Thank you all for the helpful information! I just wanted to provide an update - I called SSA again and specifically asked about the "grace year" rule. The new representative confirmed what you all said - only my November and December earnings matter for 2025, and since I earned less than $1,850 in each of those months, I won't have any benefits withheld. She apologized for the confusion from my previous call. Such a relief! I appreciate this community so much.

Just to add my two cents - I know several people who've dealt with earnings limit issues and it's almost always better to proactively contact SSA if you think you might exceed the limit rather than waiting for them to catch it later. If they determine there's an overpayment after the fact, it can be much more stressful to deal with.

After struggling with this exact decision, I consulted with a financial planner who specializes in Social Security strategies. The most eye-opening part was running a simulation that showed how the decision impacts total household benefits through both of our lifetimes, not just my individual break-even point. For couples, it's really a household income strategy, not an individual one. Money well spent for personalized advice!

The whole system is DESIGNED to confuse us!!! My uncle waited till 70 to claim and got exactly TWO CHECKS before he passed. Meanwhile the SSA building in my town just got renovated with fancy new furniture. Tell me where all our money is REALLY going!!?

I went through this exact process last yr. They told me the same thing about only getting a small amount when I first applied. Turns out there's a HUGE reduction when you take your own benefits early AND then try to get divorced spouse benefits. The math gets complicated. Basically, they look at the difference between your reduced benefit and 50% of your ex's FRA benefit (which is also reduced because you filed early). For most people, that difference is tiny. But here's what nobody tells you - they'll recalculate when your ex actually files! So even though you can apply before he files (since you're divorced >2 years), you might get a different amount after he files. It's worth applying now anyway just to get in the system.

One more important detail - alimony has no effect on your Social Security divorced spouse benefits. They are completely separate programs. Your eligibility for divorced spouse benefits is based on: 1. Marriage lasting at least 10 years (yours was 25, so you qualify) 2. Being at least 62 years old (you are) 3. Being currently unmarried (you mentioned staying single for alimony purposes) 4. Your ex being eligible for benefits (at 66, he is) The reduction in your benefit is purely mathematical - it's about when you filed for your own benefits (at 62) and how that affected both your own benefit amount and any potential divorced spouse benefits. At this point, I would recommend filing for the divorced spouse benefit even if it's small. There's no advantage to waiting since your ex's delayed retirement credits won't increase your divorced spouse benefit.

Couple things nobody mentioned: 1. With SSDI you can actually try going back to work under their Ticket to Work program without losing benefits right away. They have a 9-month trial work period where you keep full benefits even if working. 2. If your early retirement payment would be higher than SSI (which is different from SSDI and has strict income/asset limits), you might qualify for both partial SSDI and partial retirement to maximize your monthly income. 3. SSDI applications get approved faster if you're over 55 because they have different vocational guidelines for older workers. Good luck!

Based on everything shared here, I think your next steps should be: 1. Schedule an appointment with a Social Security representative (online or phone) to discuss your specific situation and options 2. Talk to your doctors about providing detailed documentation about your cognitive limitations and expected recovery timeline, specifically addressing whether impairments may last 12+ months 3. Consider consulting with an SSDI attorney for a free consultation before filing 4. Prepare a detailed work history and list of all your medical providers 5. Apply for SSDI as soon as your documentation is in order Given your age and situation, this is definitely worth pursuing over simply taking early retirement benefits. The approval rates for well-documented cases with clear medical evidence are much higher than many people realize.

The only reason to wait until January would be to get a slightly higher monthly benefit (about 2/3 of 1% more) for the rest of her life. It's a trade-off between getting one extra payment in December versus slightly higher payments forever. If she lives long enough (about 12-13 years after starting benefits), the January start date would provide more total benefits over her lifetime.

Thanks that makes sense! I always forget about that monthly increase thing.