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Social Security tax withholding limit confusion - does income reporting stop at $160,200?
I was looking at my Social Security earnings record on the SSA website and noticed something weird. It's showing my 2023 earnings as exactly $160,200 even though I made about $192K last year. Is this a mistake in their system? Should I be worried that they're not counting all my income? Or does Social Security just stop tracking your earnings once you hit some magic number? I'm still probably 15 years from retirement but want to make sure everything is being recorded correctly for my future benefits calculation.
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Do I need to report my disabled daughter's small 1099 income to SSA monthly when it's way below SGA?
My daughter (32) receives SSDI and completed all her Trial Work Period months back in 2022. She recently started doing very part-time work as an independent contractor, earning between $50-$300 monthly with a 1099. I've been trying to follow the rules by reporting her earnings to SSA every month, which is becoming a real headache. I've called to report her earnings for April, May, June, and July, spending at least 1-2 hours on hold each time. When I called last Friday about August's earnings, the rep told me there was NO RECORD of my previous calls reporting her income! Nothing in their system at all, despite promises I'd receive receipts (which never came). Since she's earning significantly below the SGA threshold (which is like $1,550/month now, right?), do I really need to report these small amounts every single month? The online wage reporting system won't work for 1099 income, and I can't keep spending hours on the phone every month for what seems pointless if they're not even recording it. Would quarterly reporting be acceptable? Or is there another solution I'm missing?
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the whole system is rigged against disabled people trying to work!!!! i spent 5 HOURS on hold last month trying to report my daughter's income and then got disconnected! the SSA website is impossible to navigate and nobody gives the same answer twice. its like they WANT us to make mistakes so they can punish us later.
OMG same experience!! the whole thing is designed to be confusing on purpose. my sister-in-law had to pay back $7k because of their mistakes not even hers!
Just a final recommendation - since your daughter has used all her Trial Work Period months and is in the Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE), the quarterly reporting approach using Form SSA-821 should work well. The key information SSA needs during the EPE is: 1. Monthly earnings amounts 2. Hours worked each month 3. Job duties/type of work This helps them determine if she's performing Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA). Since her earnings are consistently well below the SGA threshold ($1,550/month in 2025), her benefits should continue without interruption. Keep detailed records of all communications with SSA, including certified mail receipts. If your daughter's earnings pattern changes significantly, report it promptly. Quarterly reporting for consistent below-SGA earnings is a reasonable approach that balances compliance with practicality.
Thank you for this clear guidance! I feel much better now having a proper plan. I'll start the quarterly reporting using SSA-821 and will make sure to keep meticulous records of everything. So grateful for everyone's helpful advice!
Should I really take Social Security at 62 while my higher-earning husband waits? Confused about this advice
I keep hearing the same advice everywhere and I'm starting to think I'm missing something important. My husband (61) has always been our primary breadwinner, making about 2.5 times what I earned during my working years. I just turned 62 last month and we've been married for 8 years. Everyone - our financial advisor, friends, even my sister who works in insurance - keeps saying the same thing: "You should claim your SS benefits at 62, but your husband should wait until at least his FRA or even 70 to maximize his benefit." I understand there are earnings limits if you claim early, but that's not an issue for me since I retired last year. What I don't understand is WHY this seems to be universal advice. Is it because of the spousal benefit? Or survivor benefits if he passes first? Or something about our 8-year marriage duration? I've tried reading articles online but they get so technical with all the calculations and percentages. Can someone explain in plain English why this strategy is recommended so often? Is there a significant advantage I'm not seeing?
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Just wanted to add one thing - if your husband is still working, make sure to factor in how his last few years of earnings might increase his benefit calculation. My husband's final years of work at higher income actually bumped up his PIA since they replaced some lower-earning years from when he was young. The SSA uses the highest 35 years of earnings, so those last high-earning years can make a meaningful difference!
That's such an important point! My brother-in-law missed this completely. He retired at 63 thinking his benefit was fixed, not realizing that working even part-time at a decent wage for a few more years could have replaced some zero-earning years in his calculation. The SSA doesn't do a great job explaining this.
im confused about one thing. if ur only married 8 yrs does that affect spousal benefits? i thought u had to be married 10 yrs for that?
You're thinking of divorced spouse benefits, which require a 10-year marriage. For current spouses, you only need to be married for 1 year to qualify for spousal benefits, and 9 months for survivor benefits (with some exceptions). Since they've been married 8 years, she qualifies for both types of benefits as long as they remain married.
Can I collect Social Security from my own record AND ex-spouse at same time? Divorced 15+ years
I've been trying to make sense of my retirement options for 2025 and getting conflicting information about ex-spouse benefits. I'll reach my full retirement age (FRA) in September 2025, and I've been divorced since 2002 (so over 20 years now). Someone at my retirement planning seminar told me I could collect on both my ex-husband's record AND my own Social Security at the same time, essentially getting both checks. But when I mentioned this to my financial advisor, she looked confused and said that didn't sound right. Can someone clarify if I can actually receive BOTH benefits simultaneously? Our marriage lasted 14 years if that matters. I don't want to count on money that isn't coming my way. Thanks for any insights!
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One more important thing: if your ex-spouse remarried but you haven't, you can still claim on their record. Your benefit claim has no effect on what your ex-spouse or their current spouse receives. Many people don't realize this and avoid claiming divorced spouse benefits unnecessarily.
That's good to know. My ex did remarry about 10 years ago, but I never did. I was worried that might affect eligibility somehow. You've all been so helpful in clearing up my misconceptions!
WAIT does anyone know if this applies the same way for survivor benefits?? My mom's ex-husband died last year and they were married 30 years before divorcing in 2011. Can she get HER social security AND survivor benefits from him??? Now im confused if the rules are different for survivors vs regular retirement!!!
Survivor benefits have different rules than divorced spouse benefits. With survivor benefits (including divorced survivor benefits), your mom can actually receive her own retirement benefit AND a partial survivor benefit if she's at full retirement age. Or she could take one first and switch to the other later depending on which maximizes her overall benefits. She should definitely contact SSA about this specific situation because survivor benefits offer more flexibility.
What's that 3-letter employer ID number Social Security needs for my disabled adult child's earnings reporting?
I had a meeting with Social Security last month about my son (27) who receives disabled adult child benefits. They told me they needed to add his new part-time job to his SS file so we can report his earnings online instead of going into the office every month. The rep mentioned a specific ID number for his employer - I think it had 3 letters like "IE" something? I wrote it down but lost the paper, and now I can't remember exactly what it's called. I've tried calling SS back three times but keep getting stuck on hold for over an hour before having to hang up. Has anyone gone through this process? What's that employer ID number called that they need for the online reporting system? Thanks for any help!
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MY SON WENT THRU SAME THING. social security is THE WORST!!! we gave them his work info 3 TIMES and they still kept sending letters saying we didnt report!! make sure you get RECEIPTS for EVERYTHING!
This is a really important point. When you report wages online, always take screenshots or print the confirmation pages. The SSA systems don't always communicate properly with each other, and having documentation of your reporting can save you from headaches if they later claim you didn't report properly. I also recommend keeping a simple spreadsheet with dates of reporting and the amounts reported.
Just to add some clarification since there's been some confusion in the responses - the SSA wage reporting system specifically needs the Federal EIN, not a state tax ID or other business identifier. Also, once you have the online reporting set up, you'll need to be aware of your son's Trial Work Period (TWP) months and Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) threshold if he's receiving SSDI-based benefits. The 2025 SGA amount is $1,550 for non-blind disabled individuals, and staying below that is crucial for maintaining benefits.
Thank you for mentioning the SGA amount. The case worker did talk about that, but I wasn't sure of the exact number for 2025. My son is only working about 10 hours a week at $15/hour, so he should stay well below that threshold. Does the TWP apply to disabled adult child benefits too? I thought that was just for regular SSDI.
Yes, the Trial Work Period does apply to Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits since they're administered under the same rules as SSDI. Your son gets 9 TWP months (not necessarily consecutive) where he can earn any amount without affecting benefits. A TWP month in 2025 is any month he earns over $1,110. After using all 9 TWP months, the SGA limit kicks in. At his current hours, he's likely staying under the TWP threshold too, which is good!
Yuki Yamamoto
my brother in law said the limit is goin up to like $175k next year does anyone know if thats true?
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Zoe Papadakis
The 2025 wage base limit hasn't been officially announced yet. The SSA typically announces the new limit in October of the preceding year, so we should know the 2025 limit around October 2024. Your brother-in-law's estimate of $175k is reasonably close to what we might expect based on recent increases, but it's just a projection at this point.
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Andre Rousseau
Just curious - isn't it kind of unfair that we pay into the system but once you reach a certain income they stop counting it? I mean if I pay more shouldn't I get more out?
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Carmen Ortiz
It's a common question! The system was designed as social insurance with some wealth redistribution built in. Higher earners do get higher benefits than lower earners, but not proportionally higher. Here's an example: someone earning the maximum taxable amount their entire career might get a monthly benefit around $3,800 at full retirement age, while someone earning half as much might get around $2,400. So the high earner paid twice as much in taxes but doesn't get twice the benefit. The philosophical argument is that Social Security ensures a basic standard of living in retirement for all workers, not a direct savings account. But people definitely have different opinions about whether that's fair or not!
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