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my sister told me the secret is to be super careful with the trial work period to make sure you dont use them all up at once. use maybe 1 month here and there if you can so they dont all get used up together and then your not stuck without a safety net
This isn't entirely accurate. TWP months aren't something you can strategically schedule - any month where your earnings exceed the TWP threshold (which is $1,110 in 2025) automatically counts as a TWP month. They don't need to be consecutive, but you can't choose when to use them. After the 9th TWP month is completed, you automatically enter the 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility where benefits continue in any month earnings fall below SGA. This is the actual safety net period.
To answer your question about my transition - yes, I did have a couple of payment gaps around month 10-11 after my TWP ended. I earned above SGA for those months, so my benefits were supposed to stop, but then I had a medical setback and my earnings dropped below SGA the following month. SSA was supposed to automatically reinstate my benefits for that month, but I had to make multiple calls to get it resolved. This is where documentation saved me - I had proof of my earnings drop and proof that I'd reported it. Eventually I did fully transition off SSDI, but knowing I had that 36-month safety net of the Extended Period of Eligibility made it much less scary to try. Best decision I ever made, but I wouldn't have done it without understanding all the protections available.
Thank you for sharing this - it's really helpful to hear a success story! I think I'll request that BPQY report and maybe talk to my employer about a more gradual increase in hours. The idea of going straight from part-time to 40 hours a week is probably too aggressive anyway given my health history.
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wait so is it the box 1 wages or the box 3 ss wages that count? im still confused
For the Social Security earnings test, you generally need to count gross earnings, which would align more closely with Box 1 (wages, tips, other compensation) plus any pre-tax retirement contributions. Box 3 (Social Security wages) already has certain pre-tax deductions removed, so it's not the right number to use for the earnings test in most cases. This is a common point of confusion because the terminology is similar but the calculations are different for different purposes.
Thank you all for the helpful responses! I clearly misunderstood how this works. We'll go back and check his actual gross earnings to make sure we're tracking correctly for 2025. And we'll be setting aside some emergency funds just in case we accidentally go over and have to deal with benefit withholding. It's frustrating that something seemingly simple gets so complicated. Hopefully when he reaches Full Retirement Age in a few years, we can stop worrying about all this earnings limit stuff!
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wait i just realized something... since they index earnings from past years, wouldn't that mean that $15,000 loss from the 1970s would actually be like a $60,000 loss in today's dollars? does that matter at all for the calculation? or is it still just treated as zero regardless of the year and inflation?
No, that's not how it works. Indexing only applies to positive earnings, not losses. A zero is always just zero in the calculation, regardless of when it occurred. The indexing factor is applied only to years where you had earnings and paid Social Security taxes.
I remember reading something about how self-employment losses could be carried forward for income tax purposes, but I'm pretty sure that has absolutely nothing to do with Social Security calculations. Like the others have said, for SS purposes, a loss year is just a zero - nothing more, nothing less. There are so many confusing details with Social Security. I've been retired for 2 years now and I'm still learning new things about how it all works!
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! Sounds like the consensus is clear - my loss year is just a zero in the calculation, and since I have well over 35 years of work, it probably won't affect my benefit at all. Really appreciate all the insights.
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Just remember SSA doesn't actually send ANYTHING monthly. They aren't like a utility company sending statements. Online is the way to go now. My parents still get confused about this too
Thank you everyone for your help! I found what I needed by clicking on the actual payment amount in my MySocialSecurity account as several of you suggested. I can now see the breakdown showing my Medicare premium and tax withholding for each month. This will be perfect for our tax planning. I appreciate all the quick responses!
Amara Okafor
One more important detail: If your ex-husband is now past his Full Retirement Age (FRA), any adjustment would be effective from the month of application (with up to 6 months of retroactive benefits possible). If he's still under his FRA, different rules apply and he might face additional reductions for claiming early. The GPO reduction (2/3 of his government pension) applies before any age-based reductions. So if his government pension is substantial, it might eliminate any potential ex-spouse benefit entirely, regardless of the WEP changes affecting your benefit amount. When he contacts SSA, he should specifically ask for a comprehensive benefits calculation taking into account: 1. His own earned benefit (already reduced for early claiming) 2. Potential ex-spouse benefit based on your record with updated WEP calculation 3. GPO reduction based on his non-covered pension 4. Any Medicare premium penalties he's currently paying
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Miguel Hernández
•This is incredibly helpful - thank you! He's 68 now, so past FRA. His pension is around $2,300/month, which I know will substantially reduce any ex-spouse benefits. I'll tell him to ask for this comprehensive calculation exactly as you described.
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Liam Murphy
does anyone know if theres gonna be another WEP reform bill this year?? i keep hearing congress might change the rules again
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Sasha Ivanov
•There's always legislation being proposed, but nothing has passed yet. The Social Security Fairness Act has been introduced again to eliminate both WEP and GPO, but I wouldn't count on any changes soon. Best to work with the current rules for now.
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