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Taking Social Security at 62 vs FRA - invest early benefits or wait for higher monthly amount?
I'm struggling with what feels like the eternal Social Security question - take reduced benefits at 62 or wait until my Full Retirement Age (67) for the larger monthly amount. My situation: I'm 61, wife is 59, and we're both still working but planning our exit strategy. What keeps nagging at me is: what if I wait until 67 for the higher benefit but die before collecting much? All that money I could have had from 62-67 would be gone forever. I've been toying with an alternative approach - claim at 62, invest those benefits until 67, then live off that nest egg + the reduced SS payment. My rough calculations: If I take approximately $2,100/month at 62 instead of $3,125/month at 67, I could invest that $2,100/month for 5 years. By the time I hit 67, I'd have a decent investment fund PLUS still get the $2,100/month for life. If I happen to die at 67, my wife gets survivor benefits AND that investment fund. Am I missing something major in this plan? Has anyone tried this approach? I know the break-even point would be pushed much further out this way, but it feels like insurance against dying "too soon" after waiting for benefits.
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Social Security divorced spouse benefits confusion - still eligible after taking my own SS at 62?
I need help understanding divorced spouse benefits! I started taking my own SS at 62 (currently 67, almost 68). My ex-husband is 66 and we were married for 25 years before divorcing 12 years ago in California. He still works full-time as an attorney at a big law firm and plans to continue until 70. When I visited the SSA office last year to ask about divorced spouse benefits (my ex mentioned I might qualify), they weren't very helpful. They just said I'd only get "a few dollars" if I applied now and told me to come back in a few years without explaining why. I'm confused because I thought I could get up to 50% of his benefit amount? I currently receive about $1,300/month from my own record. My divorce settlement includes lifetime alimony as long as I remain single. My ex says he's delaying his benefits until 70 due to his high income. Can someone explain how the divorced spouse rules work in my situation? Why would I only get "a few dollars" now? Should I wait until he files at 70?
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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.
That's interesting - they'll recalculate when he actually files? I didn't realize that. So even though the amount might be small now, it could potentially change later? That's definitely good to know. I think I'll go ahead and apply and just accept whatever small increase I might get now.
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.
Thank you, this is very helpful! I'm going to apply for the divorced spouse benefit right away then. Even if it's just a small amount, every bit helps with today's inflation. I appreciate everyone explaining why the amount is small - that makes much more sense now. The SSA rep really should have explained this instead of just telling me to come back later!
Can I qualify for SSDI after lung surgery at 62? Too sick to work but just became eligible for early SS retirement
I'm struggling after having a neuroendocrine tumor removed from my lung along with my middle lobe about 7 weeks ago. The recovery has been much harder than I expected. I'm dealing with persistent daily headaches and my cognitive function still isn't back to normal - I have trouble concentrating, sometimes forget things mid-conversation, and get mentally exhausted quickly. I honestly can't imagine going back to my job as an administrative coordinator right now (or maybe ever). The position requires multi-tasking, attention to detail, and handling complex scheduling - all things my foggy brain can't manage anymore. I just turned 62 this month and was planning to start collecting my regular Social Security retirement, but now I'm wondering if SSDI might be a better option given my medical situation? My doctors are saying recovery could take 6-12 months, and they're not sure if the cognitive issues will fully resolve. Does anyone know if I'd even qualify for disability in this situation? And if I do apply for SSDI, would that mean I can't get my regular SS retirement benefits? Any advice would be so appreciated - I'm feeling overwhelmed by all this while still trying to heal.
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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!
This is wrong info! SSI and SSDI are totally different programs. SSI is for people with no work history and almost no assets. SSDI is based on your work history and what you paid into SS. You can't get both SSDI and retirement at the same time!
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.
Thank you for laying out these steps - this gives me a clear plan to follow. I've been feeling so overwhelmed trying to make these decisions while still dealing with recovery. I'll start gathering my documentation and look into scheduling that SSA appointment right away.
Social Security timing question - FRA in Sept 2024 with earnings above limit
My wife reached her full retirement age (FRA) in September 2024, but she's already earned about $63,800 this year. She wants to apply for her Social Security retirement benefits soon but doesn't want to lose money because of the earnings test. Would it be better for her to apply effective December 1, 2024 (first payment January 2025) or wait until January 1, 2025 (first payment February 2025)? She's definitely not planning to delay until 70, so that's not a consideration. I'm just concerned about her getting hit with that earnings limit penalty since she earned well over the limit before reaching FRA. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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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.
Social Security spousal benefits with insufficient work credits - does new bill affect government workers?
I need advice about spousal benefits for my husband who has work history with local government. I'm turning 70 this December and planning to file for my Social Security retirement benefits. My husband is 68 but only has 29 work credits under Social Security (he's 11 quarters short) because he switched to municipal employment for most of his career where they had their own pension system. I've been reading about some new legislation Biden signed (or is planning to sign?) that might affect government workers and Social Security. Does this new bill change anything for our situation? Specifically: 1. Can my husband get any spousal benefits based on my record given his insufficient quarters? 2. If he can't get benefits now, would he qualify when I start collecting? 3. If I die before him, would he be eligible for survivor benefits even with his limited credits? 4. Does the Government Pension Offset (GPO) completely eliminate any chance of him receiving benefits through me? Really confused about how all these rules interact with the new legislation. Thanks for any help!
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Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I talked with my husband about all this, and we're going to look up his exact pension amount and do that GPO calculation to see what we're dealing with. Sounds like if the Social Security Fairness Act ever passes, we'd be in much better shape, but we shouldn't count on that happening anytime soon. I guess I'll go ahead and file for my benefits when I turn 70 in December, and then we can apply for his spousal benefits after that. At least the survivor benefits might help him somewhat if I pass away first, even with the GPO reduction.
That sounds like a good plan. One more thing - make sure your husband requests a Social Security Statement (Form SSA-7004) to verify his exact number of credits. Sometimes there are earnings that weren't properly recorded, especially from long ago. It's possible he might be closer to 40 quarters than you think if there were any reporting errors. And yes, filing at 70 maximizes your benefit, which is especially important since it also maximizes any potential survivor benefits for your husband later.
I heard you need 10 years of work to get ANY SS benefits at all, so if he's only got 29 quarters (about 7 years) doesn't that mean he's completely out of luck for his OWN benefit regardless of this GPO stuff? That's what happened to my aunt.
You're correct. To qualify for retirement benefits based on your own work record, you need 40 quarters (10 years) of covered employment. With 29 quarters, the original poster's husband doesn't qualify for his own retirement benefit. However, the 40-quarter requirement doesn't apply to spousal or survivor benefits. You can receive those regardless of your own work history, though as we've discussed, the GPO will reduce them if you receive a non-covered government pension.
Paolo Ricci
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!
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StarSailor}
AuthorThat's a really good point. I've been thinking about this mostly from my own perspective, but it really is a household decision that affects our combined income for potentially decades. Did the financial planner charge a lot for this analysis? I might look into finding someone who specializes in Social Security strategies.
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GalaxyGuardian
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!!?
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StarSailor}
AuthorI understand the frustration. It feels like a gamble no matter what we choose. Sorry about your uncle - that's exactly the scenario I'm trying to avoid. The system definitely feels opaque sometimes, which makes these decisions even harder.
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