Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! We've decided to talk to a financial advisor who specializes in retirement planning, specifically someone who understands Social Security rules. Since we're both over FRA, it sounds like I can keep my survivors benefits regardless, but we want to make sure we're optimizing both our benefits and understanding the tax implications. I'll try using that Claimyr service to get through to SSA directly too.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the Medicare implications of marriage. When you marry, your combined income could potentially push you into higher Medicare Part B and Part D premiums due to IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount). With your boyfriend making $85k and your survivors benefits, your modified adjusted gross income as a married couple might trigger these surcharges. The IRMAA thresholds for married filing jointly are different (and lower per person) than for single filers. This is another cost to factor into your decision alongside the tax implications others have mentioned. Definitely something to discuss with both your financial advisor and tax professional!

Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I'm going to: 1) Check the official 2025 earnings limit when it's announced 2) Make sure I completely stop working before December when I claim 3) Specifically mention to SSA when I apply that I've retired so they apply the monthly test 4) Keep documentation of when I stopped working It's much clearer now how this works. I was worried I'd have to micromanage my earnings to exactly hit the annual limit, but using the monthly rule makes more sense for my situation.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation and had been stressing about the earnings test. One thing I learned from my financial advisor that might help others: if you're planning to retire mid-year like this, it's also worth considering the tax implications. Since you'll likely be in a lower tax bracket in 2025 after you stop working, it might be a good year to do things like Roth conversions or realize capital gains at lower rates. The timing of when you stop working can affect more than just your Social Security benefits - it can impact your overall tax strategy for the year. Just something else to factor into your planning!

forgot to mention... she should apply like 3-4 months before she wants benefits to start! SSA takes FOREVER to process these claims especially for divorced spouses where they gotta verify the marriage history

This is really helpful information for everyone dealing with divorce and Social Security! One thing I'd add is that your ex-wife might want to consider the timing of when she claims. If she files for divorced spouse benefits before her Full Retirement Age (which is probably 67 for someone who's 56 now), her benefit will be permanently reduced. But if she waits until FRA, she gets the full 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (assuming that's higher than her own benefit). The reduction can be pretty significant - like if she files at 62, she'd only get about 32.5% of your PIA instead of the full 50%. So it's worth running the numbers to see if waiting makes financial sense for her situation.

have u tried turning it off and on again? 🤣 jk jk... but seriously, sometimes just closing the browser completely and reopening works wonders

I've run into this exact same issue before! Another thing to try is checking if you're using any browser extensions that might be interfering with the page display. Ad blockers or privacy extensions sometimes hide buttons by mistake. You could also try using incognito/private browsing mode to see if the logout button shows up there.

I'm new to this community and found this discussion really helpful as I'm facing similar decisions. Just wanted to add that for anyone in a similar situation, it might also be worth considering the tax implications of claiming early vs. waiting. If you're both receiving benefits simultaneously, you could end up in a higher tax bracket on your combined Social Security income plus any other retirement income. But if the survivor benefit strategy works out as described here (getting the higher amount), the tax situation might actually improve for the surviving spouse since they'd be filing as single with potentially lower overall income. Just another angle to consider when making these timing decisions!

As someone who recently went through the Social Security claiming decision process myself, I wanted to share a few additional considerations that might be helpful. First, while everyone has correctly explained that you'd receive the higher benefit amount ($2,850 in your case), don't forget about Medicare premiums - they're automatically deducted from your Social Security benefit, so your actual take-home amount will be slightly less. Second, if you have any pension income or are still working part-time, there could be earnings test implications if you claim before your FRA that are worth discussing with SSA. Finally, I'd suggest running the numbers on your total household income for the next few years - sometimes claiming early makes sense from a cash flow perspective even if it's not optimal from a pure benefit maximization standpoint. The peace of mind of having that income stream can be worth something too. Best of luck with your decision!