Don't forget that if she buys a home and has money LEFT OVER after the purchase, that excess will count toward her $2000 resource limit!! Also, if the stocks are worth a lot, she might still go over the limit even with the home purchase. The SSI program is designed to TRAP people in poverty!

That's true about leftover funds, but there are other excluded resources she could consider for any excess, like burial funds (up to $1,500), home improvements, or even ABLE accounts depending on when her disability began. She should definitely discuss all options with a benefits counselor before making any decisions.

Just to update everyone on the timeline: once you submit the new W-4V form, it typically takes the SSA about 4-6 weeks to process the change. The new withholding rate will apply to payments after processing is complete. If you're concerned about owing taxes for 2025, you could also make quarterly estimated tax payments directly to the IRS to supplement your withholding until the new rate kicks in.

One thing to keep in mind - if you're making the change this late in the year, you might want to calculate how much extra withholding you'll actually get for 2025. Since it takes 4-6 weeks to process and we're already in late March, you'll only have about 8-9 months of the higher withholding rate. If you're significantly under-withheld, you might still want to make a quarterly estimated payment for Q2 to avoid underpayment penalties. The IRS generally wants you to pay 90% of your current year tax liability or 100% of last year's (110% if your prior year AGI was over $150k) to avoid penalties.

I recommend you get something in writing. Call and specifically request a 'benefits verification letter' that shows the breakdown of SSDI and SSI. This is more reliable than what representatives tell you over the phone. Given what you described, it sounds like your sister will receive around $425 in SSDI as a Disabled Adult Child benefit on your father's record, and then a reduced SSI payment to bring her up to the maximum allowed total. The mySSA account will eventually catch up, but official letters are your best bet for accurate information.

I'm going through something similar with my nephew right now after his mom passed. One thing that really helped us was keeping a detailed log of every conversation with SSA - date, time, representative name if they give it, and exactly what they said about the amounts. When we had three different reps give us three different calculations, I brought this log to our local office and the supervisor was able to see the inconsistencies and get us connected with someone who could actually pull up the detailed calculations. Also, don't be afraid to ask the representative to explain WHERE they're getting their numbers from - sometimes they're looking at preliminary calculations vs. finalized amounts. The whole process took about 5 months to fully settle for us, but having that documentation really helped speed things up once we escalated it.

This is such great information! I'm in a similar situation - turning 66 next year and wondering about working past FRA. From reading all these responses, it sounds like the key takeaway is: NO earnings limit once you reach your Full Retirement Age, which is fantastic news for those of us who want to keep working. One question I have though - does anyone know if there are any tax implications to be aware of? Like, will having both Social Security benefits AND work income push me into a higher tax bracket? I'm trying to plan ahead financially and want to make sure I understand the full picture before making my decision. Also, @Olivia Kay, it sounds like you're in a really good position to keep working and building up that college fund for your grandson while also potentially increasing your future SS benefits. That's awesome!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm 64 and was considering claiming early at 62 but after reading all these responses, I'm thinking I should wait until my FRA at 66 and 10 months. The fact that there's NO earnings limit after FRA is huge for me since I love my job and want to keep working. One thing I'm curious about - does anyone know how quickly SSA recalculates your benefits if you keep working after claiming? Like if I start collecting at FRA but then have a really good earning year, will my monthly benefit automatically increase the following year? Or do I need to contact them to request a recalculation? Also want to echo what others have said about using that Claimyr service to actually talk to someone at SSA. The wait times when calling directly are absolutely brutal, so having a way to get through faster sounds like a lifesaver!

I went through this exact situation in 2023. Here's what happened: I was receiving widow's benefits with the earnings limit, then got offered a great job that put me way over the limit. I called SSA and told them my expected earnings for the year, and they calculated exactly how many more months of benefits I could receive before they needed to stop. They didn't ask for ANY money back from what I had already received. However, they did tell me that if I had waited until after I exceeded the limit to report it, I would have had an overpayment to deal with. The most important thing is TIMING. Report BEFORE you exceed the limit and you should be fine. Also, keep in mind that if you're under FRA now but will reach it within a few years, you might want to run the numbers to see if it makes more sense to: 1. Take the job now and stop widow benefits 2. Wait until FRA when there's no earnings limit and then take the job You can always restart widow benefits later if needed.

Just wanted to add another perspective here - I work for a nonprofit that helps people navigate Social Security benefits, and this is a really common question. The key distinction is between VOLUNTARY suspension (what you're planning to do) versus INVOLUNTARY overpayment (what happens when SSA discovers unreported earnings). When you proactively contact SSA to report expected earnings that will exceed the limit, they'll typically: 1. Calculate how many more benefit payments you can receive before hitting the annual limit 2. Stop payments at that point 3. NOT request repayment of benefits already received However, I'd strongly recommend getting this in writing after you call. Ask them to send you a letter confirming the suspension and the reason for it. This protects you if there are any questions later. Also worth noting - if your new job offers health insurance, make sure you understand how stopping widow benefits might affect any Medicare premiums or other benefits you're receiving. Sometimes people forget about these connected benefits when making earnings decisions.