One more thing I should mention - make sure you understand that if you're filing after your Full Retirement Age (which it sounds like you are since you mentioned being 67), you're eligible for up to 6 months of retroactive benefits before your application month. So if you apply in February 2025, you could potentially get benefits dating back to August 2024. This is something they should ask you about during the application process, but sometimes they don't clearly explain it. If you want those retroactive benefits, make sure to specifically request them. If you don't want the retroactive benefits (some people prefer to have a higher monthly amount instead), you can decline them.

My sister just went through this in December. She applied right before Thanksgiving and just got her first payment last week! They did backpay her for December and January though so thats something to look forward to. She said the online tracker thingy never updated either so don't rely on that.

One thing to consider is that even with the WEP reduction, it still might make financial sense to claim at 64 rather than waiting, depending on your health and financial situation. I ran calculations for myself and found that the break-even point where waiting until FRA made sense was around 82 years old. So if you don't expect to live past that age, taking it earlier could give you more lifetime benefits even with the WEP reduction. Just something to think about.

do u know if u paid into SS for those govt jobs? some govt jobs do pay into SS so maybe WEP wont affect u?? just checkin

has she checked out the state medicaid? my sister got on that while waiting for disability and it covered all her heart meds and doctor visits. the income limits are pretty low but if shes not working much might qualify???

To address your question about whether she should have avoided applying for retirement: Unfortunately, that's a complicated cost-benefit analysis everyone in this situation needs to make individually. Pros of taking early retirement during SSDI appeal: - Immediate income - Possible Medicare eligibility after 24 months Cons: - Permanently reduced benefits if SSDI claim ultimately fails - Slightly complicates the disability case There's no clear right answer. About 45% of SSDI claims are approved at the ALJ hearing level, but that means many are still denied. The backlog for hearings is currently 12-18 months in most areas. If her condition is deteriorating without proper medical care, getting treatment through work insurance might actually strengthen her case by documenting her conditions better. Just make sure she doesn't push herself to the point of serious harm trying to maintain a job she truly cannot do.

dont worry bout it. ssa always gets it right eventually. my record was showing $1200 for months last year when id made like $22k. fixed itself by december

I see a lot of confusion in this thread about earnings records. To clarify: 1) Employers report wages to SSA quarterly 2) Processing takes time, especially for paper filings 3) The MySocialSecurity portal updates irregularly 4) Complete 2024 earnings won't finalize until mid-2025 5) Small amounts like $646 are typically partial reports 6) This won't affect your future benefits as long as complete W-2 information is eventually processed If you're within 3 years of retirement, I'd recommend requesting an official earnings record by mail to verify everything is accurate for the years that actually count toward your benefit calculation.

Wait a minute - has anyone mentioned the impact on taxes here? When my wife started collecting her retirement on top of my SSDI, it pushed our combined income into a higher tax bracket and suddenly 85% of my SSDI became taxable! The extra benefit amount wasn't worth the tax hit. Make sure to consider the tax implications before you get excited about any potential increase!

Based on the numbers you shared, let's do a quick calculation: If your husband's benefit at his full retirement age (before any delayed retirement credits) is around $2,800, then 50% of that would be $1,400. Since your current SSDI is $1,650, which is higher than the $1,400 spousal benefit you might be eligible for, you likely won't receive any additional amount through dual entitlement. However, these are just estimates. Your husband's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) might be different from his actual benefit if he's delaying past full retirement age. I'd still recommend applying for the spousal benefit once he files, just to make sure you don't miss out on any potential increase.