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
I want to add some clarification about when and how to report earnings to SSA in your situation: 1. Initial report: When you start working, call and inform them of your employment start date and estimated earnings. 2. Monthly reporting is NOT required for most beneficiaries. However, given your variable income, you might want to report quarterly or whenever you have a significant change from your estimate. 3. Annual reporting: You'll receive a form (SSA-632) at the beginning of each year to report your previous year's earnings. 4. Once your mother's benefits terminate in October, your earnings will no longer matter for Social Security purposes until you decide to file for your own retirement benefits in the future. 5. Keep documentation of all your communications with SSA (dates, representative names, what was discussed). The earnings test can be confusing, but in your case, focusing on the monthly limit until October is the correct approach.
That form number is WRONG! The annual earnings report form is SSA-7070, not SSA-632. The 632 is for overpayment waiver requests - I know because I had to fill one out when they messed up MY earnings calculations! This is exactly the problem with SSA - even people who sound like they know what they're talking about get details wrong and then WE have to deal with the consequences!
When my husband passed a few years ago, I had a similar situation with the earnings test. My main advice is to OVER-report rather than under-report. I called SSA at the beginning of the year, mid-year when my income changed, and then again near year-end. It was annoying but I never had an overpayment issue. Just make sure you're tracking everything. Also, don't forget that your children's benefits continue until they graduate high school (if they're still in school at 18) - you'll need to complete some additional paperwork for that extension.
Thank you for sharing your experience! That's a good point about school attendance - my older one will be 18 before graduating high school, so I'll need to look into that paperwork. And I'm definitely planning to over-report rather than risk dealing with overpayments later.
Join the conversation
One more thing you should know: The fact that you didn't file earlier may actually work in your favor regarding retroactivity. Since you never received a formal denial, you could potentially argue that misinformation from an SSA employee prevented you from filing. This is called \
This is incredibly helpful information I had no idea about. I'll definitely bring up the misinformation form and ask about establishing a protective filing date from my 2020 visit. I remember it was in March 2020, right before the pandemic shut everything down. I imagine that might have contributed to the rushed service. Thank you so much for this suggestion!
Join the conversation
Another important consideration: If either of your potential spouses is receiving any needs-based benefits like SSI or Medicaid, marriage could affect those benefits since household income is considered. Also, be aware that marriage might impact other financial arrangements like pensions with survivor benefits that may already name other beneficiaries. At 84, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with SSA to discuss your specific situation rather than making decisions based solely on general forum advice. Your earnings record, exact benefit amount, and other factors will determine the exact financial impact.
You're absolutely right. I'll schedule an appointment with SSA to get advice specific to my situation. There are clearly more factors to consider than I initially realized. Thank you all for your helpful input!
MY NEIGHBOR JUST DID THIS!!!! She married her friend and got his benefits when he died but she had to fight with SSA for MONTHS because they said it was a "marriage of convenience" or something like that. They investigated her!!! Be careful what you say to them about why you're getting married!!
This is important to clarify. SSA doesn't technically have a "marriage of convenience" policy that would disqualify someone from benefits. If the marriage is legal, it generally counts for Social Security purposes regardless of the reasons for marrying. The 9-month duration requirement for survivor benefits is primarily what they'll check. However, if fraud is suspected (marriage solely for benefits with no intent to live as spouses), that could potentially be investigated, though it's relatively rare in cases like this.
Join the conversation
make sure u have all ur documents!!! birth certificate, marriage license, divorce papers, death certificate for ex, etc. i forgot my divorce decree and had to reschedule my whole appointment and wait another 6 weeks!!
Oh that's a great reminder! I'll definitely make a checklist of all the documents I need to bring. Did they require original documents or were copies acceptable?
they wanted originals of everything! and u might need proof u were married 10+ years for ex-spouse benefits. bring as much as u can
One other important thing to know - when you're receiving survivor benefits from 67-70, you can still work without any earnings limit penalties. The earnings test doesn't apply after you reach your full retirement age. So if you want to work part-time during those years, your survivor benefits won't be reduced no matter how much you earn.
That's really good to know! I was planning to do some consulting work in retirement, so it's nice to hear I won't be penalized for that income while on survivor benefits.
Klaus Schmidt
One more thing - DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!! Write down every conversation with SSA, get names of reps, take screenshots of your MySocialSecurity account info!!!! Trust me on this!!!!!
0 coins
Amara Okafor
Thank you all for the helpful advice! I'm going to put together all these calculations before I make my filing decision. It sounds like my husband should definitely apply for the spousal benefit once I file, regardless of when I decide to start taking benefits. I'll make sure to document everything and specifically mention the WEP-spousal benefit calculation when we apply. And I'll definitely look into that Claimyr service - sounds like it could save a lot of frustration with the phone calls. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to explain this complicated situation!
0 coins