Can't reach Social Security Administration? Claimyr connects you to a live SSA agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the SSA
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the SSA drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
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!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
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.
An incredibly helpful service
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!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
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.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
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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- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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My mom worked full time after claiming SS at her full retirement age and never had to pay anything back. Earnings test doesn't apply once you hit FRA!
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I feel so much better now understanding that since all my retroactive payments were for months AFTER I reached my full retirement age, the earnings test doesn't apply at all. I was getting myself all worked up after reading about someone who had to pay back benefits, but their situation must have been different. Really appreciate all the explanations!
Happy to help clarify! Just remember that while the earnings test doesn't apply, you'll still need to report your Social Security benefits on your tax return, and depending on your combined income, up to 85% of your benefits might be taxable. But that's just normal taxation, not returning benefits. Good luck!
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Another CRITICAL thing to know - if your sister ever does decide to apply for SSDI (not just retirement), there's a 5 MONTH waiting period before benefits start AND Medicare doesn't kick in until 24 MONTHS after SSDI approval!!! The system is designed to make disabled workers SUFFER!!! And btw - if your sister's injury happened 8 years ago, has she even TRIED applying for SSDI? If her injury is permanent and prevented her from working, she might qualify for SSDI which could actually pay MORE than early retirement. The SSDI benefit is calculated as if she worked until full retirement age!
That's a really interesting point about SSDI potentially being higher than early retirement. She hasn't applied because we always assumed the WC offset would make it pointless, but maybe we should run the numbers and see if SSDI might actually be better in the long run, especially with the Medicare benefit. Thanks for that perspective!
After reviewing numerous cases like this in my work, here's the most accurate information I can provide: 1. The Worker's Compensation offset for Social Security benefits varies by state law and policy language. 2. In most states, there is a distinction between SSDI and retirement benefits in how they're treated for offset purposes, but approximately 15 states do allow offsets against retirement benefits. 3. The key factor is often when the injury occurred in relation to age. If the worker was disabled well before retirement age, some policies treat any Social Security as partially attributable to the disability. 4. The safest approach is to request a formal written determination from the WC carrier about how they would treat retirement benefits specifically. 5. There may be a maximum combined benefit amount specified in state law (often 80% of pre-injury wages). I recommend having your sister request her earnings record from Social Security to calculate potential retirement benefits, then discuss with both a WC attorney and a financial advisor to determine the optimal strategy.
Thank you for this detailed breakdown. I didn't realize there could be a maximum combined benefit amount based on pre-injury wages - that's really helpful information. I'll have my sister request her earnings record so we can start running some accurate calculations.
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my aunt got hit by GPO and WEP both...worked 18 yrs for the post office (CSRS) and 22 yrs in private sector. her own SS benefit got WEP'd and her widow benefit got GPO'd. ended up with just $220/mo from SS plus her CSRS pension. system is so confusing
One more thing to consider - if your current spouse (the one you remarried at 63) passes away, you could potentially claim widow benefits on THEIR record too. In that scenario, you'd get the higher of the two widow benefits (after GPO reduction), not both. Something to keep in mind for future planning.
That's a good point I hadn't considered. My current husband also has a good earnings record with Social Security. I hope I don't have to face that situation for many years, but it's helpful to understand all the options. This system is so complex!
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Has anybody mentioned Medicare yet??? Because if either of you has better Medicare coverage thru a former employer that could be affected by marriage!!! The whole system is RIGGED against senior remarriage if you ask me!!!
Medicare eligibility itself isn't affected by marriage, but if either person has supplemental coverage through a former employer, it's worth checking with that plan administrator. Some employer plans have specific provisions about covering new spouses. This isn't a Social Security issue directly, but definitely part of overall retirement planning.
Just wondering - will you be changing your name when you get married? If so, don't forget to update your Social Security card first, then driver's license, bank accounts, etc. I made the mistake of doing them in the wrong order and it was a nightmare!
I'm planning to keep my current last name - seems easier at this stage of life! But that's a great tip about the correct order for those who do change their names.
Gemma Andrews
I had a similar issue with my ex-spousal benefits claim last month. After weeks of getting nowhere with the regular SSA number, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a representative without the endless hold times. They have a video demonstrating how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent I reached was actually able to see the specific exceptions on my claim and explained that one was related to my pension verification and the other was a system flag for the GPO repeal claims. They sent a message to the payment center requesting urgent resolution due to financial hardship, and my claim was processed within a week after that. The key is getting someone who will actually look at the specific exceptions rather than just giving generic information.
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Philip Cowan
•Thank you for sharing this! I'm definitely going to look into Claimyr. At this point, I'd do anything to avoid more hours on hold just to get vague answers. I'll try your approach of mentioning financial hardship too - it really is becoming one as this drags on. I appreciate the specific recommendation!
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Caesar Grant
Just a quick update on GPO repeal claims - I've heard from several clients that SSA is now starting to process the backlog more quickly. Several people who applied in the first month after the repeal just received approval notices this week. It seems like the payment centers finally received complete processing instructions about two weeks ago. One thing that might help: make sure your online my Social Security account is set up with accurate contact information. Some payment centers are sending electronic messages there rather than paper notices for these claims.
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Philip Cowan
•That's encouraging to hear! I do have my mySocialSecurity account set up and I've been checking it daily, but so far nothing has changed on my claim status. I'll make sure all my contact information is up to date. Thank you for this update - it gives me some hope that there might be movement soon!
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