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Definitely try to get that 20th year if you can! And remember that WEP only applies to the retirement benefit based on your own record. If you're eligible for spousal benefits or survivor benefits based on someone else's record, those aren't affected by WEP (though they might be affected by GPO - Government Pension Offset - which is different).
@casual_commenter - No, the Social Security Statement estimates do NOT automatically factor in WEP. The statement explicitly says this in the fine print. The only way to get an accurate WEP calculation is to contact SSA directly. Online estimates don't have access to information about non-covered pensions, which is necessary to calculate WEP.
I just checked my statement again and you're right - there's a note that says the estimate doesn't account for WEP or GPO. I completely missed that before. I'll definitely work to get that 20th year of substantial earnings and then try to get an accurate calculation. Thank you all for the helpful information!
In my experience, yes, it worked great. I was skeptical too but was desperate after trying for days to reach someone. Got connected in about 15 minutes when I'd been unable to get through at all on my own.
Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I've decided to go ahead with my phone interview as scheduled rather than postponing it. I'll make sure to mention the WEP situation during the call so it's documented, but won't expect them to process that adjustment manually. I'm a bit nervous about the overall confusion at SSA with all the WEP adjustments happening, but it sounds like delaying would just put me further back in line for the divorced spousal benefit without actually helping the WEP situation. I'll update after my February appointment if anything interesting comes up!
My neighbor said her daughter had to call the SS office like 20 times before they even looked at her application last month. Something about them being super understaffed right now???
wait so can someone explain if the income cap is different from the tax cap? Do you stop paying SS tax after a certain income? sorry im confused
They're actually the same thing. The income cap (officially called the contribution and benefit base) is $175,500 for 2025. This means: 1. You only pay Social Security taxes on income up to this amount 2. Only income up to this amount counts toward your future benefit calculation So once you earn more than $175,500 in a year, you stop paying the 6.2% Social Security portion of FICA taxes (though you still pay the 1.45% Medicare portion, which has no cap).
Thanks everyone for the helpful information! Based on all your advice, I'm going to recommend my wife go ahead with the equipment purchase before year-end. Seems like there's really no Social Security advantage to reporting income above the $175,500 cap, and the immediate tax savings will definitely outweigh any potential SS benefit.
Kara Yoshida
I started receiving my deceased husband's benefits right after he died but i was already 68 so no issues with working. The whole process took about 45 days from application to first deposit. Make sure u have certified copies of everything they ask for.
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Cynthia Love
One more important point - you mentioned your HR department is pressuring you about retirement plans. Just to be clear, collecting Social Security survivor benefits doesn't require you to retire from your job. You can work indefinitely while collecting survivor benefits once you reach your FRA of 66 and 8 months. Also, when you apply, make sure SSA compares your own benefit amount to your wife's. They should pay you the higher of the two. And if you delay your own retirement benefit until 70 while collecting survivors now, be aware that you'll need to proactively apply for your retirement benefit when you reach 70 - the switch isn't automatic.
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Naila Gordon
•This is really helpful, thank you. I'm going to make an appointment with HR to clarify that I plan to continue working even after I start collecting survivor benefits. And I'll definitely mark my calendar to apply for my own benefits at 70 if that ends up being the better option.
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