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!
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Im surprised nobody mentioned health yet?? If either of u have health issues or family history of not living long then taking it early makes more sense. My husband and me both took SS at 62 because both our parents died before 75. We figured we'd rather have smaller checks for longer than risk waiting for bigger checks we might never get.
That's a very practical consideration. Both our families tend to be long-lived (parents all made it to their late 80s), so we're probably looking at a different calculation than you were. But you're absolutely right that health and life expectancy should be part of the decision.
Whatever calculator you use, make sure you understand the "break-even point" concept. If you claim at 62 vs waiting until FRA (66-67 depending on birth year), you'll need to live to around 78-80 for the waiting strategy to pay off. If you wait until 70, the break-even against claiming at FRA is usually around 82-83. The calculators others have mentioned will show you these breakeven ages based on your specific numbers. That's what makes them so valuable compared to the basic SSA calculator.
this is what i always try to tell people! my aunt waited till 70 to get "max benefit" then died at 73. She lost 8 YEARS of payments she could have had!!
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One additional tip since you mentioned maximizing your benefits - make sure you're taking advantage of all the tax strategies available to you. Up to 85% of your Social Security benefits can be taxable if your combined income is high enough. Since you're working part-time, you might want to look into whether contributing to a traditional IRA (if eligible) could help reduce your overall taxable income. There are specific thresholds where Social Security taxation kicks in, and staying under those can sometimes save you money overall.
That's excellent advice I hadn't considered! My gallery recently started offering a 401(k), so I should probably increase my contributions there to reduce my taxable income. Do you know if there are any special tax considerations when switching from survivor to retirement benefits midyear?
Great question about midyear switches. There's no special tax treatment specifically for switching benefit types midyear. The IRS will treat all Social Security benefits the same for tax purposes regardless of whether they came from survivor or retirement benefits. You'll receive one combined SSA-1099 for the year showing your total benefits. However, planning your switch to minimize your overall taxable income for the year is smart financial planning!
My aunt was in the exaact same situation as you & the thing no one told her was that you HAVE to specifically REQUEST to switch from survivor to your own benefits!!! Social Security doesn't automatically give you the higher amount, you have to apply for it. She missed out on like a year of higher payments bc no one told her.
Oh my gosh, thank you for mentioning this! I was assuming they would automatically switch me to the higher benefit. I'll make sure to specifically request the change when I call them. Your aunt's experience is a good warning!
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THE SSA MAKES SO MANY MISTAKES!! My neighbor lost 4 months of benefits bcuz they didn't record her call properly! DOCUMENT EVERYTHING and don't trust what they tell you on the phone!!!!
That's absolutely terrifying. It makes me wonder how many people are silently losing benefits they're entitled to because they don't know how to navigate this system. I'm getting really worried about my own filing now.
Just to add some reassurance: while documentation is definitely important, the SSA does generally honor protective filing dates even if there's a scheduling delay. The system is designed to protect claimants' rights to benefits from first contact. One additional tip: if your sister wants to be extra cautious, she can start (but not necessarily complete) the online application process. This creates a definitive electronic record of intent to file with a timestamp, which can serve as backup documentation for her protective filing date.
This is good advice, but my experience shows it's not 100% reliable. I started an online application AND called, and they still initially claimed to have no record of my intent to file. It took multiple calls and escalation to a supervisor to get it resolved. The system is overwhelmed right now, and mistakes happen more than they should. Belt and suspenders approach is definitely warranted.
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whats FRA mean?
FRA = Full Retirement Age. It's when you're eligible for 100% of your Social Security benefit. It's 66 and some months for people born 1943-1959, and 67 for people born 1960 or later.
Update: We called SSA again today and got some clarification. The representative said our request is still in the queue but estimated it would be about 6-8 weeks total. He also confirmed they'll withhold taxes at the rate my wife specified on her original application (which was 12%). Still concerned about the potential IRMAA impact, but we'll deal with that when the time comes. Thanks everyone for your helpful responses!
nice! hope it comes through faster for you!
Mateo Perez
they always blame the dead person becuz they cant defend themself. its so wrong
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CosmicCrusader
EXACTLY!!! It's a DISGRACE how they treat elderly widows!!! CRIMINAL!!!
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