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If I could give 10 stars I would
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!
Really made a difference
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!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
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.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
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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I tried calling SSA to ask about something similar and couldn't get through after 3 DAYS of trying!!! Their phone system is USELESS!!! Kept saying "high call volume" and disconnecting me. WHAT A JOKE! If you're really considering this strategy you NEED to talk to an actual SSA rep to understand all the implications, not just random internet strangers!
I had the same problem trying to call about my disability review last month! Found out about this service called Claimyr from another thread here that gets you through the phone system. Costs money but it worked - they got me an agent in 20 minutes when I had been trying for days. Their website (claimyr.com) has a video showing how it works. For something this important, might be worth it.
has anyone done the math on this? like actually calculated if you come out ahead? I mean, if you take $2,450 x 12 = $29,400 for the year then have to pay back based on the formula ($110,000 - $22,320) / 2 = $43,840 you'd owe more than you received? am i missing something?
Your math is correct. With the numbers provided, they would withhold approximately $43,840, which exceeds the annual benefit amount of $29,400. This means SSA would recover the full year's benefits and continue withholding from the following year's payments until they've recouped the full amount. This is why this strategy doesn't work mathematically at higher income levels - you end up owing more than you receive, creating a deficit rather than any advantage.
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Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I'll definitely check my earnings record and make sure all my substantial earnings years are counted correctly. I did have some summer jobs and a few years of part-time work while teaching that might help. I'll also request the detailed WEP calculation and see if there are any errors. It's still frustrating to lose so much of my Social Security after paying into it for years, but at least I understand the rules better now.
anyone know if WEP applies if you switch to disability??? my teacher friend got SSDI and thinks she avoided WEP somehow?
WEP does apply to SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) just like it applies to retirement benefits. However, there's a disability freeze provision that sometimes results in a different calculation. Also, if someone receives a disability pension from teaching instead of a regular pension, different rules might apply. Your friend should double-check her specific situation with SSA.
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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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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.
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.
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!
thats great news! glad u got more $$ coming. its so confusing when u have both pension and ss benefits!
Kylo Ren
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!
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Liam Cortez
•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
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Chad Winthrope
•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!
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Nina Fitzgerald
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.
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Chad Winthrope
•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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