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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!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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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Tell your friend he should look at his life expectancy. Everyone here is assuming he'll live a long time but what if he doesn't? My dad waited to claim and then only got benefits for 4 years before he passed. If he claims at 62, that's 8 years of benefits he'd get before 70. That's a lot of money! And another thing - what about spousal benefits for his wife? His wife has to be 62 to claim those I think so that's a long way off. But once she reaches that age it's based on his PIA so if he takes early it won't affect her spousal amount I'm pretty sure.
There's a correction needed here: spousal benefits ARE affected if he claims early. While her spousal benefit would be based on his PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), if she claims spousal benefits early (before her FRA), her amount would be reduced. Additionally, survivor benefits for both children and the spouse would be permanently reduced if he claims early. Given the 17-year age difference and children involved, this creates a very long potential benefit period where the higher amount would be valuable.
Thank you all for the incredible advice! I spoke with my friend today and shared your insights. He was surprised to learn about how his claiming age would affect potential survivor benefits for both his kids AND his wife. He's going to try using the Claimyr service to actually speak with someone at SSA about his specific numbers. He's now leaning toward waiting until at least his FRA, possibly longer. The family maximum benefit concept was new to him too. It sounds like the best approach is to get actual calculations from SSA for different claiming scenarios to see the real impact on total family benefits. Really appreciate all your help with this unusual situation!
Glad we could help! It's definitely worth getting those specific calculations. When we did that, seeing the actual dollar amounts made the decision much clearer. The difference between filing at 62 vs waiting can be substantial when multiplied across multiple beneficiaries over many years.
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I got widowed in 2019 and got hit with the GPO too because of my federal pension. I actually called my local office last week about something else and asked about this while I had them on the phone. The rep specifically said I don't need to do anything since I'm already getting the reduced amount. She said they'll be adjusting everyone automatically starting in 2025 and it'll happen in phases over 3 years.
how did u even get someone on the phone??? i try calling my local office and it always sends me to the national number where i sit on hold forever
I called right when they opened at 9am on a Wednesday. Still waited like 45 minutes but eventually got through. Seems like mid-week mornings might be slightly better.
Thank you all for the responses! This has been incredibly helpful. I'm going to ignore my friend's advice and trust that SSA will adjust my benefits automatically as their website states. I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and knowledge - it's given me peace of mind knowing I'm not missing some crucial deadline. I might try that Claimyr service just to get official confirmation from SSA, but it sounds like I'm already doing everything right by simply waiting for the automatic adjustment in 2025.
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btw OP, make sure you actually file an application even if you think you might not get anything. sometimes people are surprised by the result and if you dont file you definitely get nothing
This is excellent advice. Always file an application when you think you might be eligible. If you're denied, you'll receive a formal determination that explains why, which is valuable information. If you're approved for even a small amount, it could increase over time with COLA adjustments.
Update: I called SSA this morning (got through after only 45 minutes!) and they confirmed they do still have my marriage and divorce records on file from when I applied for Medicare. The representative ran some preliminary numbers and thinks I might get about $75/month after the GPO reduction. Not a fortune but better than nothing! I have an appointment next week to file the formal application. Thanks everyone for your help!
That's great news! $75/month is $900 a year you didn't have before. Glad you were able to get through to them relatively quickly too!
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My sister and I both retired around the same time (she was 65, I was 67) and there's about a 15% difference in our monthly payments even though we had very similar careers and earnings. Those two years make a big difference! Just something to think about...
Same with me and my neighbor! The difference adds up to thousands every year. I wish someone had explained this better to me before I applied.
Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! I think I'll apply in November 2024 so benefits can start in March 2025. I'm going to talk to my financial advisor one more time about whether I should wait until closer to my FRA given the reduction at 65. Really appreciate all the insights!
Good plan. One last thing to consider: if you have significant savings or investments, sometimes it makes mathematical sense to take SS early and preserve your nest egg. Other times, waiting and drawing down savings first yields better lifetime results. Your financial advisor should be able to run those calculations based on your specific situation.
NebulaNomad
Please tell your mother that whoever told her this is COMPLETELY WRONG! I wish the SSA would do more to educate people about this because this misconception causes so many seniors to limit their work unnecessarily. I'm 71 and make over $60K at my consulting job and get EVERY PENNY of my Social Security without reduction. The person who told her this was probably confusing the earnings limit that applies BEFORE full retirement age with the tax situation that can happen at ANY age.
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Chloe Martin
•wow 60k is awesome at 71! good for u! my mom stopped working at 65 cuz she was scared about this exact thing. wish she knew better back then...
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Ravi Sharma
Just to add some specific numbers to help your mom understand her tax situation, since that's probably what her friend was confusing with benefit reductions: - Single filers with combined income between $25,000-$34,000 may have up to 50% of SS benefits subject to tax - Single filers with combined income above $34,000 may have up to 85% of SS benefits subject to tax "Combined income" means adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + 1/2 of Social Security benefits. But again, this is just about how much of her SS might be taxable on her tax return. It has absolutely no effect on the amount of her monthly benefit check from Social Security.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Thank you for the specific numbers! This helps a lot. I think what happened is someone at her senior center mentioned the tax thresholds, and then in conversation it got transformed into a benefit reduction, which scared her. I'll show her these specific amounts so she can better understand her situation.
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