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dont social security beneifts only get taxed if you make over a certain amount? i forget what it is but i think most people dont even pay tax on ss
You're right! Social Security benefits are only taxable if your combined income (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of your Social Security benefits) exceeds $25,000 for individuals or $32,000 for married filing jointly. At most, 85% of benefits become taxable, never 100%. But as another commenter pointed out, if these are benefits for a child/dependent that the original poster is receiving as a representative payee, they aren't taxable to the representative payee at all.
Update: I found the form and checked box 5 like someone suggested. Turns out these payments aren't even my taxable income since I'm just the representative payee for my nephew! I feel silly now but glad I asked. Thanks everyone for your help!
You're not silly at all! This is a very common misunderstanding. The SSA doesn't do a great job explaining the tax implications of being a representative payee. I'm glad you got it sorted out before filing your taxes incorrectly!
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Based on the discussion so far, let me clarify the timing for your husband: - Born November 1958 - FRA = 66 years + 8 months = July 2025 - Apply online 3-4 months before benefits start - If starting at FRA in July 2025, apply in March/April 2025 Since his employer wants him to stay through 2025, he has excellent options: 1. He can reach FRA in July 2025, apply for benefits, AND continue working with no earnings limit penalties. 2. He could delay applying past FRA while working, earning delayed retirement credits of 8% per year (prorated monthly at 2/3% per month) until age 70. Option #2 could significantly increase his lifetime benefit if he has average or above-average life expectancy. Many financial advisors recommend this approach if you don't need the money immediately, especially for the higher-earning spouse.
This makes perfect sense now. I thought the earnings limit would still apply even after FRA but I see that's not the case. Since he plans to work through December 2025 anyway, we'll definitely run the numbers to see if delaying makes sense. One final question - does he still need to sign up for Medicare at 65 even if he delays his SS retirement benefit?
Yes, Medicare enrollment at 65 is separate from your Social Security retirement benefit decision. He should absolutely sign up for Medicare during his Initial Enrollment Period (3 months before his 65th birthday month, his birthday month, and 3 months after). Failing to enroll in Medicare Part B during this window can result in permanent late enrollment penalties, even if he's still working. However, if he has creditable employer health insurance from a company with 20+ employees, he can delay Medicare Part B enrollment without penalty until that coverage ends. He should still enroll in Medicare Part A at 65 though, as it's premium-free and can serve as secondary insurance to his employer coverage.
Thank you so much! That's incredibly helpful. His company has over 500 employees so it sounds like we can safely delay Part B until his employer coverage ends. We'll make sure to enroll in Part A when he turns 65 this year. I really appreciate everyone's help in sorting this out!
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As others have mentioned, your husband might be eligible for a spousal supplement if 50% of your PIA exceeds his own PIA. One more thing to consider—has your husband checked his earnings record on ssa.gov to make sure all his work years are correctly recorded? It's not uncommon to find errors, especially for jobs from many years ago. If he has 35+ years of work history, also consider whether his current earnings might be higher than some earlier years. Working even just a few more months could potentially increase his benefit if he's replacing a lower-earning year in his top 35.
That's a great suggestion about checking his earnings record! We haven't done that recently, and his early work history included some small jobs that might not have been properly reported. We'll definitely take a look at his full record before he applies.
I wish I could get a straight answer from SSA!!! Their website says one thing, the phone people say another, and then when you go to the office they tell you something completely different! No wonder we're all confused about what benefits we can get. The whole system needs to be simplified!!!
preach!!! 🙌 i spent 3 weeks trying to figure out my benefits. online calculator said one amount, then letter came with different amount, then first payment was third different amount! finally got it straight but what a headache
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your not wasting time i think u should go to appointment because the people in person are nicer then the phone people
Thanks, that's reassuring. I'll definitely keep the appointment. From everyone's comments it sounds like I might actually get some useful information.
One additional thing to keep in mind - and something that confused me greatly during my own widow planning - is that you'll eventually need to decide between your own retirement benefit and your survivor benefit. You can take one first and switch to the other later if it's higher. This can be a complex but beneficial strategy. For example: 1. Take reduced survivor benefits at 60 2. Switch to your own retirement benefit at 70 (if it's higher by then) OR 1. Take your own retirement benefit at 62 2. Switch to survivors at your FRA for the maximum survivor amount This is exactly why you need those estimates now - to figure out which strategy works best for your situation. Make sure to specifically ask about these switching strategies during your appointment.
This is excellent advice about the switching strategy. I'll add that the optimal strategy depends a lot on the relative amounts of your own benefit vs. your survivor benefit, as well as your life expectancy and immediate financial needs. Having these estimates is crucial for making an informed decision.
I had no idea about these switching strategies! This makes it even more critical that I get some estimates now. Thank you so much for sharing this information - I'll definitely bring this up at my appointment.
Victoria Brown
Thank you all for the helpful responses! I was able to reset my password and log into my my Social Security account. Found the SSA-1099 under the Replacement Documents section just like you said. I printed it out and now I'm good to go with my taxes. Really appreciate everyone's help!
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Lucas Schmidt
glad u got it! dont forget u might have to pay taxes on ur benefits if ur other income is high enough. my brother didnt know that and got a big tax bill surprise lol
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Victoria Brown
•Good point! I do have some other retirement income so I'll probably owe taxes on part of my Social Security. I'll make sure to account for that when I file.
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