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Another important point - since your husband's benefit is only about 40% of yours, you should definitely consider how his filing decision impacts potential spousal benefits. While he's alive, he wouldn't qualify for spousal benefits on your record until you file for your own benefits. After you file at 70, he could potentially receive a spousal supplement if 50% of your PIA exceeds his own benefit (including reductions for early filing). This gets complicated, but it's worth understanding the full picture. The timing of both your claims can have significant impacts on your combined lifetime benefits.
i get so confused with all this PIA and FRA and spousal stuff. wish they made it simpler!!
Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! We definitely have more to consider than I initially thought. I'm going to talk with my husband about possibly waiting until his FRA after learning about the survivor benefit implications and the hassle of dealing with the earnings test. Seems like the small amount he'd get now (after reductions) might not be worth the permanent cut to his benefit. Really appreciate all your insights!
Sounds like a wise approach. If you have any specific questions as you continue planning, don't hesitate to ask. The rules can be complex, but taking time to understand them now can make a significant difference in your combined lifetime benefits.
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One additional point that hasn't been mentioned yet: Your wife's decision to claim at 62 will permanently reduce her own benefit by about 30% compared to her FRA amount. This won't affect your potential spousal benefit on her record (since you're waiting until your FRA), but it will reduce her monthly income for the rest of her life. If she can afford to wait even a year or two beyond 62, she could significantly increase her lifetime benefits. Each year she delays between 62 and her FRA adds about 6-8% to her monthly benefit amount.
That's a good point I hadn't considered fully. We assumed she should just take it early since her benefit is lower anyway, but maybe we should reconsider if she waits at least until 63 or 64. I'll talk with her about this and run some calculations on the total impact.
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wat about if u work part time after retiring? My neighbor works 2 days a week at walmart and still gets ss but shes over 67 i think
That's a different situation. Once you reach your Full Retirement Age (currently 67 for people born in 1960 or later), there's NO earnings limit. You can work and earn as much as you want without any reduction in benefits. The earnings test only applies to people who claim before their FRA. The original poster is claiming about a year before FRA, so they need to stay under the annual limit (about $21,240 for 2025).
I just called my HR department and they actually weren't sure how this would be reported! They're checking with payroll. This is making me really nervous now. Should I just delay my SS application by a month to avoid this issue completely?
Delaying by a month would certainly eliminate this particular issue, though it would mean one less month of benefits. Another option is to proceed with your application but include a detailed explanation letter with your supporting documentation regarding the final paycheck. Either approach is valid - it depends on your risk tolerance versus your immediate need for benefits. If you don't urgently need that first month's payment, delaying might save you potential headaches.
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Update: I FINALLY got through to someone at SSA after trying for days. The agent explained that I misunderstood how the monthly earnings test works. She said that in the first year of retirement, they look at any month where I earned under the limit AND didn't perform "substantial services" as a month I should receive benefits, regardless of my annual total. But here's the catch - they're saying my part-time work still counts as "substantial services" even though I'm earning under the monthly limit! Apparently because I'm working more than 15 hours weekly at the bookstore (I work about 22 hours), they're considering it substantial work. This feels like a complete gotcha - stay under the earnings limit but still get penalized because of hours? I'm going to request a formal review. This just doesn't seem right.
The "substantial services" rule primarily applies to self-employment, not wage employment. For regular employment, they should only be looking at your earnings, not your hours. It sounds like the representative may have confused the two tests or incorrectly applied self-employment rules to your wage employment situation. Definitely request a formal review and bring documentation showing: 1. When you reduced your work from full-time to part-time 2. Your monthly earnings after starting benefits 3. That you're a wage earner, not self-employed The "substantial services" hour limit should not apply to your bookstore job if you're a regular employee (W-2, not 1099).
Reading through all this, I'm seriously considering just waiting until I hit my FRA to avoid this mess altogether. The rules are way more complicated than they initially appear, and it sounds like even the SSA reps give conflicting information. Losing a few months of benefits might be worth avoiding the headache!
That's often the simplest solution if you're close to your FRA and still working. Once you reach FRA, you can earn unlimited amounts without any reduction to your benefits. If you're only a few months away, it might be worth waiting just for the peace of mind.
Jamal Carter
hey does anyone know how long her grandkids can keep gettin there benifits? my neice is turning 18 soon and i'm worried about her payments stopping
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Zoe Papadakis
•Generally, children can receive survivor benefits until they turn 18, or 19 if they're still attending high school full-time. If a child is disabled before age 22, they may qualify for benefits indefinitely. Your niece should receive a notice a few months before benefits are scheduled to end, and if she's still in high school, she should complete the form they send to extend benefits until graduation or age 19, whichever comes first.
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Andre Rousseau
Thank you all so much for the helpful responses! I just talked to my niece and she's so relieved to know that her applying won't hurt the kids' benefits. She's going to look into that Child-in-Care benefit that was mentioned and will try using that Claimyr service to get through to SSA since she's been trying to call for weeks. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences!
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Amara Chukwu
•Glad we could help! Just as a final point - make sure she asks about potentially claiming on her ex-spouse or deceased spouse's record too if she was married for at least 10 years. Sometimes that provides a higher benefit than her own record, especially if she had those 10 years out of the workforce.
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