA about our specific increase amount before the changes take effect in 2025?

u might try county records office where u got married they can give u copy of marriage license. also check old tax returns that's how my aunt found my uncles ssn

Just wanted to add my experience - I was in a very similar situation when my ex-husband passed. We'd been divorced for years and I had no idea where any of his paperwork was. The SSA office was actually really helpful once I got there. They were able to locate his record using just his full name, date of birth, and our marriage date. I brought my driver's license, our marriage certificate, and his death certificate. The whole process took about 45 minutes once I got called back (the wait was longer than the actual appointment!). Don't stress too much about having his exact SSN - they have ways to work around that. Good luck with your application!

One additional consideration that might help with your decision-making: you can actually apply for both your retirement benefits AND your daughter's DAC benefits at the same time. This means you won't have to wait months between starting your benefits and getting her application processed. Also, if you do decide to start your benefits early, remember that you can still work and earn up to the annual earnings limit without affecting your benefits (in 2025 it's $23,400 if you're under full retirement age). This might help offset some of the reduction from taking benefits early. Have you calculated what your daughter's potential DAC benefit amount would be? It's typically 50% of your primary insurance amount, which might help you weigh the financial trade-offs more precisely.

I'm in a very similar situation with my 60-year-old disabled son! We went through the same SSI denial years ago due to assets. What I learned is that you can actually get some preliminary guidance without committing to anything by requesting a benefit estimate that shows what your daughter's DAC benefit would be at 50% of your PIA. Also, one thing that helped us was discovering that if you start benefits at 67 (your full retirement age) rather than earlier, you're not taking a "reduction" - you're just not getting the delayed retirement credits you'd earn by waiting until 70. The way I looked at it was: am I better off with my full benefit amount plus my son getting 50% of that, or waiting 3 years for the delayed credits while continuing to fully support him? For us, starting at full retirement age made sense financially even without the delayed credits, especially considering the Medicare eligibility after 24 months. Every family's situation is different though!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I've learned so much from this discussion. Just to summarize what I understand now: 1. My husband should go ahead and file for his own benefits when he turns 70. 2. He can't receive spousal benefits based on my record because his own benefit will be more than half of mine. 3. When I decide to file (likely at 70), I'll get my own benefit amount. 4. The higher benefit (mine) will become the survivor benefit if one of us passes away. I appreciate everyone taking the time to explain this. The Social Security rules can be so confusing!

You've got it exactly right, Zara! Your summary is spot on. One additional tip I'd suggest - since you're planning to wait until 70 to file, make sure to apply about 3-4 months before your 70th birthday to avoid any processing delays. Social Security benefits can be retroactive up to 6 months, but you don't want to miss out on any payments due to paperwork timing. Also, keep good records of both your and your husband's work history and earnings - it helps when you finally do file to make sure your benefits are calculated correctly. Good luck with your planning!

As someone who just went through this process myself, I can confirm that capital gains from selling business assets absolutely do NOT count toward the Social Security earnings limit. I sold some equipment from my consulting business last year and was initially worried about the same thing. The key distinction is that the earnings test only applies to income from active work - wages and net self-employment income from ongoing business operations. Capital gains, even from business assets, are considered investment income rather than earnings from work. Just make sure you keep good records of the sale price, your basis in the vehicle, and any depreciation you've claimed over the years. Your accountant should report it properly on Form 4797 to keep it separate from your Schedule C business income. You're smart to be cautious about staying under the limit, but this particular transaction won't affect your Social Security benefits at all.

I'm in a similar situation and have been tracking this issue closely. One thing I'd add is that you should also be aware of how the depreciation recapture portion gets treated. While the entire gain (including depreciation recapture) doesn't count toward the Social Security earnings limit, the depreciation recapture portion is taxed as ordinary income rather than capital gains rates. This won't affect your SS benefits but could push you into a higher tax bracket. Also, if you're getting close to the combined income thresholds that determine taxation of Social Security benefits ($25K single/$32K married), this extra income could make more of your benefits taxable even though it doesn't count toward the earnings test. It's one of those quirky situations where the same income is treated differently for different purposes within the Social Security system.