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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!
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my neighbor retired last year and her work wouldnt change the date of her vacation payout. she just reduced her hours for the first few months of the year to stay under the SS limit. maybe u could do that if HR wont help?
Update: I spoke with HR today and they said they CAN process my PTO payout in December if I submit the request by November 30th! They're sending me a form to fill out. Thank you everyone for your help - you probably saved me from losing some of my Social Security payments next year!
That's excellent news! Make sure to keep a copy of that completed form and follow up in mid-December to confirm it's being processed. I'd also recommend requesting a written confirmation once it's been processed. That way, if there are any questions from SSA later, you have documentation showing the payment was properly issued in 2024. Congratulations on your upcoming retirement!
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My brother got benefits for his kids but then SSA said they overpaid and wanted all the money back! Make sure you report any income the kids have and keep really good records! The whole system is designed to trip people up i swear
To clarify - children's benefits aren't typically affected by the child's own income unless they earn substantial amounts. The overpayment situation you described might have been related to something else, like a change in the parent's status or incorrect reporting. But you're right that keeping good records is always important when dealing with any government program.
Oh meant to say, when your husband files at FRA, make sure he specifically mentions the kids' eligibility. Sometimes the claims specialists forget to ask about eligible children, then you have to start the whole process over again. Ask me how I know lol
Isn't that just TYPICAL of the SSA? They should have a system that catches these things! My cousin had to fight for 4 MONTHS to get retroactive payments because someone forgot to check a box. The whole system is broken!!
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One more thing to watch out for!!! When I was dealing with my mess, I found out they had WRONG EARNINGS in my record for THREE DIFFERENT YEARS!!! That was causing part of the computation problems. Make sure you get a copy of your earnings record and check EVERY SINGLE YEAR against your W-2s or tax returns!!! I found that they were missing over $28,000 in earnings from 2015 that affected my benefit amount!!!
This is actually really common. I remember so many cases where ppl had wrong earnings. Sometimes employers report under wrong SSN or don't report at all. Always check ur record!
Have you checked if your benefit is being reduced because of WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) or GPO (Government Pension Offset)? If you ever worked for government with a pension that didn't pay into SS, that could explain the lower amount. My husband's SS was WAY less than expected because of his teacher's pension.
No, I worked in the private sector my whole career and always paid into Social Security. No government or teacher pension involved. But thanks for the suggestion - that would have explained the lower amount if it applied to me.
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Does anyone know if its better to take SS at FRA or wait till 70??? My sister says wait but my financial guy says take it asap cause the breakeven point is like 82 years old???
This is actually a complex decision that depends on your individual circumstances. Waiting until 70 increases your monthly benefit by 8% per year beyond your FRA (up to age 70). The break-even age is typically around 80-83 for most people, meaning if you live beyond that age, you'll collect more total benefits by waiting. Consider your health, family longevity, other income sources, and spousal benefits in your decision. If you're married and the higher earner, waiting can also provide larger survivor benefits for your spouse. This decision should be part of your overall retirement planning strategy.
Just to answer your original question again - stopping work and starting Social Security are completely independent. You can stop working in September 2025 and wait until December 2025 (or even later) to start your benefits with absolutely no problems or penalties. The only thing that matters for your benefit calculation is your age when you start collecting.
Thank you for reconfirming! That's exactly what I needed to know. I'm planning to make September 2025 my last working month, take a few months to relax, then start my benefits in December when I hit my FRA.
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one thing nobody mentioned - if ur still working make sure ur boss doesnt fire u when they find out ur collecting ss! my friend got let go when work found out she was getting benefits. they didnt say that was why but it was pretty obvious
That would actually be age discrimination and is illegal under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Your friend might have had grounds for a legal case if that's truly why she was let go. To the original poster: Your employer has no legitimate way to know you're receiving Social Security unless you tell them. There's no reporting requirement that would alert them.
Something very important that hasn't been mentioned yet: after you apply online, you'll get a confirmation number. WRITE IT DOWN and keep it somewhere safe. That number is vital if you need to check your application status or if something goes wrong. Also, even though you can apply 4 months before your birthday, benefits won't actually start until the month after you turn 62. So if your birthday is March 15, 2026, your first benefit month would be April 2026, and you'd receive that first payment in May (SSA pays a month behind). For your work reporting, you'll use the Annual Earnings Report form or report through your my Social Security account each year. SSA will send you a reminder. One last thing - review the exact amount you'll receive at 62 so you can budget accurately. Many people are surprised when they see the actual amount after reductions, Medicare premiums (if applicable), and taxes.
Thank you! I hadn't realized there would be an additional month delay after my birthday before benefits start. That's really important for my budget planning. I'll make sure to save that confirmation number too. I checked my estimated benefit and it should be about $1,680/month at age 62. With my part-time work, it should be enough to get by, though it'll be tight.
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Just want to clarify something that others have hinted at but not directly stated: the SSA and IRS don't always see eye-to-eye on S-Corp distributions. IRS is primarily concerned with proper tax collection. SSA is looking at what constitutes earnings for benefit calculations. In practical terms, this means that while distributions aren't counted as earnings for the Social Security earnings test, there's a separate issue of whether your compensation structure is reasonable. If you're not truly retired from the business, the IRS could challenge your lack of salary. It gets complicated fast!
I really appreciate everyone's insights here! After reading all your responses, I'm leaning toward claiming at 70 to maximize my benefit. I'll also talk to my accountant about setting up a small salary for the limited consulting work I still do for the S-Corp, just to be safe with the IRS. For anyone reading this later with a similar question - it seems the short answer is: S-Corp distributions do NOT count as earned income for the Social Security earnings test, but make sure your overall compensation structure is reasonable if you're still involved in the business at all.
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Is anyone else's payment STILL not showing up today?? Mine usually hits at midnight but nothing yet today either!!
If your payment hasn't arrived by the end of business today, I'd recommend contacting your bank first to check if there are any pending deposits. If they don't see anything, then contact SSA tomorrow. Sometimes there can be additional delays if your payment date falls on a holiday AND there were processing issues. Don't panic yet, but definitely follow up if it doesn't arrive by tomorrow.
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Update: I used the office locator and found my local SSA office address. I'm going to go in person tomorrow with my completed W-4V form and request a receipt. Thanks everyone for your help! Hoping to get this resolved before the next tax year starts.
Good choice going in person. One more tip - go early! Most SSA offices get very crowded by mid-morning. If you can get there right when they open (usually 9am), you'll have a much shorter wait.
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Just a heads-up, you might want to confirm with SSA that everything is correctly coded in their system. When my daughter turned 18, the benefit increase for my son didn't happen automatically because there was some flag in the system that wasn't updated. I had to visit our local office to get it fixed. Once they corrected it, they issued back payments for the months we missed, but it was a hassle that could have been avoided. Better to be proactive than wait for months wondering why there's no change.
That's really good advice. I think I'll try calling again next week to make sure everything is set up correctly. I don't want to risk losing months of proper payments due to a system error.
btw if ur oldest is still in high school he can keep getting benefits until he graduates or turns 19, whichever happens first. my nephew did this and got an extra 6 months of payments
Thanks for mentioning that! My oldest actually decided to get his GED instead of finishing high school, so he won't qualify for the extension. But it's good info for others reading this thread.
Emma Davis
Yes, definitely got me through to a real person! I was shocked because I'd been trying for days. The system kept me updated by text about my place in line, then connected me when an agent was available. Saved me a trip to the SSA office which is an hour away for me.
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Javier Morales
•Wait is this a real service? How much does it cost? Seems sketchy to pay just to talk to a government agency we already fund with our taxes! System is so broken.
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QuantumQuest
Update us on what happens! I'm curious if they'll process your change in time. The timeframes vary so much based on staffing and workloads at different offices.
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Paolo Rizzo
•Will do! I'm going to call tomorrow morning right when they open. If that doesn't work, I'll try visiting my local office or using that Claimyr service someone mentioned.
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