I'm going through this exact same process right now! Filed in January for a June 1st retirement date and still waiting to hear my actual benefit amount. It's so nerve-wracking trying to plan my post-retirement budget without knowing this crucial piece of information. What I've learned from talking to others is that the mySocialSecurity estimate is often conservative, especially if you've had higher earnings in recent years. The system seems to lag behind on including your most current income data. I'm trying to stay optimistic that the actual amount will be higher than the online estimate, but like you, I really wish they could give us more certainty earlier in the process. Has anyone found it helpful to visit a local SSA office in person rather than just calling? I'm wondering if face-to-face might get better information about timing.

I'm in a very similar situation - filed in February for a July 1st start date and the uncertainty is driving me crazy! What's particularly frustrating is that I've been meticulous about tracking my earnings over the years, but the online estimate seems way too low given my recent salary increases. One thing I discovered that might help - if you have access to your annual Social Security statements from previous years, you can sometimes spot patterns in how they calculate estimates vs. reality. My financial planner suggested keeping those old statements because they show the progression of benefit estimates over time. Also, for what it's worth, my sister went through this last year and said the waiting was the worst part. Once she got her official letter, everything moved smoothly and her first payment was exactly on time. The amount ended up being about $180 higher than her online estimate, largely because her final two years of earnings weren't fully reflected in the system. Hang in there - we're all navigating this frustrating process together!

Just wanted to share another perspective as someone who went through this exact situation 2 years ago! The key thing to remember is that Social Security has very specific rules about what counts as "earnings" for the earnings test. It's only wages from employment or net earnings from self-employment that YOU personally receive. Investment income, pensions, rental income, and yes - your spouse's earnings - don't count toward the limit at all. So your husband could make $200k and it wouldn't affect your benefits under the earnings test. The confusion often comes from people mixing up the earnings test (which affects benefit payments) with the taxation of benefits (which looks at combined income). Two totally different things! With your $9k part-time income, you're in great shape.

I just want to echo what others have said and add one more reassurance - I'm a retired SSA employee and can confirm that the earnings test is 100% individual. Your husband's income has absolutely no bearing on your Social Security retirement benefits under the earnings test rules. The system literally only looks at YOUR Form W-2 or 1099 earnings when determining if any benefits should be withheld. Even if you filed separate tax returns, it wouldn't change this - spouse income is simply not a factor in the earnings test calculation. Your $9,000 annual earnings puts you well below the 2025 limit of approximately $22,320, so you won't have any benefits withheld. Just make sure to report any changes in your work situation to SSA if your earnings increase significantly. You're all set!

The WORST part is how they apply these rules so INCONSISTENTLY!! My friend and I both worked for the same school district and have similar situations but got COMPLETELY different answers from SSA about our spousal benefits!!! It's like they're making it up as they go along sometimes!! 😡

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I've scheduled an appointment with SSA for next month, right after I reach my FRA. I'm gathering all my pension documentation and work history records like suggested. I'll make sure to specifically ask about how both WEP and GPO apply in my situation with the new law changes. I'm hopeful I might get a bit more in benefits, even if it's not the full 50% of my husband's PIA. Every bit helps with groceries getting so expensive lately! Wish me luck navigating the SSA bureaucracy! I'll update here after my appointment in case it helps anyone else in a similar situation.

Just wanted to add my experience to help clarify things! My husband was in a very similar situation - his FRA was January 2024 and we were so confused about the timing. After reading through all the SSA materials and talking to a representative, here's what we learned: he could stop working anytime before his FRA month without affecting his benefit amount. He ended up retiring on December 15th, 2023, and we applied for his benefits in October 2023. His first payment came in February 2024 (for January 2024) at 100% of his full benefit amount. The key thing is that Social Security pays benefits for full months, so as long as he reaches FRA in January 2026, he'll get the full month's benefit regardless of when in December he stops working. Hope this helps ease your planning stress!

As someone who just went through this process myself, I wanted to add one more perspective that might be helpful. My wife's FRA was also January (2025), and we discovered that the Social Security Administration actually recommends applying about 3 months BEFORE you want your benefits to start to avoid any processing delays. So for January 2026 benefits, definitely submit that application by October 2025 at the latest. Also, don't forget that once your husband reaches his FRA and starts collecting benefits, he can actually continue working if he wants to without any earnings penalty - unlike if you claim early. This gives you even more flexibility in your retirement planning. The earnings test disappears once you hit FRA, so if he wants to do some part-time work or consulting after "retirement," it won't affect his Social Security payments at all. The bottom line everyone's been telling you is absolutely correct: he can stop working December 31st, 2025 (or any day before that) and still receive 100% of his benefit starting January 2026. The timing of when you stop working and when you claim benefits are two completely separate decisions!

One more thing to check - make sure your mother is actually receiving her own benefit and not an early widow's benefit. Since she's 83 and your father is 79 and still alive, that's probably not the case, but I've seen situations where the SSA computer system had incorrect death information and automatically converted a spouse to survivor benefits erroneously. Also, if your father had any other marriages that lasted at least 10 years, former spouses might also be drawing benefits on his record (though this wouldn't affect your mother's amount). The most likely explanation remains that your mother claimed her own benefit early, locking in a permanent reduction. The spousal benefit would then be reduced as well. For what it's worth, these benefit amounts do seem plausible given the circumstances you described (your father being the primary earner, your mother working part-time).

I went through something very similar with my grandmother a few years ago. She was getting around $900 while my grandfather got $2,400, and we couldn't understand why the difference was so large. After calling SSA (took forever to get through!), we discovered she had filed at 62 instead of waiting until her full retirement age of 66. This reduced her own benefit by about 25%, and since spousal benefits are also reduced when you file early, she was stuck with the lower amount permanently. The agent also explained that even though spousal benefits can be up to 50% of the higher earner's benefit, that's only if you wait until full retirement age AND if 50% is actually higher than your own reduced benefit. In my grandmother's case, her reduced spousal benefit was only slightly higher than her own reduced benefit, so the total increase was minimal. One thing that helped us was requesting a detailed benefit statement that showed exactly how they calculated her amounts. It made everything much clearer. Definitely worth calling to verify everything is correct - we found out my grandmother was actually eligible for a small additional amount she hadn't been receiving.