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IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount) is completely different from COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment). IRMAA is an extra charge added to Medicare Part B and D premiums for higher-income beneficiaries. COLA is the annual increase in Social Security benefits to keep up with inflation. They're unrelated systems.
once i got random deposit from SS for $412 and it turned out they had calculated my benefits wrong for 3 months! but took them 5 months to tell me that lol. SS works in mysterious ways
I was in a similar boat to u last year & honestly the BEST thing we did was just schedule an appointment at our local SSA office. My husband & I brought all our questions written down & the rep walked us thru everything step by step. Took about an hour but so worth it! Just be prepared for a long wait to get an appointment (took us like 3 weeks).
That's a great suggestion! In-person appointments can be really helpful for complex situations. If you're having trouble getting an appointment, that's where services like Claimyr can help - they can connect you with an SSA representative over the phone much faster than waiting on hold yourself. But an in-person appointment is definitely worth the wait if you can get one.
make sure u look at the tax situation too bc sometimes waiting doesnt help if ur gonna pay more taxes on the bigger benefit its all about whats left after taxes
While tax considerations are important, they rarely outweigh the benefit of delaying Social Security for a higher-earning spouse. The permanent 8% per year increase in benefits (plus COLAs on that larger amount) typically overshadows any tax differences. Plus, survivor benefits are a critical factor - ensuring the surviving spouse gets the highest possible benefit for life is usually worth potential tax implications. That said, a comprehensive financial plan should absolutely include tax planning.
wait the WEP and GPO are gone now???? since when??? i've been getting reduced SS benefits for 6yrs because of my teacher pension!
Yes, the Social Security Fairness Act fully repealed both WEP and GPO effective January 1, 2025. If you've been receiving reduced benefits due to these provisions, you should contact SSA immediately to have your benefits recalculated. You won't automatically get an increase - you need to request it. The increase will only be for future payments (no retroactive adjustments for prior years).
Can I ask what your benefit increase looks like with the WEP/GPO gone? My husband and I are both former federal employees with pensions and our SS benefits were basically nothing before. Trying to figure out if it's worth the hassle of reapplying.
I had a friend who thought she'd just wait to apply until after she retired completely so she wouldn't have to deal with any earnings test or complicated stuff. Turned out she lost 6 months of benefits she could have collected! Don't wait to apply - you can apply 3-4 months before you want benefits to start.
Thank you all for this incredibly helpful advice! I've called my local office and scheduled an in-person appointment for next month. I'm going to gather all my pension documentation, earnings records, and my husband's information as well. I'm still disappointed to learn about the GPO potentially reducing spousal benefits too - I had only known about WEP affecting my own record. It feels like being penalized twice for having a government job. Does anyone know if they'll calculate both options for me (my own benefit with WEP vs. spousal with GPO) and give me the higher amount automatically? Or do I need to specifically request they check both?
They should calculate both automatically and give you whichever is higher. However, I recommend specifically asking them to show you both calculations. In my experience, they sometimes rush through appointments and might not properly explain everything. Also, bring a notepad and write down the name of the person helping you and any specific figures they provide. I found this helpful when I had follow-up questions later.
Isaac Wright
just another way the govt takes our money. they should stop taxing retirement age people completey imo
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Lucy Taylor
One more thing to consider: Even though your continued contributions might not increase your monthly benefit, they're still supporting the overall Social Security system that you and others rely on. The system is designed so current workers support current beneficiaries, so your contributions are helping sustain benefits for everyone in the program.
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Connor Murphy
•But we're ALREADY collecting! Seems like DOUBLE TAXATION to me!!!!
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Maya Lewis
•That's a good perspective. I hadn't thought about it that way.
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