After doing more research on your situation, I want to add that there is a process for requesting an earnings record correction with Social Security, but it requires evidence that you actually paid the self-employment taxes for those years. The difficulty of care exemption creates a unique situation that many tax preparers misunderstand. Moving forward, make sure your tax preparer includes Schedule SE with your tax returns to pay self-employment tax on this income. For past years, you can: 1. Amend returns for the past three tax years by filing Form 1040X along with Schedule SE 2. For years beyond the amendment window, you may still be able to file a request with SSA using Form SSA-7008 (Request for Correction of Earnings Record), but success will depend on your specific circumstances This is definitely a situation where speaking directly with someone at SSA who specializes in earnings record issues would be beneficial.

I'm new to this community but going through a very similar situation with my adult son who has autism. We've been caregivers under a state waiver program for 5 years and just discovered we may have been missing out on Social Security credits this whole time. Reading through everyone's responses has been incredibly helpful - it sounds like the key issue is whether self-employment taxes were paid, not just the income tax exemption. I'm definitely going to request my Social Security earnings statement to see what's actually been recorded and find a tax professional who understands these special situations. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's reassuring to know we're not the only family dealing with this confusion!

In my experience, the local field offices are hit-or-miss with understanding special payments. If you're getting nowhere, ask to speak with a Technical Expert (TE) - they generally have more specialized knowledge about these complex situations than the regular service representatives. Also, document EVERY interaction with SSA - date, time, who you spoke with, and what they told you. This was extremely valuable when I had to escalate my case after getting incorrect information multiple times.

I'm a former SSA claims specialist and can confirm that vacation payouts for time accrued before retirement are indeed considered "special payments" under SSA policy. The key documentation you'll need is a detailed statement from your employer showing: 1. Total vacation hours accrued as of 12/31/2024 2. Dollar amount of the payout attributable to pre-retirement accrual 3. Clear statement that this represents compensation for services performed in 2024 When you contact SSA after receiving the payout, specifically use the term "special payment" - this triggers the correct policy review. Don't just say "vacation pay" as many representatives will automatically assume it counts toward current year earnings. One tip: if your employer uses a payroll system that tracks vacation accrual dates, ask for a detailed report showing when each hour was earned. This provides ironclad documentation if SSA questions the timing later. The Form SSA-131 that others mentioned is typically only required for larger employers or more complex situations, but having your employer complete one voluntarily can speed up the review process significantly.

just curious, if the birth certificate says the 9th but you've been celebrating on the 10th your whole life, which one do you consider your real birthday??? do you celebrate on the 9th now or still the 10th? 🎂

I'm a retired SSA claims representative and want to reassure you that this type of discrepancy is very manageable. Since you've already confirmed your Social Security Statement shows the 10th, you're in good shape. The key is that SSA has been using the 10th for your entire earnings history - that's what matters for benefit calculations. When you apply, just include a brief note explaining the one-day difference and mention that all your employment records consistently used the 10th. You might also want to bring copies of a few documents (driver's license, passport, etc.) that show the 10th to demonstrate the consistent pattern. Birth date discrepancies of 1-2 days were actually quite common historically, especially for births that occurred around midnight or in rural areas with delayed record-keeping. SSA has procedures for handling these situations and they're generally very reasonable about it when there's a clear, consistent pattern in your work history like yours.

To summarize everything in this thread: 1. Earnings limit for 2025 if under FRA whole year: $22,320 (only wages count, not pension) 2. Your part-time job earnings are about $13,200/year, so you're under the limit 3. You likely face a WEP reduction due to your government pension 4. The WEP reduction depends on your years of "substantial earnings" under Social Security 5. The online calculator doesn't automatically show WEP reductions 6. You should contact SSA directly for an accurate calculation Based on what you've shared, you can definitely continue your part-time job without losing SS benefits to the earnings limit. The WEP reduction will happen regardless of whether you work or not, so that shouldn't affect your decision about the part-time job.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you might want to consider the timing of when you apply for Social Security. Since you're planning to start collecting at 62, you'll be taking a permanent reduction in your monthly benefit amount (around 25-30% less than your full retirement age benefit). With WEP potentially reducing your benefit even further, it might be worth running the numbers to see if delaying your claim by even a year or two could significantly improve your monthly income, especially since your part-time job and pension are covering your current expenses. Every year you delay past 62 increases your benefit by about 6-8% until you reach full retirement age. Just something to consider as part of your overall planning - sometimes the math works out better to wait even if you're eligible early.

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I feel much better knowing that my wife can keep her business going without affecting my benefits. We'll probably have her wait until FRA to claim anything since the business is doing well. One more question - if she does wait until FRA to claim spousal benefits, will they look at all her earnings up until that point to calculate her own benefit? Or do they just use earnings up to 62 or something?

Just wanted to add one more important point that hasn't been mentioned yet - since your wife is self-employed, she should also consider the impact on her Medicare premiums down the line. While her business income won't affect your Social Security benefits, if she continues to have high earnings from her accounting practice, those earnings could affect her Medicare Part B and Part D premiums through IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount) when she becomes eligible for Medicare. This doesn't change the advice about Social Security benefits, but it's something to factor into her overall retirement planning. The IRMAA thresholds are based on modified adjusted gross income from 2 years prior, so her business income will be considered even if she's receiving Social Security benefits at that time.