That's a really helpful perspective I hadn't considered. My boyfriend is actually 5 years older than me and has a higher earnings history, so that could potentially benefit me later in life. Not that I'm planning around that, but good to understand all the implications.

Congratulations on your upcoming engagement! Just wanted to add my experience as someone who works at a local SSA field office - your $1867 retirement benefit is completely safe and won't be touched by marriage. I see this confusion all the time, and it's totally understandable why people worry about it. Your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) is calculated solely from your highest 35 years of earnings, indexed for inflation. Marriage status has zero impact on that calculation. The only time marriage affects Social Security payments is with auxiliary benefits like spousal, survivor, or divorced spouse benefits - but never your own earned retirement benefit. One tip though: if you're planning to marry soon and are close to your FRA, you might want to file for your retirement benefit first before the wedding, just to get the paperwork started and avoid any potential processing delays. Best wishes on your marriage!

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!

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.

This whole system is DELIBERATELY CONFUSING!! I spent HOURS on the phone with SS last year to figure out my divorced spouse benefits. Then after all that they sent me a letter saying I wasn't eligible yet because my ex hadn't filed! Complete waste of time and the rules make no sense whatsoever.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this process recently. I was in a very similar situation - divorced after 20+ years, turning 62, and trying to figure out the best strategy. After reading all the comments here, I want to emphasize something that really helped me: get a proper benefit estimate BEFORE making any decisions. I used the service Yara mentioned (Claimyr) to actually get through to SSA, and having those real numbers made all the difference in my planning. Also, don't forget to factor in cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) when you're calculating whether to wait until 70. Your benefit grows not just from delayed retirement credits (8% per year from FRA to 70) but also gets annual COLA increases. For someone with a potentially high benefit at 70, those extra years of growth can really add up. One last tip: if you do decide to wait, make sure you sign up for Medicare at 65 even if you're not taking Social Security yet. That's a separate decision and you don't want to miss your enrollment window!

have u checked if ur eligible for divorced spouse benefits from any ex husbands? if u were married 10+ yrs and didn't remarry before 60 u might be able to claim on their record instead. just another option to look into!

I'm a financial planner who specializes in Social Security optimization, and I want to emphasize what others have correctly stated: the restricted application strategy (claiming spousal benefits only while delaying your own) was indeed eliminated for anyone born after January 1, 1954. However, given your situation as a self-employed individual still earning income, here's what I'd recommend considering: 1. **Run the numbers on your projected benefit at 70 vs. what you'd get now** - Self-employed folks often have variable income histories, so your benefit calculation might be more complex than typical W-2 employees. 2. **Factor in the earnings test** - As mentioned, your self-employment income would likely reduce any early benefits significantly. 3. **Consider your health and family longevity** - If you're in good health with family members who lived into their 80s+, waiting until 70 often provides the best lifetime value. 4. **Look into estimated Social Security statements** - You can create an account at ssa.gov to see your projected benefits at different claiming ages. The 2015 law changes were frustrating for many, but in your case with continued earnings, waiting might actually be the optimal strategy anyway. The key is doing the math based on your specific situation rather than general rules of thumb.