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Social Security earnings test confusion at FRA - only applies BEFORE birth month?
I recently turned 67 (my FRA) and have been collecting Social Security since January this year. I've been working part-time, but my employer just offered me a full-time position with a significant pay increase that would put me over the earnings limit. I was worried about penalties until my neighbor said something interesting - that once you hit your FRA in your birth month, the earnings test doesn't apply anymore for that year. Is this correct? I was born in August, so does that mean from August onward this year, I can earn unlimited income without SS reductions? I'm getting conflicting information from friends and don't want to accept the job only to find out I've messed up my benefits. Has anyone dealt with this specific situation?
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Need help with direct deposit for Social Security spousal benefits after GPO repeal
I'm so confused about what to do with my spousal benefits after the GPO repeal! I worked for a school district for 26 years and don't have enough credits on my own record. I applied for spousal benefits through my husband's record in December 2023 to qualify for Medicare. My SSA account shows my benefits as 'suspended' because of the Government Pension Offset. When the GPO repeal passed, I called SSA to ask what I need to do, and they told me I don't need to reapply since I already have an application on file - just wait for them to process everything. Here's my problem: I tried to set up direct deposit in my account but couldn't. The SSA rep said they CAN'T enter my banking info because I'm not actively receiving benefits yet. But now I'm seeing messages on the SSA website saying I should make sure they have my direct deposit information NOW to avoid delays. I'm worried my payment will be delayed when they start processing benefits for GPO-affected people like me. Should I call back and push harder about the direct deposit? Has anyone else in a similar GPO situation figured this out? I don't want to be waiting months for a paper check!
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Don't wait!!! My sister-in-law was in your EXACT situation (teacher for 29 years, GPO affected) and she listened when they told her to "just wait" - BIG MISTAKE! She ended up waiting THREE EXTRA MONTHS for her first payment because of the direct deposit issue! Go to your local office IN PERSON with your ID, a voided check, and your case number. Insist they document in your file that you provided direct deposit info. The website is RIGHT and the phone rep was WRONG. With this GPO repeal affecting so many people, SSA is overwhelmed and giving out incorrect information.
Oh no, that's exactly what I'm afraid of! I definitely don't want to wait months for a payment when I could be proactive now. Thank you for sharing your sister-in-law's experience - I'll make an appointment at my local office right away. Did she ever get retroactive payments for the months she should have been receiving benefits?
I know this isn't exactly what you asked, but make sure you understand how the GPO repeal implementation timeline works. SSA announced they'll process cases in phases, with the first payments expected to go out in late January 2025. Those who already applied (like you) are in the first group. But they also said benefits won't be retroactive to the repeal date - they'll start when SSA processes your case. So getting your direct deposit set up is definitely important to avoid further delays once they get to your case!
Thank you for mentioning the timeline - that's really helpful context! January 2025 isn't too far away, so I definitely want to make sure everything is in order. I appreciate everyone's helpful advice on this thread. I'm going to call tomorrow using the specific wording suggested and also try to make an in-person appointment as backup.
Ex-husband died in 2021 - What survivor benefits can my 92-year-old mother claim from Social Security?
My mother is 92 years old and her ex-husband just passed away in 2021. His wife had already died before him. They were married for over 25 years before they divorced back in the 80s. She's currently receiving about $1,250/month from Social Security based on her own work record. I'm trying to help her figure out if she's entitled to any survivor benefits from her ex-husband's Social Security. He was an engineer and I'm pretty sure his benefit amount was higher than what she gets now. Does anyone know if she qualifies for anything additional? And if so, how soon should we apply? I'm not sure if there's some time limit since he passed away last year.
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i went thru this with my mother last year!!! the SSA people told her she wasnt eligible but that was WRONG!! we had to talk to a supervisor to get it fixed. they kept saying she remarried but she NEVER did. if they give u trouble, ask for supervisor right away dont take no for answer.
This happens more than people realize. The front-line representatives sometimes make errors on more complex cases like divorced survivor benefits. Always escalate if something doesn't seem right. And get the name of everyone you speak with, along with dates and times of conversations.
One more thing to consider - if your mother is receiving any SSI (Supplemental Security Income) or other means-tested benefits in addition to her Social Security retirement, the increased income from survivor benefits could affect her eligibility for those programs. It's almost certainly still worth applying for the higher survivor benefit, but be aware there might be effects on other benefits she receives.
She's not on SSI, just regular Social Security retirement, so hopefully that won't be an issue. She does get a small pension from a factory where she worked for about 15 years, but I don't think that will be affected.
Confused about SS benefit sequencing with WEP/GPO - can I still take spousal now & switch to mine at 70?
I'm approaching my FRA (67 years 2 months) soon and feeling totally confused about my Social Security options. From discussions in other forums, I've seen several people mention a strategy of claiming the lower benefit (either personal or spousal) initially, then switching to the higher benefit at age 70 to maximize lifetime payments. After waiting nearly 3 hours on hold Monday, I finally spoke with someone at SSA to ask about this approach. She couldn't give me a clear answer but promised someone from my local office would call. Sure enough, they called today (missed it of course!), but when I called back I only waited about 15 minutes. Here's where I'm confused - the rep told me this strategy is impossible. She claimed when I file for any benefit, they automatically evaluate both spousal and personal benefits and just give me whichever is higher. She said I'm "deemed" as filing for both and can't let one grow while collecting the other. This is particularly frustrating because I'm affected by both WEP and GPO (from a government pension), which significantly reduces my benefits. I was hoping to collect maybe $500-600 in spousal benefits now while letting my own grow until 70. The rep seemed rushed to end our call because of their call volume, so I'm questioning her information. How are others managing to implement this strategy? Is she giving me accurate information? When I mentioned learning about this option from online groups, she dismissively said to "never trust social media, only trust SSA." Yet they rush me off the phone after making me wait hours! I'm really confused about how to maximize my benefits with these WEP/GPO complications.
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To give you some concrete numbers about WEP, with 23 years of substantial earnings, your WEP reduction won't be the full amount. The maximum WEP reduction for someone reaching 62 in 2025 is about $613 per month, but with 23 years of substantial earnings, your reduction would be significantly less - about 70% of that maximum. Delaying until 70 still increases your WEP-reduced benefit by 8% per year beyond FRA. Since GPO is likely eliminating most or all of your spousal benefit anyway, focusing on maximizing your own benefit might be your best strategy. Consider requesting a detailed benefit calculation from SSA that shows your WEP-adjusted amounts at different claiming ages. This will give you the specific numbers to make your decision.
Thank you for these specific numbers! This is exactly what I needed. I had no idea the WEP reduction would be less with 23 years of substantial earnings. I'm going to request that detailed calculation as you suggested. This makes me feel much better about my options.
i think everybody born after 1954 got screwed by that law change!! my brother in law was born in december 1953 and got to do the restricted thing but my sister missed it by 3 months. not fair!!
EXACTLY!!! The whole system is rigged against us. My cousin got to do this because she was born in 1952 and saved like $40,000 by using that strategy. Then they pull the rug out from under the rest of us. And now we're stuck with all these complicated WEP/GPO penalties too!!!
Can I claim spousal Social Security benefits with WEP/GPO as a retired teacher with only 30 quarters?
I retired from teaching in Oregon public schools and only have 37 quarters of Social Security credits from part-time retail jobs I worked on school breaks. My teacher's pension is $3,250/month through the state retirement system. My husband (we've been married 28 years) started collecting his Social Security benefits last year at 66 - he gets about $2,400 monthly. We're both 67 now. I'm confused about whether I can get any spousal benefits from his record since I don't have my 40 quarters. Someone mentioned GPO (Government Pension Offset) might eliminate any spousal benefits I could get? And what happens when he passes away - would I be eligible for survivor benefits or does this GPO thing wipe those out too? I tried calling SSA three times but kept getting disconnected after waiting over an hour each time! Our financial advisor seemed unsure about the rules for teachers with state pensions. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
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If you're determined to maximize what you can get, here's what I'd suggest: 1. Consider working part-time to earn those final 3 quarters. In 2025, you need to earn about $1,640 per quarter to get a credit. So that's around $4,920 total to get your 40 quarters. 2. Once you have 40 quarters, you'd be eligible for your own benefit (though it will be small and reduced by WEP), but it might be more than what you'd get as a spouse after the GPO reduction. 3. Request a detailed benefits calculation from SSA. They can run the numbers with and without the additional credits to help you make an informed decision. 4. Make sure SSA has your complete earnings record. Sometimes quarters from decades ago can be missing, and you might actually be closer to 40 than you think. Additionally, both WEP and GPO have maximum reduction amounts, so in some scenarios, it might be worthwhile to understand exactly how these would impact your specific situation.
This is exactly why people need financial planners who ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND these Social Security offset provisions! The advisor mentioned in the original post clearly didn't know about GPO or WEP which is RIDICULOUS! These rules have been around for decades! I had to explain GPO to MY financial advisor last year! UNBELIEVABLE!
I want to thank everyone for all this helpful information. I'm going to try that Claimyr service mentioned above to actually speak with someone at SSA without the endless waiting and disconnections. I'm also going to look into part-time work to get those last 3 quarters - even if the benefit is small, it sounds better than nothing. The whole GPO situation is really disheartening. I had no idea my teaching career would end up reducing benefits I might have received through my husband's record. I wish there had been better retirement planning resources specifically for teachers when I was younger. If anyone has had success getting benefits despite GPO or has found other strategies, I'd still love to hear about them!
Charlie Yang
That's exactly right! Just watch your earnings for July and August, and from September onward you're completely free from any earnings restrictions. If your July-August income might put you over the prorated limit, you could always ask your employer to delay your hours increase until September to avoid any potential benefit reduction.
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Olivia Martinez
Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I'm going to accept the full-time position now that I understand the rules better. It's such a relief to know I only need to be mindful of my earnings through July, and after that, I'm free to earn without restrictions. I really appreciate all the clear explanations and personal experiences shared here!
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