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!
Ask the community...
- 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 :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
just wanna say make SURE ur actually eligible for ex-spouse survivor benefits!!! the ssa worker told me you have to have been married at least 10 yrs AND not remarried before age 60 to get them. sounds like u qualify but double check!!
Yes, I triple-checked that part! We were married 17 years and I never remarried, so I do qualify. Thanks for pointing this out though - I'm sure other people reading might not know about these requirements.
I want to emphasize something important that nobody has mentioned yet. When you apply, make it CRYSTAL CLEAR to SSA that you are applying ONLY for surviving divorced spouse benefits. Some SSA representatives will automatically process your application as applying for all benefits you're eligible for, which would force you to take your reduced retirement benefit now too (deemed filing). This defeats your entire strategy. Use the specific language: "I want to restrict my application to survivor benefits only." Get the representative's name and make notes of your conversation.
This is incredibly helpful advice! I hadn't considered that filing could be misinterpreted this way. I'll be very explicit when I apply and make sure to use that exact phrasing. Thank you!
Join the conversation
My wife is also July 1958 and we just went through this whole thing with planning her retirement. Her FRA is definitely 66+8 months, so March 2025 is right. But remember that Social Security pays a month behind, so her first FULL payment at FRA would be in April 2025 (for March).
Oh that's a really good point about the month behind payment! I hadn't factored that into my cash flow planning. Looks like I need to account for that one-month delay. Thanks for mentioning it!
Everyone here is focusing just on your FRA date, but have you considered whether waiting until your FRA is actually the best strategy for you? Depending on your health, family longevity, current savings, and whether you're still working, filing before or after FRA might be better. I initially planned to file at my FRA (66+4mo), but after running the numbers, I decided to wait until 70 for the maximum benefit since I'm still working part-time and don't need the income yet. Just something to think about beyond just confirming your correct FRA date.
That's a really good point. I'm actually planning to work until 68, but I wanted to confirm my FRA first as a baseline. My financial advisor suggested I might want to start spousal benefits at FRA while delaying my own benefit until later. It's complicated but knowing the exact FRA date helps with the planning.
I should point out that restricted application for spousal benefits only (while delaying your own) is no longer available for people born after January 1, 1954. For someone born in 1958, when you file, you'll be deemed to be filing for all available benefits. This is a common misconception that persists among many financial advisors who haven't kept up with the rule changes from the 2015 Bipartisan Budget Act.
Join the conversation
Thank you all for the helpful responses! This is much clearer now. I'm going to gather my documents (birth certificate, divorce decrees, etc.) and try to reach SSA. I'll definitely check out that Claimyr service since calling SSA directly has been so frustrating. One last question - once I start receiving benefits from one ex-spouse, if the other ex gets a big raise or promotion years later, can I switch to claiming on their record instead? Or am I locked into my initial choice?
Good question! Your ex-spouse's future earnings wouldn't affect your benefit amount once they're already receiving Social Security. Benefits are calculated based on their lifetime earnings up to the point they claim. However, if one ex-spouse was significantly younger and hasn't claimed yet, there could potentially be some additional earnings added to their record. In that case, SSA should automatically adjust your benefit if it would result in a higher payment. But generally, once you're receiving benefits, major changes are uncommon.
oh and dont forget bout taxes! up to 85% of SS can be taxable if ur other income is high enuf. caught me by surprise first year
That's a good point about taxes - I hadn't thought about that. I do have some investment income and a part-time job, so I'll need to look into how that affects the taxation of Social Security benefits. Thanks for the reminder!
Join the conversation
i was a teacher for 31 years and let me tell u, that GPO is a KILLER!! married my hubby for 22 years and cant get A PENNY of his social security now that hes gone. all because of my teacher pension. if I knew then what I know now, I would have chosen a different career!!! be very careful with your planning
im so sorry for your loss! that seems so unfair after you worked so hard teaching our kids :
To answer your follow-up question: Yes, the GPO only affects benefits he might receive as a spouse or survivor, not his own earned Social Security. He will always be eligible for his own $1,050 regardless of your marital status. If you marry and you predecease him, he would receive whichever is higher between: 1. His own benefit ($1,050) 2. The GPO-reduced survivor benefit ($3,100 - $1,800 = $1,300) So in this case, marriage would provide an additional $250/month in income if you pass away first. Whether that's worth it depends on your overall financial situation, estate planning goals, health considerations, and how long you expect the survivor situation might last. Also worth noting - if you continue working past your FRA, your benefit amount will continue increasing, which could increase the potential survivor benefit as well.
Thank you for this clear explanation. It sounds like from a pure Social Security perspective, marriage would provide a modest financial benefit, but only in the survivor scenario. We'll need to weigh this against other financial and personal considerations. I do plan to work at least another 2-3 years, so my benefit will likely increase somewhat. Really appreciate everyone's insights on this complicated topic!
Theodore Nelson
i had something like this happen but then realized it was cuz they were showing me different ages!! my estimate at 62 vs 64 vs full retirement age were all different numbers! double check which age its showing you the estimate for
0 coins
Sara Hellquiem
•That's a good point, but I checked and I'm comparing the same age - 62 in both cases. The estimate for my full retirement age (67) also increased by about $180.
0 coins
Liv Park
I wanted to add that the Social Security Administration also periodically updates their actuarial assumptions and projection methodologies. This can affect how they calculate future benefits even if your earnings record hasn't changed. For 2025, they've made some technical adjustments to how they project future benefits based on current data. This is separate from COLA and affects estimates, not current payments. If you want complete certainty, you can request a detailed earnings statement by filing Form SSA-7004 (Request for Social Security Statement) or by creating/logging into your my Social Security account online to verify all your earnings are correctly recorded.
0 coins
Sara Hellquiem
•Thanks for the additional information. I already have a my Social Security account (that's where I saw the change), but I'll double-check my earnings record to make sure everything is accurate. It sounds like this is probably just a result of their updated calculations rather than any kind of error.
0 coins