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Does anyone know if they send you a warning before they start taking money back? My husband got overpaid last year because they didn't process his earnings information correctly and we just got a surprise letter saying we owe $4700 back!!! No warning at all. Now we're fighting with them about a payment plan.
They're supposed to send you a notice before adjusting benefits, but sometimes the notices arrive after they've already started the adjustment. If you're concerned about a potential overpayment, you can proactively contact them to report earnings and request that they adjust benefits accordingly. For the existing overpayment, definitely request a formal payment plan - they can set up very reasonable terms if you explain your situation.
I think you're focusing on the wrong thing here. The real issue isn't just May - it's that your husband is claiming before his FRA which is permanently reducing his benefit amount. At 66 in 2025, he's about 10 months early (assuming born in 1959). That's roughly a 5.56% permanent reduction in benefits. If his benefit is $2,500, that's $139/month FOREVER. Has he considered working until his FRA to get the full benefit amount?
We've actually done quite a bit of calculation on this. With his health history and family longevity, the break-even point would be around age 82. We decided the earlier benefits made more sense for our specific situation, even with the reduction. But that's a good point that others reading should definitely consider!
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Thank you all for the helpful responses! I've learned so much. One last question - does anyone know if I need to do anything special when my husband's SSDI converts to retirement benefits next year? Will that change affect potential survivor benefits in any way?
No action needed when SSDI converts to retirement - it happens automatically and the payment amount stays exactly the same. There's no impact on future survivor benefits. The only thing I'd recommend is that both of you create My Social Security accounts online if you haven't already, so you can see your benefit amounts and estimates. Makes planning much easier.
THIS IS WHY I HATE THE SSA!!! Why is everything so confusing!? Why can't they just make it simple! My uncle lost out on thousands because no one told him he had to APPLY for survivor benefits when my aunt died! They should automatically give you the higher amount!
It is frustrating! When I was helping my sister with survivor benefits, we couldn't get clear answers until we finally got through to an actual SSA representative. After three days of trying, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected quickly instead of waiting on hold for hours. Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person at SSA who can look at your specific situation.
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btw when u apply make sure u list EVERY single thing wrong with u not just the main problem. my claim was denied when i only talked about my back but got approved when i listed everything (diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, etc). they look at the COMBINED effect of all ur health problems!
yes!! this is so important!! my cousin only put her main disability and got denied twice but then her lawyer made her list EVERYTHING and she got approved
I hadn't thought about listing everything. I've been focusing on my severe arthritis and back problems, but I also have high blood pressure, early stage COPD from years around the shop, and some vision problems. I'll make sure to document all of these. Thank you!
One more thing to consider about your situation: If your husband's SSDI benefit is very low, it might be because not all of your business income was properly credited to his earnings record during those years you filed jointly. Self-employment income is reported on Schedule SE, and sometimes small business owners don't complete this correctly. It might be worth having a Social Security representative review his earnings record to ensure all income was properly credited. If there are errors, you can request corrections with proof of tax filings. The same goes for your own record during the 6 years you've been filing - make sure you're completing Schedule SE correctly so your self-employment earnings count toward your Social Security credits.
That's an excellent point. We've always used a tax preparer from H&R Block, but I've never specifically checked if the Schedule SE was done correctly. I'm going to pull all our tax returns from the last 10 years and review them. Thank you for this tip!
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To add a bit more technical detail: The 2025 COLA (3.2%) will be applied to everyone receiving Social Security benefits as of December 2024. The timing of when someone started receiving benefits doesn't affect COLA eligibility. For the earnings question, the rules depend on your husband's age. Since you mentioned he's 67 and at his Full Retirement Age (FRA), the earnings test doesn't apply to him anyway. SSA will reconcile his actual earnings when tax information is processed, but this won't affect his benefit amount. The letter you received is standard for new beneficiaries. You'll receive a separate COLA notice in December that will explain the inflation adjustment being applied to his benefits starting January 2025.
Thank you for the detailed explanation! Yes, he is past his FRA so it sounds like we don't need to worry about either issue. It's surprising how little explanation comes with these notices - they just assume everyone understands all the Social Security rules already.
wait does anyone know if the 3.2% gets added to wats in the letter already or is it calculated some other way?? so confused
The 3.2% COLA will be applied to your current benefit amount (before any deductions like Medicare premiums). So if your current benefit is $2,000, the COLA would add $64 (2000 × 0.032 = 64), making your new gross benefit $2,064 starting in January. The COLA notice in December will show the exact calculation for your specific situation.
Saanvi Krishnaswami
Does anyone know if there's still talk in Congress about getting rid of WEP? I remember hearing something about a bill to reform or eliminate it a couple years ago but never heard what happened with that.
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Dallas Villalobos
•There have been several bills introduced over the years to modify or repeal WEP, but none have passed yet. The most recent was the Social Security Fairness Act, which would eliminate both WEP and GPO. It has bipartisan support but concerns about cost have prevented it from passing. There's also been discussion of a "proportional formula" approach that would modify rather than eliminate WEP. But as of right now, WEP remains in effect with no changes on the immediate horizon.
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Melina Haruko
Update: I finally got through to Social Security! The representative confirmed what many of you said - my benefit will increase at 67 because the early claiming reduction will be removed, but the WEP reduction stays the same. In my case, she said my benefit should increase by about $275 per month. That's a significant boost for my budget, so I'm relieved! She also explained that since I have 12 years of substantial earnings, my WEP reduction is a bit less than the maximum. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Reina Salazar
•thats great news! glad u got more $$ coming. its so confusing when u have both pension and ss benefits!
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