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One more thing - be careful about the earnings limit while getting survivor benefits before FRA. But since you're 66 and FRA for survivor benefits is currently 66, you should be past that problem. Just mentioning it for others reading this thread who might be younger.
Good point about the earnings limit. For those who don't know: if you're receiving survivor benefits and are under your FRA, you can only earn up to a certain amount ($21,240 in 2023) before they start temporarily reducing your benefit. But once you reach FRA (like the original poster has), there's no earnings limit - you can earn any amount without affecting your benefits.
Something else to consider - since you've been self-employed, make sure all your tax returns accurately reported your self-employment income on Schedule SE. I've seen cases where self-employed people accidentally underreported their income to SSA (while correctly reporting it to IRS), which reduced their Social Security benefits later. If you find any reporting errors from past years, you generally have 3 years, 3 months, and 15 days from the year in question to correct them. So you can't fix very old issues, but more recent ones might be fixable.
I've always been careful with my Schedule SE since accounting is my business, but that's a good reminder. I'll double-check my recent returns just to be sure everything was reported correctly. Thank you!
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WAIT I just realized - are we talking about SSI or regular Social Security retirement?? Because I think the rules are different for each one!! My mom was on SSI and those rules were completely different from what people are saying here!!!
Good question for clarification, but the rule about not being entitled to benefits for the month of death actually applies to both regular Social Security retirement/survivors/disability (OASDI) and SSI. The main difference is in how they handle payments already made. For SSI, payments are for the current month, while regular Social Security payments are for the previous month.
Thank you everyone for the helpful information. My sister-in-law was receiving regular Social Security retirement benefits, not SSI. Based on your responses, it sounds like we should: 1. Not expect any January payment 2. Make sure we notify SSA about her passing (already done) 3. Be aware that even the December payment might need to be returned if it was received after her death I really appreciate all the guidance during this difficult time. Dealing with all these administrative tasks while grieving isn't easy.
You've summarized it perfectly. And yes, these administrative tasks are incredibly challenging during a time of grief. Just take it one step at a time. Remember to check if there are any other potential survivor benefits that might apply to her immediate family members, if applicable.
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My husband and I went through something similar!!! The withdrawal form was soooo confusing and when we submitted it they said it was filled out wrong. They made us redo EVERYTHING and it took almost 3 months to process!! Meanwhile they kept depositing money we knew we'd have to pay back and it was so stressful!!! Just warning you it might not be quick or easy!!!
This is why I recommend sitting down with an SSA representative when filling out Form SSA-521. They can ensure everything is filled out correctly the first time, which helps avoid the scenario you experienced.
Thank you all for the helpful responses. After reading your comments and doing more research, I think we're going to schedule an appointment at our local SSA office to go through all the calculations. Since I'm still within that 12-month window, we have some time to make the decision. I'm leaning toward the withdrawal since we both have longevity in our families (parents lived to late 80s/early 90s), but we need to make sure we understand all the implications for my wife's benefits and whether she should file on her own record in the meantime (she worked as a teacher for about 15 years).
That's a wise approach. Since your wife worked as a teacher, you should also ask specifically about the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) if she's eligible for a pension from that work. These can significantly affect Social Security benefits and must be factored into your calculations. Good luck with your decision!
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When I was figuring all this out last year I made a spreadsheet with different income scenarios to see how much more tax I'd pay on my benefits at different income levels. It was eye-opening! Even though there's no benefit reduction after FRA, the tax bite can be significant if you have a good job. Worth doing the math before you decide how much to work.
That's a really smart idea about creating a spreadsheet. I'm going to do that this weekend to see exactly how different income levels might affect my overall situation. Better to know in advance than be surprised at tax time!
Jamal Wilson
One more thing to consider - will you still be 64 for all of 2025 or will you reach FRA during the year? The month you reach full retirement age, the earnings test goes away completely. So if you'll reach FRA in 2025, that changes the calculation quite a bit.
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Ethan Taylor
•I was born in October 1960, so I'll turn 65 in October 2025. My full retirement age is 67, so I won't reach that until 2027. So I'll definitely be subject to the earnings test for all of 2025 and 2026.
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QuantumQuasar
Based on everything in this thread, it seems like your best strategy would be: 1. Work full-time January-June 2025 2. Start benefits in July 2025 3. Reduce your work hours to stay under the monthly limit ($1,860) for July-December 4. For 2026, decide whether to continue working reduced hours or stop working entirely based on the annual limit This maximizes your total income from both work and Social Security. Plus, any benefits withheld will eventually be returned to you as increased monthly payments after you reach full retirement age in 2027.
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Ethan Taylor
•This is extremely helpful, thank you! I think this is exactly the strategy I'll follow. I'll talk to my employer about reducing my hours starting July 2025, and I'll file my application a few months before that. Really appreciate everyone's advice here - this was much more helpful than I expected!
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