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One additional point that hasn't been mentioned yet: Your wife's decision to claim at 62 will permanently reduce her own benefit by about 30% compared to her FRA amount. This won't affect your potential spousal benefit on her record (since you're waiting until your FRA), but it will reduce her monthly income for the rest of her life. If she can afford to wait even a year or two beyond 62, she could significantly increase her lifetime benefits. Each year she delays between 62 and her FRA adds about 6-8% to her monthly benefit amount.
That's a good point I hadn't considered fully. We assumed she should just take it early since her benefit is lower anyway, but maybe we should reconsider if she waits at least until 63 or 64. I'll talk with her about this and run some calculations on the total impact.
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Social Security rules are INCREDIBLY unfair to women!!! I was in a similar situation and ended up losing thousands in benefits because of remarriage timing. The system is designed to keep women financially dependent on men and punish us for our choices. It's DISGUSTING how they treat divorced women after decades of marriage. I hope you find a solution but don't expect SSA to be helpful - they just quote rulebooks without understanding real human situations.
I get your frustration but this isn't really helpful advice for OP's specific situation...
After reading everyone's responses, I think I need to reconsider my approach. The risks to my current husband's financial security seem too great with the divorce-remarry strategy. I'm going to use that Claimyr service to connect with SSA and discuss my specific situation. Maybe there are options I haven't considered. Does anyone know if there's a financial advisor who specializes in these complex Social Security cases? I'm willing to pay for professional advice given how much money is at stake over our lifetimes.
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hey does anyone know how long her grandkids can keep gettin there benifits? my neice is turning 18 soon and i'm worried about her payments stopping
Generally, children can receive survivor benefits until they turn 18, or 19 if they're still attending high school full-time. If a child is disabled before age 22, they may qualify for benefits indefinitely. Your niece should receive a notice a few months before benefits are scheduled to end, and if she's still in high school, she should complete the form they send to extend benefits until graduation or age 19, whichever comes first.
Thank you all so much for the helpful responses! I just talked to my niece and she's so relieved to know that her applying won't hurt the kids' benefits. She's going to look into that Child-in-Care benefit that was mentioned and will try using that Claimyr service to get through to SSA since she's been trying to call for weeks. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences!
Glad we could help! Just as a final point - make sure she asks about potentially claiming on her ex-spouse or deceased spouse's record too if she was married for at least 10 years. Sometimes that provides a higher benefit than her own record, especially if she had those 10 years out of the workforce.
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To follow up on your retroactivity question - the GPO repeal was effective December 2023, so if you apply now, you can request retroactive benefits back to December 2023, but SSA generally limits retroactivity to 6 months for survivor benefits. So realistically, you'd likely only get retroactive payments for about 6 months, not all the way back to December 2023 unless you applied very soon. Also, when you go to your appointment, make sure you bring: 1. Your husband's death certificate 2. Your marriage certificate 3. Both your Social Security cards 4. The previous denial letter that mentions GPO 5. Documentation of your pension This will help ensure your claim is processed correctly. And as others have mentioned, be prepared to be persistent. The GPO repeal is still relatively new, and not all SSA representatives are fully trained on handling these cases.
Thank you for this detailed list! I do have all those documents ready. I'm going to try to get an appointment ASAP to maximize any retroactive benefits. It's frustrating that they limit it to 6 months when the repeal has been in effect longer than that, but at least it's something.
Yes, I did finally get my benefits sorted out but it took using Claimyr to finally reach someone who knew what they were doing. Got a specialist who handles WEP/GPO cases and she fixed everything. Worth every penny to avoid the hours of frustration! And FYI for your calculation - the 2022 COLA was 5.9%, 2023 was 8.7% and 2024 was 3.2%. So if your starting benefit is $2,005 (the 82.5% amount), after all those COLAs it would be around $2,322 now. Much better than what your husband was getting when he passed!
I had same experience! Regular agents dont know how to handle GPO repeal cases but the specialists do. Make sure u ask for a "Technical Expert" when u call - they know more than regular claims reps
AstroAdventurer
wat about if u work part time after retiring? My neighbor works 2 days a week at walmart and still gets ss but shes over 67 i think
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•That's a different situation. Once you reach your Full Retirement Age (currently 67 for people born in 1960 or later), there's NO earnings limit. You can work and earn as much as you want without any reduction in benefits. The earnings test only applies to people who claim before their FRA. The original poster is claiming about a year before FRA, so they need to stay under the annual limit (about $21,240 for 2025).
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Oliver Schulz
I just called my HR department and they actually weren't sure how this would be reported! They're checking with payroll. This is making me really nervous now. Should I just delay my SS application by a month to avoid this issue completely?
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Ravi Gupta
•Delaying by a month would certainly eliminate this particular issue, though it would mean one less month of benefits. Another option is to proceed with your application but include a detailed explanation letter with your supporting documentation regarding the final paycheck. Either approach is valid - it depends on your risk tolerance versus your immediate need for benefits. If you don't urgently need that first month's payment, delaying might save you potential headaches.
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