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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
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I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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One thing to keep in mind - if your ex hasn't claimed yet but does so in the future, they might get a higher benefit from their own record depending on their earnings history. The SSA will pay whichever is higher: their own retirement benefit or the spousal benefit (which maxes out at 50% of your PIA). So don't assume they'll automatically claim on your record even if eligible.
That's a good point I hadn't considered. My ex earned quite a bit less than me during our marriage (lots of career transitions), so I'm guessing the spousal benefit would be higher, but who knows what happened after our divorce. Thanks for pointing that out!
Does your ex know that you're delaying until 70? Because if they're collecting on your record while you're delaying, they're only getting the benefit calculated on your PIA at your full retirement age, not the increased amount you'll get at 70. Just FYI.
This is an excellent point that often gets overlooked. Ex-spouse benefits are based on the worker's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) at FRA (Full Retirement Age), not the enhanced amount from delayed credits. So your decision to wait until 70 doesn't increase what your ex might receive.
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WATCH OUT!!! My cousin was in a similar situation and ended up with a SURPRISE tax bill!!! But it turned out he had a small pension from a job he had years ago - only like $250/month. That pushed him over the limit and suddenly half his SS was taxable!! Make ABSOLUTELY SURE your son has ZERO other income!!!
This is a good caution. Even small amounts of other income can trigger tax liability when combined with Social Security benefits. Interest from savings accounts or dividends from investments count too (even if automatically reinvested). Definitely worth checking if there are ANY other income sources, however small.
I just want to say it's wonderful you're planning ahead like this. So many families don't think about these things until there's a crisis. Your son is fortunate to have you looking out for him!
That's very kind of you to say. I try my best, but navigating all these systems can be overwhelming sometimes. I'm grateful for helpful communities like this one.
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Has your SIL checked if she'd be subject to WEP or GPO??? My friend's wife thought she'd get spousal benefits too but got hit with the windfall elimination provision because she had a government pension!!! If your SIL worked for state govt or federal job without paying into SS, that could change EVERYTHING!!!!
Good point about WEP/GPO, though the original post mentioned both were high wage earners, which suggests they both paid into Social Security throughout their careers. But you're right that if either had non-covered employment (government jobs without SS taxes), that would significantly change the calculations.
Just wanted to share that I was in this exact situation - high earner husband, also good income myself. I got ZERO spousal benefits. My own benefit at FRA was about $2,800 and half of his PIA was only $1,900 so no excess for me. Probably same for your sister-in-law if she has a good earnings record.
Thanks for sharing your real numbers - that helps put things in perspective. I'm guessing she'll be in a similar situation based on her career, but at least now she knows what to expect!
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my neighbor works for our state pension system and she said they've been swamped with questions about this! apparently the state retirement systems don't have any more info than we do right now lol
Typical government bureaucracy! Left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. And meanwhile WE have to figure out how to plan our retirements with incomplete information!
One important update: Based on the information shared, I ran a quick calculation using what we know about the new proportional formula. With 18 years of substantial earnings under Social Security out of a 48-year career, approximately 37.5% of your career was in covered employment. The new formula will likely result in you keeping about 37.5% of the difference between your WEP-reduced benefit ($675) and your non-WEP benefit ($1,850). So: $675 + (0.375 × ($1,850 - $675)) = approximately $1,116 per month. This is just an estimate based on the general formula, but it gives you a better idea of what to expect. The actual calculation will be more complex and depend on your specific earnings history.
That's incredibly helpful - thank you! A potential increase to $1,116 would make a significant difference in my retirement planning. I really appreciate you taking the time to calculate that estimate.
Tyrone Hill
have you checked whether you can get benefits based on YOUR work record? my friend thought her ex would give her more but turned out her own SS was actually better!!!
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Abigail bergen
•That's a good point! I should definitely check my own record. I've worked on and off for about 25 years, though many years were part-time. I'll create a my Social Security account and check my estimated benefits.
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Ahooker-Equator
I wish they would make these rules simpler to understand. It's like they WANT us to mess up our retirement planning! When my mom retired, she had no idea she could have gotten more by waiting until her FRA. Now she's stuck with a permanently reduced benefit. The whole system feels rigged sometimes.
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DeShawn Washington
•omg same with my aunt!! she took SS at 62 and now gets like $300 less EVERY MONTH than if she waited. nobody told her and she cant go back and change it. so messed up!!!
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