Don't forget that if your husband passes away, you might need to return his last Social Security payment depending on when he dies! My father passed on June 29 and they made us return his June payment because he didn't live the entire month. So frustrating dealing with all that while grieving.

Thank you all so much for your responses! This has been incredibly helpful. It's a relief to know I would be able to get my husband's higher benefit amount if he passes before me, though of course I hope that's many years away. I'm going to make a note of all this information and the steps I would need to take. And I'll also look into that Claimyr service just in case - I know from experience how difficult it can be to reach someone at SSA. I appreciate everyone taking the time to explain things so clearly!

Just a heads up that the survivor benefit rules for divorced spouses are slightly different than for current spouses. For a divorced spouse to qualify for survivor benefits: 1. The marriage must have lasted at least 10 years (which yours did at 21 years) 2. You must be at least 60 years old (or 50 if disabled) 3. You must not have remarried before age 60 If you remarried after 60, you can still collect survivor benefits from your ex. Also, claiming survivor benefits from your ex has no effect on what other family members might receive on your ex's record. Do you know if your ex had started taking Social Security before they passed away? That can affect the amount of survivor benefits too.

Since your ex-spouse had already started receiving benefits when they passed away, your survivor benefit would generally be based on what they were actually receiving. However, there are some exceptions: 1. If your ex was receiving reduced benefits because they claimed early, your survivor benefit would be limited to the larger of: - What your ex was receiving when they died - 82.5% of your ex's full retirement age benefit 2. If your ex delayed claiming beyond their full retirement age, your survivor benefit would include any delayed retirement credits they earned. This is another reason why getting the specific numbers from SSA is so important. They can tell you exactly what the survivor benefit amount would be based on your ex's specific claiming history.

One thing to consider that hasn't been mentioned: if your wife is the higher earner, has she considered waiting until her FRA or even age 70 to claim? Her benefit would be significantly higher (approximately 76% more at 70 compared to 62.5). With your already-established SS benefit and IRA withdrawals, you might have enough income to support her delaying benefits, which could be very valuable for long-term planning and survivor benefits. Just something to think about - each situation is different.

Thank you all for such helpful information! I've learned so much: - IRA withdrawals won't affect the earnings test (big relief) - We can use the monthly rule for my wife's first year of retirement - We should expect 85% of our SS to be taxable (not great news) - We might want to reconsider having my wife claim early We'll definitely sit down with a financial advisor to optimize our strategy. The suggestion about her waiting until FRA or even 70 is interesting - I hadn't considered the survivor benefit angle. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences!

One important point that hasn't been mentioned yet: Even if you don't work another day, you'll still get those delayed retirement credits between your FRA and age 70. Those are calculated as a percentage increase of your FRA benefit amount and are completely independent of whether you're working or not. So while your base PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) might be slightly affected by these years of lower earnings, the 32% increase from delaying FRA to 70 applies regardless. This is why delaying is still beneficial for many people even if they stop working at or before FRA.

anyone know if he should apply for unemployment while looking for work? does that affect SS calculations at all?

After you get your German pension and US SS started, make sure to check the COLA adjustments every year! My dad got hit with WEP but what was weird is that after a few years, his COLA increases seemed off compared to what was announced. Turns out they were recalculating the WEP amount wrong after each COLA. He had to call and get it fixed and even got some backpay from their mistake.

Also not sure if you're still working in Germany but remember the foreign earned income exclusion DOESNT apply to SS tax! I made that mistake and ended up owing a bunch of SS taxes even though I excluded the income from my regular taxes. So confusing!!

One other thing to consider - did you recently start Medicare? Sometimes they do adjustments if your Medicare premium was calculated incorrectly at first. I've gotten random small deposits for that reason before.

Just to update everyone - I called SSA again about that similar payment I mentioned. After ANOTHER hour on hold, they said these payments are related to the earnings recalculation they're doing for people who had wages in 2023 that weren't initially counted in their benefit calculation. It's legitimate but they're terrible at communicating these things!!

i just remembered something else! my friend said december is actually a good month to start cuz of how they calculate the COLA increases! something about getting the full COLA for next year even if u only got benefits for 1 month this year? not 100% sure but worth checking!!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! Based on everything shared, it seems like: 1. The actual benefit increase for waiting one month is minimal (around 0.67% or about $12 on average) 2. Tax considerations might be more important than the benefit amount difference 3. If I apply for December, I won't get paid until January anyway 4. There's potentially some small advantage related to COLA calculations I think I'll talk to my tax advisor about the potential tax implications before making a final decision, but it's good to know that from a pure benefit amount perspective, there's not a significant advantage to waiting that one extra month. This has been really helpful - thanks again everyone!

To directly answer your original question: No, they don't automatically check ex-spouse benefits without you mentioning the marriage. However, they should ask about your marital history during the application process. Important points to remember: 1. You must be unmarried or your later marriage ended 2. You must be at least 62 3. Your ex must be at least 62 (even if not yet claiming) 4. The marriage must have lasted at least 10 years 5. You're generally eligible for up to 50% of your ex's FRA benefit amount If your own benefit is higher than 50% of your ex's, you'll receive your own benefit amount. If the ex-spouse amount is higher, you'll receive your benefit plus the difference to equal the higher amount. Be proactive and explicit when applying. The responsibility ultimately falls on you to ensure all potential benefits are explored.

isnt there a thing where if you claim on your ex they get notified? my ex would be furious if he knew i was getting benefits from his record lol

One additional point about survivor benefits that hasn't been mentioned: When you receive survivor benefits, you're still subject to the earnings test if you're under your Full Retirement Age and still working. For 2025, you can earn up to $22,320 without reduction, but benefits are reduced $1 for every $2 earned above that threshold. This changes in the year you reach FRA. Just something to be aware of if you're still working or planning to return to work.

Thank you all so much for the helpful information! I feel much better understanding that I could switch to my husband's higher benefit if needed. I'll definitely reach out to SSA directly for specific calculations, and I appreciate the tip about Claimyr if I have trouble getting through. The information about reporting quickly and keeping documents organized is really valuable too. It's not a pleasant topic to think about, but I feel more prepared now.

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I spoke with my HR department and confirmed we have well over 20 employees, so just Part A should work fine for now. I'm going to start my application this weekend and make sure to file for my husband's spousal benefit once mine is processed. Really appreciate all the advice about the earnings test too - puts my mind at ease about working those first few months of 2025!

good luck with it all!! one more thing i forgot - when you apply online print or save EVERYTHING before you submit!!! i lost half my confirmation info and had to call and wait forever to get it sorted out.