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When will first Social Security check arrive after January 2025 start date?
So confused about when my husband's first Social Security payment will actually show up in our account! He just filed his application today and selected January 2025 as his benefit start date. The SSA rep wasn't clear about whether his first payment would arrive IN January or if the January payment comes in February. I know SS pays a month behind sometimes, but does that mean his first deposit will be in February for January? Or will he actually get a payment in January? We're trying to budget for some medical expenses early next year and need to know exactly when that first check hits our account. Anyone been through this recently?
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Can my younger spouse claim his own Social Security at 64 then switch to spousal benefits when I'm 70?
I'm confused about spousal benefit strategies since my husband and I have a significant age gap. I'm 62 and the higher earner in our marriage (my PIA would be around $3,200 if I wait until 70). My husband is 54 and would have a much smaller benefit (roughly $1,400 at his FRA). I'm planning to delay claiming until 70, but we're wondering what's optimal for him. Could he start his own reduced benefits at 64 or 65, then later switch to spousal benefits when I turn 70? Or would taking his own benefit early permanently reduce his spousal amount too? I've heard conflicting things about how spousal benefits work with the age difference. Any insight would be appreciated!
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One additional consideration for your planning: While your husband's spousal benefit would be reduced if he files early, his survivor benefit (if you were to pass away) would NOT be affected by his decision to take his own benefit early. As a survivor, he could receive up to 100% of whatever benefit amount you were receiving at death (including your delayed retirement credits to age 70). This is an important distinction because it might influence your decision-making. If maximizing his potential survivor benefit is important, your plan to delay until 70 is excellent because it maximizes that potential survivor benefit, regardless of when he takes his own retirement benefit.
That's a really important point I hadn't considered. So my decision to delay to 70 protects him in case I pass away first. That definitely makes me feel better about my decision to wait. Thank you for pointing that out!
One more thing to think about - how long can you guys go without him filing? If money's tight and you NEED the income at 64, sometmes you just gotta take what you can get. No point suffering for years just to get a bit more later. Gotta balance the math with real life needs.
That's very true. We're fortunate that I have a decent pension that covers our basic expenses, but we're hoping to do some traveling while we're still healthy enough to enjoy it. We might need to reassess our budget and see if we can manage with him waiting until his FRA. It's all about trade-offs!
Can I still grow deceased spouse's Social Security benefit to age 70 after filing for survivor benefits at FRA?
I'm turning 66 and 6 months (my FRA) in February 2025. Born in August 1958. Planning to retire from my career this December, so no employment income starting January 2025. I'm planning to file for survivor benefits at my FRA in February. My husband passed away 4 years ago when he was only 61. Here's where I'm confused - I want to maximize my benefits. I'm planning to contact SSA for a benefit comparison between my record and my late husband's, but I've already called THREE times and gotten completely different answers each time! One rep said I should take survivor benefits at FRA and switch to my own at 70, another said the opposite, and the third couldn't even tell me which would be higher! If my late husband's benefit would be higher than mine, can I take survivor benefits at my FRA (66+6mo) and then let his benefit amount continue growing until I'm 70? Or do survivor benefits max out at FRA regardless? I'm so confused about the restricted application rules with survivors vs. retirement. I've been researching online and reading posts here which just confuses me more. Does anyone understand how this actually works? Thanks for any clarity!
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Thank you all SO much for these detailed explanations. This makes much more sense now. I'm going to call SSA again and specifically request a comparison between my survivor benefit at FRA and my own benefit projected to age 70. I'll make sure to ask for someone in the survivor benefits department too. It sounds like my best approach is to: 1. Take survivor benefits at my FRA (Feb 2025) 2. Let my own benefit grow until 70 3. Switch to my own benefit at 70 *only if* it exceeds the survivor benefit I feel so much more confident now! I'll update when I get the actual numbers from SSA.
Confused about Social Security spousal benefits - is $1,911 really the threshold for excess top-off?
I'm trying to figure out if I understand how spousal benefits work correctly. My husband is retiring next year at his full retirement age and will receive about $3,200/month. I worked part-time most of my life raising our kids, so my benefit is only going to be around $1,400/month at my full retirement age. From what I've read, I think I qualify for a spousal benefit "top-off" since my own benefit is less than half of my husband's. But someone at my retirement planning seminar said that if your own benefit isn't less than $1,911 (half of the 2025 maximum FRA benefit of $3,822), then you don't get any spousal top-off. That doesn't sound right to me. Isn't the spousal benefit calculation based on my HUSBAND'S benefit amount, not the maximum possible benefit? So in my case, shouldn't I get a spousal top-off of $200 (half of $3,200 is $1,600, minus my own $1,400)? I'm so confused by all these rules and I have an appointment with SSA next month. I want to make sure I understand this correctly before I go in. Thank you for any help!
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my mom got confused about this too ended up leaving like $20k on the table over the yrs cause nobody explaind it right
OK, now I think I understand all this correctly. To summarize: 1. I'll get my own benefit ($1,400) plus a top-off to reach half of my husband's FRA benefit ($1,600 total). 2. The $1,911 figure is irrelevant to my situation. 3. My husband must file for his benefits before I can claim any spousal benefits. 4. If I claim before my FRA, both parts of my benefit get reduced. 5. The spousal benefit is based on my husband's FRA amount, not his actual payment if he delays. Did I get all this right? I feel so much more prepared for my SSA appointment now!
You've got it exactly right! Print out this summary and take it to your appointment. One last tip: when you do apply, specifically mention that you're applying for "all benefits you're eligible for" including retirement and spousal benefits. Sometimes if you don't explicitly mention both, they might not process the spousal portion right away, which can delay your full payment.
Can I claim Social Security survivor benefits 12 years after husband's death with income limits?
My husband passed away 12 years ago when I was only 45. I never applied for any Social Security benefits at that time because I was working full-time and raising our kids. Now I'm approaching 57 and wondering if I can still claim survivor benefits even though it's been so long? I currently make about $65,000 per year at my job - is there an income limit that would prevent me from collecting? And would waiting until I'm older increase the benefit amount? I've heard such conflicting information about this from friends and family.
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Has anyone mentioned yet that you should check if you're eligible for the lump-sum death benefit? It's only $255 but hey, money is money! Though after 12 years they might say it's too late for that particular benefit.
Unfortunately, the $255 death payment must be applied for within two years of death in most cases, so that's likely not available anymore. But definitely worth asking about when speaking with SSA just in case there are exceptions!
Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I'm going to try to contact SSA directly to discuss my specific situation. Sounds like I should probably wait until I'm either closer to 60 or possibly even until my full retirement age given my current income. I appreciate all the information about the different options and considerations - this is way more complicated than I thought it would be!
Zoe Christodoulou
My wife signed up for SSDI last year and her first check was late too. But SSI gets paid on different days than retirement doesnt it? So confused about all these different programs and payment schedules!
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Mei Chen
You're right about the confusion - there are different payment schedules: - SSI (Supplemental Security Income) payments always come on the 1st of the month - Social Security retirement, survivors, and SSDI (Disability) follow the birthday schedule (2nd, 3rd, or 4th Wednesday) - If you get both SSI and Social Security, SSI comes on the 1st and the other payment on the 3rd The person who started this thread is asking about retirement benefits, which follow the Wednesday schedule based on birth date.
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Ethan Moore
Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I feel much better now understanding that his January 2025 benefit will arrive in February, specifically on the third Wednesday since his birthday is on the 17th. We'll make sure to budget accordingly and not expect anything in January. I'll have him check his my SSA account regularly to track any updates too.
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