good luck with it all!! one more thing i forgot - when you apply online print or save EVERYTHING before you submit!!! i lost half my confirmation info and had to call and wait forever to get it sorted out.

Welcome to the community! I just went through a very similar situation last year at 66 and 8 months. A couple additional tips from my experience: 1) Double-check your earnings calculation for those pre-FRA months. I made the mistake of looking at gross vs net and almost panicked thinking I'd exceed the limit. 2) For Medicare Part A enrollment - the online application will specifically ask "Do you want to apply for Medicare?" and you can select "Part A only" with a checkbox. It's clearer than I expected. 3) Timeline-wise, I submitted my application about 6 weeks before my FRA birthday and everything processed smoothly. The key is giving them enough time but not so early that you create confusion. 4) One thing others haven't mentioned - make sure your husband knows he can't apply for spousal benefits until YOUR benefits are actually approved and in payment status. We tried to time it perfectly and had to wait an extra few weeks. The hospital employment should make the Medicare coordination pretty straightforward since you'll have creditable coverage. Good luck with everything!

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago! Like you, I started my benefits at 62 and was getting around $1,200/month while my husband's benefit was much higher. Here's what I learned: You definitely need to apply for spousal benefits - it's not automatic. I made an appointment at my local SSA office (much better than trying to call) and brought our marriage certificate, both of our award letters, and our Social Security cards. The spousal benefit calculation was confusing, but basically I now get my original $1,200 plus an additional $340/month as the "spousal add-on." It's not a huge increase, but over a year that's over $4,000 extra, which really helps with our expenses. One tip: ask them to calculate your potential spousal benefit during your appointment so you know exactly what to expect. They can run the numbers right there and tell you if it's worth applying. The whole process took about 6 weeks from application to seeing the first increased payment. Don't get discouraged by the complexity - it's worth pursuing even if the increase seems small!

I'm in a similar situation and have been researching this extensively! One thing I learned that might help is that you can actually check your potential spousal benefit amount online before applying. If you create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov, you can view your Social Security Statement which shows your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). Your husband can do the same with his account. Once you have both PIA amounts, you can get a rough estimate: if 50% of his PIA is more than your PIA, then you might be eligible for a spousal add-on. But remember, since you claimed at 62, your spousal benefit will be reduced to about 32.5-35% of his PIA instead of the full 50%. For example, if your husband's PIA is $2,400 and yours is $1,600, then 50% of his ($1,200) is less than your full benefit ($1,600), so you wouldn't qualify for spousal benefits. But if his PIA is higher, you might get something. The online account also lets you see if SSA has already processed any spousal benefits for you automatically. Worth checking before you spend time making appointments!

I'm a newcomer to this community and currently facing a similar decision. My spouse passed away last year and I'm 58, so I've been researching this extensively. One thing I've learned that might help you is that there's actually a "do-over" rule if you change your mind within the first 12 months of claiming benefits. If you file for survivor benefits at 60 and then realize it's not the optimal strategy (maybe due to higher earnings than expected), you can withdraw your application, pay back what you received, and start fresh. This only works once and only within 12 months, but it provides a safety net. Also, I found the SSA's online benefit estimator tool helpful for getting rough numbers before scheduling an appointment. You can access your earnings record and get estimates for both your own retirement and survivor benefits at different claiming ages. It's at ssa.gov/myaccount. The fact that you're thinking about this at 56 puts you ahead of many people - you have time to really plan this out properly!

I'm new to this community and going through a similar situation. My husband passed away two years ago when I was 54, and I've been trying to navigate all these Social Security decisions. Reading through everyone's responses has been incredibly helpful! One thing I learned from my financial advisor that might be worth mentioning is that if you do decide to take survivor benefits early while still working, you should also consider how it affects your future Social Security earnings record. Those additional work years can sometimes increase your own retirement benefit calculation, which could make the "switch strategy" even more beneficial later. Also, I wanted to add that some local senior centers and AARP chapters offer free Social Security workshops where they walk through these exact scenarios with real examples. I attended one last year and it really helped me understand the concepts before my SSA appointment. The presenter even had handouts with sample calculations for widow strategies. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so helpful to hear from people who have actually been through this process rather than just reading the confusing government websites!

Thank you for this professional perspective. We're definitely going to maintain both and use them strategically as you suggested. It makes sense to use the ABLE account for the monthly management and keep the trust for long-term planning. I appreciate everyone's input! This has been incredibly helpful in making our decision.

As someone new to navigating SSI and disability benefits for my brother, this entire thread has been incredibly educational! I'm dealing with a similar situation where his monthly benefits are accumulating and we're approaching that $2,000 limit. Reading everyone's experiences with both ABLE accounts and special needs trusts has really helped clarify the pros and cons of each approach. I'm particularly interested in the state tax deduction benefits that @Kai Rivera mentioned - I'll definitely need to research what's available in my state. And the idea of using both tools strategically rather than choosing one over the other makes so much sense after reading the attorney's perspective. One quick question for the group: when you're making regular transfers to an ABLE account to stay under the SSI limit, is there a recommended frequency? Should I be doing it monthly, or is it okay to wait until we're closer to the $2,000 threshold? I want to make sure I'm not creating any compliance issues with SSA reporting. Thank you all for sharing your real-world experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to navigate the government websites alone!

Thank you everyone for all the helpful responses! Based on your advice, it sounds like claiming 2 months early shouldn't cause major issues in my situation. I'll double-check the tax implications and make sure I clearly communicate my earnings expectations to SSA when I apply. I'll also be careful to watch for any calculation errors in the first few months. Really appreciate all the insights!

One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you understand how the "do-over" rules work. If you start benefits early and then change your mind within the first 12 months, you can withdraw your application and pay back everything you received. This gives you a one-time safety net if your circumstances change. After 12 months, you can't do this anymore, but you can suspend benefits at FRA to earn delayed retirement credits until age 70 (though this doesn't undo the early filing reduction). Just good to know your options!