I'm going through the exact same frustrating experience! Filed my retirement application in mid-November 2025 for a January 2026 start date and I've been stuck in step 2 since December. It's now been over 4 months with zero progress and I should have been receiving payments since February. Reading through all these comments has been both eye-opening and validating - it's clear there's a massive systemic processing issue affecting applications from the November/December 2025 timeframe. The pattern is too consistent to be coincidental. What's most frustrating is the complete lack of transparency from phone support - just the same robotic "it's still processing" response with absolutely no useful details about what's actually happening or any realistic timeline. I've tried calling multiple times, speaking to supervisors, calling at different times of day, but everyone gives me the exact same scripted response. It's like they're reading from the same useless playbook. Based on all the excellent advice shared here, I'm planning to take a multi-pronged approach: visiting my local SSA office in person next week with all my documentation, asking specifically about the critical case designation for financial hardship, and potentially trying that Claimyr service Madison mentioned to actually reach someone with real case information. I'm also going to start documenting every interaction more carefully - dates, rep names, exactly what they tell me - in case I need to escalate to a congressional inquiry. The financial stress of budgeting around benefits that should have started months ago is real, even knowing we'll eventually get retroactive payments. Thank you all for creating such a valuable resource here! This thread has given me hope that there are still options to try when the normal channels completely fail us. I'll definitely update everyone on any progress I make. Hopefully we can all start seeing some movement on our cases soon!

I'm experiencing the exact same frustrating situation! Filed my retirement application in December 2025 for March 2026 benefits and have been stuck in step 2 for over 3 months now. Like everyone else here, I keep getting the same useless "it's still processing" response when I call, with absolutely no specifics about what's causing the delay or any realistic timeline. What's really striking is reading through all these comments and seeing how many of us filed during that same November/December 2025 timeframe and are experiencing identical delays. This is clearly a widespread systemic issue, not individual application problems. The complete lack of transparency from SSA phone support is maddening - it's like they're all reading from the same unhelpful script. I'm planning to follow the excellent advice shared in this thread: visiting my local SSA office in person next week with all my documentation, asking specifically about the critical case designation for financial hardship that Miranda mentioned, and potentially trying that Claimyr service to actually reach someone with detailed case information. I'm also going to start documenting every interaction more carefully in case I need to escalate to a congressional inquiry. The financial stress of budgeting around benefits that should be starting soon is real, even knowing we'll eventually get retroactive payments. Thank you all for creating such a valuable resource here - it's both reassuring and helpful to know I'm not alone in this bureaucratic nightmare! I'll definitely update this thread with any progress I make. Hopefully we can all start seeing some movement on our cases soon and get the benefits we've earned.

I went through this same situation about 18 months ago when my oldest turned 18. Your younger children's benefits will definitely increase automatically - it just takes some patience! My two younger kids went from about $510 each to $765 each once the family maximum was redistributed between just two children instead of three. The process took about 8 weeks in our case, and SSA backdated the payments to cover the months we should have received the higher amounts. One thing that really helped was setting up a my Social Security account online so I could monitor the changes more easily than calling that impossible 800 number. The financial impact was much less scary than I anticipated - we only saw about a $30 net decrease in our total monthly family benefits. Losing my oldest's $510 but gaining an extra $255 per month for each of my younger kids really helped cushion the blow. Make sure to document your current payment amounts with screenshots before the change happens. SSA doesn't send any notification letters about the increase, so having your own records is crucial if you ever need to reference the change later. Good luck with the transition!

I'm currently going through this exact situation - my oldest turns 18 in about 3 weeks and I have two younger kids (13 and 10) receiving auxiliary benefits. This entire thread has been such a lifesaver! Reading everyone's real experiences with actual dollar amounts and timelines has completely eliminated the anxiety I was feeling about this transition. Based on all the shared experiences here, I now understand that: 1) the increase happens automatically but takes 6-10 weeks to process, 2) my younger kids' benefits should increase significantly when the family maximum gets redistributed between fewer children, 3) the net impact on our total family budget will be much smaller than I feared, and 4) keeping detailed records is crucial since SSA doesn't send notification letters. My kids currently get about $530 each, so based on the patterns everyone has shared, they should jump to around $795 each once my oldest ages out. That would mean we go from $1,590 total for three kids down to about $1,590 for two kids - essentially breaking even, which is incredible! I've already taken screenshots of our current payment amounts, set up online account monitoring, and saved our local SSA office number just in case there are processing delays. Thank you all so much for sharing your real-world experiences - this community support has made what seemed like a scary financial transition feel completely manageable!

Just want to echo what others have said and add my experience - I went through this exact same situation 2 years ago at 64. The IRA withdrawal definitely doesn't affect your SS benefit amount (no reduction), but definitely plan for the tax implications. I ended up having to pay quarterly estimated taxes because my tax withholding wasn't enough once I started taking both SS and IRA distributions. You might want to consider having taxes withheld from your IRA withdrawal to avoid a big tax bill next April. Also, if you're doing traditional IRA withdrawals, remember those are fully taxable as ordinary income, which gets added to your "combined income" calculation for SS taxation. Good luck!

One more thing to consider that I don't see mentioned yet - if you're planning to take Social Security at 64, you'll be taking it early (before your Full Retirement Age, which is probably 66 or 67). This means your monthly benefit will be permanently reduced by about 25-30% compared to waiting until FRA. Just wanted to make sure you're factoring that into your financial planning along with the IRA withdrawals. The good news is that the earnings test limits I see mentioned above ($22,320 for 2025) still apply, and your IRA withdrawals still won't count toward that limit even with early retirement. But the combination of reduced SS benefits plus potential taxes on those benefits might affect how much you want to withdraw from your IRA each year.

Welcome to the community! As someone who's new to navigating Social Security benefits, I'm finding this thread incredibly enlightening. The complexity of transitioning from SSI to DAC benefits is overwhelming, but the detailed guidance everyone has shared here is making it feel much more manageable. I'm particularly struck by how many different agencies and programs need to be coordinated during this transition - from SSA to state Medicaid offices to various disability service providers. The advice about creating a comprehensive tracking system and maintaining detailed documentation seems absolutely essential. One thing I'm curious about - for those who've successfully completed DAC transitions, how long did the entire process take from initial application to receiving the first DAC payment? I'm trying to help a friend understand realistic timelines for planning purposes. Also, the information about ABLE accounts has been really valuable. I hadn't realized how useful they could be not just for resource management but for quality of life improvements like home modifications and assistive technology. Thank you all for creating such a supportive and informative environment. It's clear this community understands how critical accurate information and emotional support are when dealing with these life-changing benefit transitions.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful to have found such a wealth of practical knowledge about DAC transitions! Reading through everyone's experiences has been both educational and reassuring. I'm particularly impressed by the emphasis on proactive documentation and communication. The advice about creating transition binders, tracking all interactions with agencies, and sending notifications in writing seems like it could prevent many of the administrative errors that others have mentioned experiencing. The information about the various Medicaid protections (Section 1634(c), DAC Special Protected Status) is something I never would have known to ask about, but it sounds absolutely critical for maintaining healthcare coverage during and after the transition. It's concerning how many caseworkers apparently aren't familiar with these protections, which makes having the right documentation even more important. I'm also struck by how many different timelines are involved - application processing, waiting periods, Medicare eligibility - and how important it is to plan well in advance to avoid any gaps in benefits or coverage. For families just starting to consider this transition, this thread demonstrates how valuable it is to connect with experienced advocates and specialized resources rather than trying to navigate these complex systems alone. The generosity of knowledge sharing here is truly remarkable!

As someone who's been dealing with Social Security earnings limits for about two years now, I wanted to share a perspective that might help ease some anxiety about this whole process. When I first started collecting at 62, I was absolutely terrified about those 3-paycheck months and spent countless hours trying to calculate everything perfectly. Looking back, I wish someone had told me that the system is actually designed to work WITH you, not against you - even when it feels overwhelming. Here's what I learned: Yes, be diligent about tracking your earnings (all the spreadsheet and calendar suggestions here are excellent), but don't let the fear of making a mistake paralyze you. The SSA has mechanisms in place to handle these situations, and they're generally reasonable when working with people who are making good-faith efforts to comply. My biggest piece of advice is to focus on staying comfortably under the annual limit rather than stressing about perfect monthly calculations. If you're earning significantly less than $23,400 per year, those occasional 3-paycheck months won't be an issue even in your first year. Also, once you get your first annual statement showing how SSA calculated your earnings for the year, you'll have a much better understanding of exactly how they handle your specific situation. That first statement is like a roadmap for all future years. You've got this! The hardest part is the uncertainty in the beginning, but it gets so much clearer with experience.

As someone who just started navigating this exact situation last month, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly detailed discussion! I'm 62, just began collecting Social Security, and work part-time with bi-weekly paychecks - so this thread is like finding gold. The clarification about first-year monthly limits vs. annual limits in subsequent years has been the missing piece I needed to understand. I've been stressing about those 3-paycheck months, but now I see that as long as I track carefully this first year and stay under the annual limit, I should be fine. I'm planning to implement several of the suggestions here: the $900 per-paycheck calculation, quarterly check-ins, and definitely that earnings journal idea to track bonuses and vacation payouts. The reminder that any withheld benefits aren't lost forever is huge for peace of mind too. One quick question for the group - has anyone found it helpful to use any specific apps or software for tracking, or do most people stick with simple spreadsheets? I'm pretty tech-savvy and wondering if there are any tools specifically designed for this kind of Social Security earnings tracking. Thanks again for all the real-world advice - this community is amazing!