my neighbor said u have to PAY EVERYTHING BACK if u get approved for disability but he also thinks the moon landing was fake so idk if hes right lol

Just to follow up on my earlier comment - there's one more benefit to getting approved for SSDI after taking early retirement that people haven't mentioned. You'll become eligible for Medicare 24 months after your SSDI entitlement date, regardless of your age. So you'll get Medicare before 65, which can be a huge help with medical expenses. Also, if your disability has worsened since you initially applied, make sure your medical records reflect this. The more documentation you have about your limitations, the stronger your case will be. Have you had a lawyer helping with your disability claim?

The SSA is ALWAYS trying to short-change us!! My friend was told she'd get one amount then ended up with hundreds less per month. She fought it for months and finally got what she deserved. DONT give up!!

I'm sorry for your loss, Gael. What you're experiencing is unfortunately common with the RIB-LIM rule that others have mentioned. I went through something similar when my mother passed - the initial estimate was much higher than what I actually received due to these complex calculations. One thing I'd recommend is requesting your husband's complete earnings record (Form SSA-7050-F4) along with that technical explanation others mentioned. This will help you verify that they're using the correct earnings history in their calculations. Sometimes there are errors in the earnings record that can affect benefit amounts. Also, if you do decide to request the detailed calculation, be prepared that it might take several weeks to receive it. The SSA doesn't generate these explanations routinely, so they have to create them specially upon request. But it's worth having for your records, especially since you're planning to switch to your own benefits at 70. The good news is that your survivor benefit strategy still makes sense - you're essentially getting paid to delay your own retirement benefits until they max out at 70, even if the survivor amount is less than you initially expected.

One more important point: You mentioned your husband plans to work into his 70s, which is great. Just be aware that once he files for benefits (even at 70), if you then apply for spousal benefits, your income will be subject to the earnings test if you're still working and under your FRA. In 2025, you can earn up to $22,300 without affecting benefits, but above that, $1 in benefits is withheld for every $2 you earn above the limit. This doesn't apply once you reach your FRA. Also, don't forget to consider the taxation of Social Security benefits. If your combined income (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of Social Security benefits) exceeds certain thresholds, up to 85% of your benefits could be taxable. This might affect the calculations of when to file.

I'm facing a similar decision at 63 and this thread has been incredibly helpful! One thing I'd add is that you might want to consider getting a personalized benefit statement from SSA that shows your projected benefits at different claiming ages. You can create an account at ssa.gov/myaccount and run the numbers yourself. Also, since you mentioned your husband will get the maximum benefit, that suggests his PIA will be around $4,000-$4,400 (the 2025 maximum). So your spousal benefit at YOUR FRA would be roughly $2,000-$2,200 (50% of his PIA). If your own benefit at FRA is $2,500, you'd stick with your own benefit since it's higher than the spousal amount. But here's the key point others have made: if you file early now, you'd get $2,200 permanently, AND if you later became eligible for spousal benefits, those would ALSO be reduced because you filed early. So you could end up with less than $2,200 total even when he files. Given that your husband is healthy and plans to work into his 70s, waiting until your FRA seems like the clear winner financially. Those extra few hundred dollars per month really add up over 20+ years of retirement!

Hi there! This is a great question and a common situation many families face. Yes, your son can potentially receive both DAC benefits and partial SSI to make up the difference - this is called "concurrent benefits." Here's how it typically works: SSA will pay the higher of the two benefits first (in your case, the DAC), and then SSI can supplement up to the federal benefit rate if your son meets all SSI eligibility requirements. Since his DAC will be about $60 less than the full SSI amount, he should be eligible for that $60 difference in SSI. The good news is that since your son already receives Medicaid through a waiver, he likely meets the disability requirements for SSI. During your Monday appointment, make sure to ask specifically about: - Concurrent benefits eligibility - How the SSI supplement calculation works - Whether his current Medicaid waiver will transition smoothly - Any required documentation for the SSI application Having that waiver already in place should help streamline the process. Good luck with your appointment on Monday!

One last tip - when you actually apply online, have these documents ready: - Your birth certificate (or passport) - Your most recent W-2 or tax return - Marriage certificate if you've been married - Divorce decree if applicable - Military discharge papers if you served Having everything prepared makes the online application process much smoother. The system also lets you save and come back if you need to gather more information.

Just wanted to add one more thing that caught me off guard - make sure to create your my Social Security account online BEFORE you apply if you don't already have one! It takes a few days to verify your identity and get full access. Having the account set up ahead of time lets you track your application status and access all your Social Security documents in one place. I wish I had known this earlier in my planning process. The account creation is at ssa.gov/myaccount and you'll need it anyway for managing your benefits once they start.