One more important point that hasn't been mentioned - if your husband continues working after claiming at 62 (even part-time), he'll be subject to the earnings test until he reaches full retirement age. In 2025, beneficiaries who are under FRA for the entire year will have $1 in benefits withheld for every $2 earned above $22,320 (this amount increases yearly with inflation). Since your husband has always worked outside the fire department, this could significantly reduce both his benefits AND your daughter's if he continues working after claiming. The family maximum would still apply to whatever benefits remain after the earnings test reduction. This is another reason why many families in your situation might benefit from delaying the retirement claim, especially with a young child who would receive benefits for many years.

I'm a newcomer here but wanted to share what I learned when researching this for my own family situation. One thing that might help is using the SSA's online benefit estimator tool - it's not perfect but can give you a rough idea of different scenarios before you try to get through to them on the phone. Also, I've found that visiting a local SSA office in person (if you can take the time) sometimes gets better results than calling. You can make an appointment online and they seem more knowledgeable about complex situations like yours with multiple benefit types. Given all the factors people have mentioned - the family maximum, earnings test if he keeps working, and your daughter's long eligibility period - it really does sound like running the numbers on waiting vs. claiming at 62 could save your family thousands over the years. Good luck with your planning!

Based on what you've shared, here's what I recommend: 1. First, verify your husband's claiming history by contacting SSA (whether through regular channels or using a service to help you get through) 2. Ask specifically about: - When your husband began collecting benefits - What his PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) was - How the RIB-LIM rule affects your specific situation 3. Request a benefit calculation for these scenarios: - Taking your survivor benefits now (reduced amount) - Taking your own retirement benefit now, then switching to survivor benefits at your FRA Once you have these specific numbers, you can make an informed decision. The difference could potentially be thousands of dollars over your lifetime, so it's worth doing this research.

I went through this exact situation 3 years ago when I was 64. The misinformation is unfortunately very common - even some SSA representatives don't always have the details right. Here's what I learned the hard way: survivor benefits ARE reduced if you take them before your FRA, period. The reduction is permanent too, so you can't "undo" it later. What saved me financially was doing exactly what Justin suggested - I took my own smaller retirement benefit at 64, then switched to the full survivor benefit when I hit my FRA at 66. This gave me income for those 2 years while preserving the higher survivor benefit amount. The key is getting YOUR specific numbers from SSA because everyone's situation is different based on earnings history and when benefits were claimed. Don't rely on general advice (including mine!) - get your actual benefit estimates in writing before deciding.

lol good luck dealing with SSA. might as well try to teach a rock to swim 🪨🏊‍♂️

Quick question - does anyone know if changing your direct deposit info affects your payment date? I rely on getting paid on a specific day each month.

My brother and I were just talking about this yesterday! He got his increase but I haven't seen mine yet. Does anyone know if they send them out in batches? My birthday is on the 28th so I usually get paid later in the month. Will I see my COLA in January too or do I have to wait for my regular payment date?

This is such a helpful thread! I'm new to Social Security (just started receiving benefits last year) and had no idea about how Medicare premiums could affect the COLA increase. I was also confused when my payment didn't go up by the full 2.5% that was announced. For anyone else who might be confused like I was - the mySocialSecurity online account really does show the breakdown clearly. It separates out your gross benefit amount (which includes the full COLA) from all the deductions. Makes it much easier to understand what's happening with your payment. Thanks to everyone who explained this so well!

dont 4get that if u get benefits reduced cuz of working, they recalculate ur benefit when u hit FRA and give u credit for those months. so its not completely lost money, just delayed

As someone new to this community, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed experiences! This thread has been incredibly helpful. I'm in a similar situation planning retirement next year and had no idea about the "grace year" rule or how specific you need to be about your first month of entitlement. One question I have after reading all this - when you apply online through SSA.gov, does it clearly ask you to specify your first month of entitlement? Or is this something you need to call about? I'm worried about making the same mistakes some of you mentioned where SSA starts benefits earlier than intended. Also, has anyone tried the retroactive benefits option where they can pay you up to 6 months back? I'm wondering if that creates earnings test complications too.