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
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.
Join the conversation
theres actually a form you need to get - i think its W4-V or something close to that. You pick the percentage you want taken out. My sister had a heart attack when she got a $4000 tax bill her first year on SS!! dont let that happen to you!!
It's Form W-4V (the V stands for Voluntary). And you're limited to requesting 7%, 10%, 12%, or 22% - you can't choose any random percentage. Just clarifying in case anyone's looking for the form.
I'm still confused about how they tax Social Security in the first place. I thought we already paid taxes on our earnings before paying into the system?? So isn't this double taxation?? And with these new tax brackets I'm hearing about for 2025, will that change how much of my benefits are taxed? Sorry to hijack your thread but this whole system is so confusing.
The taxation of Social Security benefits is definitely confusing! Up to 85% of benefits may be taxable (not 100%), which partially accounts for the fact that you paid FICA with after-tax dollars. Whether your benefits are taxed depends on your "combined income" (AGI + non-taxable interest + 50% of SS benefits). For individuals: Below $25,000 = 0% taxed; $25,000-$34,000 = up to 50% taxed; Above $34,000 = up to 85% taxed. The 2025 tax changes mainly affect income tax brackets, not specifically how SS benefits are taxed. But if they change your overall income level, that could indirectly affect SS taxation.
Join the conversation
To address your follow-up question - yes, the WEP reduction will apply to all retroactive payments. And you absolutely need to specifically request retroactive benefits when you apply - they don't automatically give you retroactive benefits even if you're eligible. Regarding the 6 vs. 12 months confusion: The law allows up to 12 months retroactive for retirement and spousal benefits when you're past FRA. However, spousal benefits cannot begin before your spouse started receiving their benefits. So if your wife only started her benefits 6 months ago (which doesn't appear to be your case), that would limit your spousal retroactive period. Given that your wife has been collecting for 3 years, you should be eligible for the full 12 months retroactive on both benefits.
That makes so much more sense now! Thank you for clearing up my confusion. I'll make sure to specifically request the full 12 months retroactive for both benefits when I apply.
watch out for taxes too!! my friend got a big retroactive payment and it pushed him into a higher tax bracket that year and he wasnt ready for the big tax bill!!
This is an excellent point. A large lump sum retroactive payment could significantly impact your tax situation. You may want to consult with a tax professional about potentially using the special lump-sum election on your tax return, which might help reduce the tax impact.
Join the conversation
has anyone else noticed that the SSA website says different things about WEP than what the reps tell u on the phone???
The SSA website is generally more accurate than phone reps. The problem is that WEP is incredibly complex and many SSA representatives don't deal with it regularly. Always get any important information in writing, and if possible, speak with a technical expert who specializes in WEP cases rather than a general representative.
Thank you all for the helpful responses! I feel much better knowing that WEP won't affect me until I actually start receiving my pension payments. I'm definitely going to keep my SS benefits in that separate account just to be safe. I'll make sure to contact SSA as soon as I start receiving my STRS pension so there are no surprises. Thanks again for clearing this up!
One more thing to keep in mind - make sure you understand how much your STRS pension will be before you retire, so you can estimate your post-WEP Social Security amount. The SSA has a WEP calculator on their website that can help you estimate the reduction. You don't want to budget based on your current SS amount only to be surprised when it decreases.
Nasira Ibanez
Something else to consider - has your sister checked her own Social Security record lately??? My friend thought her benefit would be really small because of her government job, but when she actually checked her SS statement online, it was higher than she expected because of all the years she paid in. Your sister should create a my Social Security account on ssa.gov if she hasn't already!!! That way she'll know her own benefit amount before even talking to anyone.
0 coins
Myles Regis
•Excellent suggestion. Creating a my Social Security account at ssa.gov is essential for anyone approaching retirement age. The benefit estimates shown there will help your sister make a more informed decision. However, one caution - the online estimates don't always correctly account for things like WEP/GPO reductions. They give a good starting point, but the final calculation should be confirmed with an SSA representative who can properly apply any applicable reductions.
0 coins
Landon Flounder
i think everyones overthinking this lol. just have her apply and see what they say. my aunt got dinged with gpo and still got like $400 a month from my uncles record. anything is better than nothing right?
0 coins
Nasira Ibanez
•It's not overthinking when we're talking about THOUSANDS of dollars in potential benefits!!! Getting the right strategy can literally mean the difference between getting benefits or nothing at all. But I agree she should definitely apply either way!!!
0 coins