Social Security Administration
CommunityGovernment Services
Pay nothing until a live SSA agent is on the phone with you.
Can't reach Social Security Administration? Claimyr calls for you, so you don't have to wait on hold.
$0 upfront. We only hold your card.
No live agent, no charge.
$9.99 is charged only once a live SSA agent is on the phone with you.
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
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 :)
Social Security earnings limit confusion - can husband work more after W-2 shows only $15,000 in SS wages?
I'm completely confused about the Social Security earnings limit for my husband who started receiving retirement benefits at 62 last year (he's 63 now). We've been super careful to keep his income under the 2025 limit, but his W-2 is confusing me! His W-2 shows about $21,500 in regular wages but only $18,700 for Social Security wages. Does this mean he actually has room to earn more this year before hitting the annual limit? We've been turning down extra shifts because we were afraid of going over, but maybe we've been too cautious? I know there's that $1 reduction for every $2 earned over the limit, and we REALLY don't want to deal with any benefit reductions or overpayments. Has anyone else noticed this difference between total wages and SS wages on their W-2? Can he safely pick up more hours based on what the SS wages box shows? Thanks for any help! This earnings limit stuff is way more confusing than I expected.
Join the conversation
Will Social Security index business losses from 1970s in retirement calculation, or does zero always equal zero?
I'm trying to figure out how my business losses from the 1970s might affect my Social Security retirement benefits. I ran a small electronics repair shop for about 3 years in the mid-70s, and I had a net loss of around $15,000 one year (which was significant back then). The next two years were profitable but not by much. My question is: when Social Security indexes my earnings for calculating my benefits, do they just treat that loss year as a zero, or does the actual loss somehow factor in? I've heard something about indexing earnings from long ago, but I'm not sure if a business loss gets treated differently than just having zero income. Does anyone know if that negative earnings year from the 70s will be treated as a zero, or will it somehow be indexed like my positive earning years? I'm planning to file for benefits in about 8 months, and I'm trying to get a better handle on my expected benefit amount. Thanks for any insights!
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.
Social Security benefit statements for tax planning - where to find Medicare and tax withholding breakdowns?
I started receiving Social Security retirement benefits in April, and I'm trying to get organized for next year's taxes. Does SSA mail out any kind of monthly statements showing payment breakdowns? I need to see exactly how much is going to Medicare premiums and tax withholdings each month. I've looked through my MySocialSecurity account but can't find anything that shows these details clearly. My tax advisor wants me to estimate our tax liability before December, and I need documentation showing the exact amounts. Has anyone found a way to get these statements either by mail or online? Any help would be appreciated!
Join the conversation
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!
Does withholding taxes from Social Security checks vs. paying annually affect total tax amount?
I just turned 67 and started collecting Social Security last month. I'm still working part-time (about $18,000 yearly) and trying to figure out the tax situation. My sister is telling me I should have federal taxes withheld from my SS check (she gets 15% taken out), but my neighbor says it's better to just pay quarterly estimated taxes or at tax time. Does it make any difference financially? Would I end up paying the exact same amount either way? I'm trying to figure out what makes more sense for my situation. The SS agent wasn't very helpful when I called - just said it was my 'personal preference.' But there must be pros and cons to each approach, right?
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.
Can I get 12 months retroactive WEP and 6 months retroactive spousal benefits at the same time?
I just turned 67 last month and I'm trying to file for my Social Security benefits. I worked for the state government for 20 years (with a pension) and also have enough credits for SS retirement. I've been told I'll be affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). My wife has been collecting her SS retirement for 3 years now. My question is: can I file for my own retirement with 12 months of retroactive benefits (because I'm past my FRA) AND simultaneously file for spousal benefits with 6 months retroactive? I've heard different things from friends about this. Does anyone know if I can get both retroactive payments at once? The difference would be almost $15,000 for me, so I want to make sure I do this right!
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.
Luca Romano
wait so is it the box 1 wages or the box 3 ss wages that count? im still confused
0 coins
Zara Rashid
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.
0 coins
Sean Doyle
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!
0 coins