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The WHOLE system is designed to make us fail!!! I filed for my own retirement at 62 and got a PATHETIC amount because I took time off to raise kids. Meanwhile my ex will get FULL benefits even though I supported HIM through graduate school!! The system is COMPLETELY unfair to women, especially those of us who divorced before our spouses hit their peak earning years!!!
While I understand your frustration, there are some provisions that help in situations like yours. If you were married 10+ years, you can claim spousal benefits on your ex's record (up to 50% of their benefit) if that would be higher than your own benefit, even if you're divorced. This specifically helps people who had lower earnings due to family caregiving. You can contact SSA to see if you might qualify for a higher benefit amount through this provision.
My neighbor was in kinda the same boat and she ended up just focusing on building her own retirement instead. Probably better in the long run anyway.
You're right - that's what I'll need to do. I've got a good job now and have been contributing to my 401k, so I'll just keep focusing on that. It was worth asking though!
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That's exactly right! Just watch your earnings for July and August, and from September onward you're completely free from any earnings restrictions. If your July-August income might put you over the prorated limit, you could always ask your employer to delay your hours increase until September to avoid any potential benefit reduction.
Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I'm going to accept the full-time position now that I understand the rules better. It's such a relief to know I only need to be mindful of my earnings through July, and after that, I'm free to earn without restrictions. I really appreciate all the clear explanations and personal experiences shared here!
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Don't forget that overseas earnings might count toward US Social Security under certain totalization agreements. I think Australia has one with the US. You should check if some of those foreign years might actually count toward your US benefit.
Good point about totalization agreements, but there's an important distinction to make here. These agreements allow earnings in foreign countries to count toward eligibility (the 40 credits/quarters requirement), but they don't actually increase the amount of your benefit. The OP already has their 40 credits, so totalization won't help increase their benefit amount.
Thanks everyone for your helpful responses! This has been really educational. So it sounds like my statement estimate already factors in my zero years, which is a relief. And with WEP repealed, I won't see a reduction based on my Australian pension. Each year I work now basically replaces a zero year in my calculation, which should boost my benefit. I'll try to get through to SSA to confirm all this (maybe using that Claimyr service if I can't get through the normal channels). Really appreciate all your insights!
good luck! just dont expect to get rich on SS lol
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One other thing to consider - will your current spouse's benefit be higher than what you'd get from your ex's record? If so, you might want to just stick with that when you reach full retirement age. SSA won't necessarily tell you which option is better financially, so you need to ask specific questions about potential amounts. I almost missed out on thousands by not comparing my options!
That's an excellent point I hadn't considered. My current wife is 58 and still working, with a somewhat higher income than I had. I'll definitely need to compare all possibilities to see which would give the best benefit. This whole system is so complicated!
One more important note: survivors benefits can be claimed as early as age 60 (unlike retirement benefits which start at 62), but taking them early will permanently reduce the monthly amount. At 62, you'd receive about 81.2% of what you'd get at your full retirement age. Sometimes it makes financial sense to claim survivor benefits early and then switch to your own retirement benefit later (or vice versa). This strategy can maximize your lifetime benefits.
I had no idea about this option to switch between different benefits! So I could potentially take the survivor benefit now and then switch to my own retirement benefit later if that would be higher? That's definitely something I need to look into more. Thank you for this valuable information.
Esteban Tate
ANYONE else notice how IMPOSSIBLE it is to get correct information from SSA these days?!?! I swear every rep tells you something different! My neighbor filed last year and got told THREE different things about how her pension would affect her SS benefit! The whole system is a mess!!
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Sergio Neal
•The WEP and GPO rules regarding pensions are exceptionally complicated, so I'm not surprised your neighbor got inconsistent information. Those provisions (Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset) have very complex calculations that many SSA representatives struggle with. Always best to get information in writing or speak with a technical expert at SSA for those situations.
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Savanna Franklin
to answer that other persons question YES u can wait to take survivor benefits even if already getting ur own. my sister was getting her own SS when her husband died last year and the SS person told her she could wait til her FRA to switch to survivors to get the full amount. shes 63 now and waiting til 67 to switch
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Alice Pierce
•That's correct. This is one of the few remaining planning opportunities after the 2015 law changes. You can choose when to take survivor benefits independent of your retirement benefits. So in the original poster's case, she could take reduced retirement benefits now, and if her husband passed away, she could either: 1. Switch to survivor benefits immediately (at a reduction if before FRA) 2. Wait until FRA to switch to full survivor benefits The best choice depends on the benefit amounts and her financial needs at that time.
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