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!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
One more important point: If you do exceed the earnings limit, SSA doesn't necessarily reduce each month's benefit by the same amount. They typically withhold benefits completely for some months rather than reducing each payment. For example, if they determine you need to repay $5,000, and your monthly benefit is $2,500, they might withhold 2 full months of benefits. They'll notify you before they do this. Also, remember that any benefits withheld due to excess earnings aren't truly "lost" - once you reach FRA, SSA recalculates your benefit amount to give you credit for those months when benefits were withheld.
That's good to know! So it's not as catastrophic as I feared if I accidentally go over. I think I'll try to stay well under the limits just to be safe, but it's reassuring to know the withheld amounts aren't permanently lost.
As someone who recently navigated this exact situation, I want to add a few practical tips that helped me: 1. **Create a simple tracking system NOW** - I use a basic spreadsheet with columns for date, hours worked, type of work, and income earned. This makes it easy to see if you're approaching either limit. 2. **Be conservative with your planning** - I aimed to stay about 10% under both the income and hours limits to give myself a buffer for unexpected projects or miscalculations. 3. **Consider timing your invoicing** - Since you're self-employed, you might have some flexibility in when you send invoices and receive payments. This can help you manage which months income gets counted toward. 4. **Keep ALL business records** - Even if SSA doesn't ask for them, having detailed records of expenses, hours, and income will save you headaches if questions arise later. The good news is that once you hit your FRA in August 2025, all these restrictions disappear completely. You're only dealing with about 8 months of careful tracking. It's manageable if you stay organized from the start!
This is incredibly helpful advice! I'm just starting to think about all this and feeling pretty overwhelmed by the complexity. The spreadsheet idea sounds perfect - I'm definitely going to set that up this weekend. One question about the invoicing timing - does it matter when I do the actual work versus when I get paid? Like if I complete a project in December 2024 but don't invoice until January 2025, which month does that income count toward? Also, thank you for mentioning the buffer strategy. I was planning to try to get right up to the limits, but staying 10% under sounds much safer given how confusing all these rules are!
Join the conversation
I'm also navigating this exact situation! Divorced teacher here, about to turn 62, and my ex was in engineering. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring - it sounds like the SSA process is much more straightforward than I feared. One thing I wanted to add that helped me prepare: I found my ex's SSN on our old joint tax return from 2012, just like someone mentioned earlier. I also made copies of all my documents (marriage certificate, divorce decree) before calling so I'd have them right in front of me. I'm planning to call SSA next Monday morning right at 8 AM using the strategy everyone recommended. I've written down my three key questions: 1) What would my divorced spouse benefit be at 62 vs. full retirement age? 2) What would my own benefit be at those ages? 3) What's the monthly dollar difference between the two options? Thank you all for sharing such detailed experiences - knowing that other teachers have found their divorced spouse benefits to be 40-65% higher than their own gives me real hope this will be worth pursuing. I'll definitely update this thread with my results to help others who might be in the same situation!
Your preparation sounds excellent, Eloise! As someone who's been researching this extensively myself, I think you have all the right elements in place. Finding the SSN on your old tax return is such a smart move - I wish I had thought to look there first instead of digging through random old documents for weeks! Your three questions are perfect and will give you exactly the comparison you need. I'm curious - have you thought about also asking them to explain the earnings test if you're planning to work part-time after claiming? Since you mentioned you're a teacher, you might have some flexibility with substitute teaching or tutoring work, and it would be good to know exactly how much you can earn without affecting your benefits. I'm really hoping you get the same kind of positive results that so many others here have reported. The consistency of teachers finding their divorced spouse benefits significantly higher than their own benefits gives me a lot of confidence that this strategy could really make a difference for our retirement security. Looking forward to hearing how your call goes on Monday!
Hi Eloise! Your preparation strategy sounds absolutely perfect. As someone new to this community but facing the exact same situation (divorced for 10 years, ex-husband in a higher-paying field), I've been following this entire thread with such relief and gratitude. The tip about finding the SSN on old tax returns is brilliant - I'm definitely going to try that this weekend. And your three key questions are exactly what I need to ask too. It's so reassuring to hear from multiple teachers that their divorced spouse benefits were significantly higher than their own. I'm planning to make my call to SSA later this week, and reading everyone's detailed experiences here has transformed my anxiety into actual confidence about the process. The consistency of positive outcomes for people in our situation gives me real hope that this could make a meaningful difference in retirement planning. Thank you for contributing to such an incredibly helpful discussion, and I'm really looking forward to hearing how your Monday call goes! This community support has been invaluable for navigating what initially seemed like an impossible bureaucratic maze.
I'm in the exact same boat as many of you here! Divorced for 12 years after an 18-year marriage, turning 62 in a few months, and my ex was in software engineering while I worked part-time as a school counselor. This entire thread has been absolutely invaluable - I've gone from feeling completely overwhelmed to having a clear action plan. Reading about all the teachers, librarians, and other education professionals who found their divorced spouse benefits to be 40-65% higher than their own has given me so much hope. It really seems like this pattern holds true when you have the classic situation of a part-time worker in education married to someone in a higher-paying technical field. I've already gathered my documents (found my ex's SSN on a 2011 tax return, just like others suggested!), written down my key questions, and I'm planning to call SSA first thing Monday morning at 8 AM. The tip about calling right when they open seems to be the secret weapon for actually getting through. One thing I'm particularly grateful for is learning about the "deemed filing" rule - knowing that SSA will automatically calculate both benefits and give me the higher amount takes away the fear of making the wrong choice. That was honestly one of my biggest anxieties about this whole process. Thank you to everyone who's shared their experiences so generously. This community has turned what felt like an impossible task into something completely manageable. I'll definitely update with my results to help others who might be reading this thread in the future!
This thread has been such a lifesaver for all of us in similar situations! Keith, your preparation sounds perfect and I'm so glad you found your ex's SSN on that old tax return - it's amazing how that simple tip has helped so many people here. As someone who's also new to navigating this process, I wanted to add that reading through everyone's experiences has really highlighted how important it is to be persistent and advocate for yourself during the SSA call. It sounds like the quality of service can vary between agents, so if you don't get clear answers on your first try, don't hesitate to call back. The consistency of positive outcomes for education professionals married to higher earners is really encouraging. It seems like this divorced spouse benefit could be a game-changer for those of us who sacrificed career advancement to support our families and are now approaching retirement with lower personal benefits. I'm planning to make my call later this week too, and knowing there are others going through this exact process at the same time makes it feel less daunting. Best of luck with your Monday morning call - I have a feeling you're going to get some great news! Looking forward to hearing how it goes.
Keith, your situation sounds almost identical to mine! I'm also a former school counselor (worked part-time for most of my career) and my ex was in tech. It's so reassuring to see the pattern that keeps emerging in this thread - education professionals who worked part-time seem to consistently find much higher divorced spouse benefits than their own. The "deemed filing" rule was a huge revelation for me too. I had been so worried about accidentally choosing the wrong benefit, but knowing that SSA automatically gives you whichever is higher removes all that anxiety. It's such a relief to know the system is designed to protect us from making costly mistakes. I'm curious - have you thought about whether you'll continue working part-time after claiming at 62? I'm trying to figure out if I can do some substitute counseling work without hitting the earnings test limits that were mentioned earlier in the thread ($23,400 for 2025). It would be great to have some additional income while still getting the Social Security benefit. Your Monday morning call timing sounds perfect! I'm planning to call later in the week using the same 8 AM strategy. This thread has given me so much confidence that what seemed impossible a few days ago now feels totally manageable. Looking forward to hearing your success story - I have a feeling it's going to be very encouraging for all of us!
Join the conversation
I'm experiencing this exact same issue and I'm so relieved to find this thread! I've been trying to log into my SSA account for the past three days with absolutely no luck - no verification texts coming through on my phone at all (I'm with AT&T). I was starting to panic thinking my account had been hacked or there was something seriously wrong with my phone settings. After reading through everyone's incredibly helpful comments, I'm definitely going to try the email verification method right away. I need to access my account urgently to check my benefit payment dates because there's been a delay and I need to contact them about it. It's such a huge relief to know this is a widespread system problem with SSA's text verification affecting people across all carriers and not something I caused! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and the email workaround - this community has been absolutely amazing for providing real solutions during these frustrating government service issues. Really hoping SSA gets their text system back online soon, but it's great to know we have a reliable alternative that actually works while we wait.
Welcome to the community! I just joined recently and have been dealing with this exact same frustrating issue. I'm also with AT&T and haven't received a single verification text from SSA in over a week now. I was getting so worried that my account had security issues or something was wrong on my end! After reading through this incredibly helpful thread, I switched to email verification yesterday and was able to access my account immediately - the code came through in less than 15 seconds. For checking benefit payment dates and contacting SSA about delays, the email verification works just as reliably as the text system normally does. It's amazing how widespread this issue is across all the major carriers - definitely confirms it's on SSA's end and not our phones or accounts. This community has been such a valuable resource for finding actual solutions during these technical problems. Hope you can get your payment issue resolved quickly once you switch to email verification!
I'm new to this community and just ran into this exact same frustrating issue! I've been trying to log into my SSA account for the past two days and no verification texts are coming through on my Sprint phone. I was getting really worried that something was wrong with my account or that I'd been locked out somehow. After reading through all these incredibly helpful comments, I'm definitely going to try the email verification method right away. I need to access my account to check my earnings record for a job background check that's due next week. It's such a relief to know this is a widespread system problem with SSA's text verification and not just me! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and the email workaround - this community has been amazing for navigating these government service issues. Hopefully SSA gets their text system fixed soon, but at least we have a reliable solution that works in the meantime.
Welcome to the community! I'm also new here and just discovered this thread while dealing with the exact same problem. I've been trying to access my SSA account since Monday with no success on text verification - I'm with T-Mobile and haven't received a single code despite multiple attempts. I was starting to think my phone was broken or my account had been compromised! After reading through everyone's helpful experiences, I just tried the email verification method and it worked perfectly - got my code in about 10 seconds and was able to log right in. For job background checks, timing is definitely crucial, so the email verification should get you access to your earnings record without any delays. It's such a relief to discover this is a known system-wide issue affecting people across all carriers and not something we did wrong. This community has been incredibly helpful for finding real solutions during these SSA technical difficulties!
Join the conversation
Thanks everyone for clearing this up! Sounds like I don't need to do anything and my payment will stay the same. I was worried I might have to choose between two different benefit amounts.
Just to add some clarity - the reason both SSDI and retirement benefits use the same calculation is that they're both based on your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which comes from your highest 35 years of earnings. Think of SSDI as getting your retirement benefit early due to disability. When you hit full retirement age, you're just switching from the "early access due to disability" program to the regular retirement program, but the underlying benefit calculation remains identical. The Social Security Administration makes this transition seamless - you'll get a letter notifying you of the change, but your monthly payment amount stays the same.
This is really helpful! I'm new here but going through something similar - turning 62 next year and wondering about early retirement vs waiting for my SSDI conversion. So if I understand correctly, whether someone gets SSDI now or waits for regular retirement later, they'd get the same amount at full retirement age based on their work history? That makes the system make a lot more sense to me.
Nia Wilson
Congratulations on reaching your FRA soon! Just wanted to add one more tip from my experience - when you do apply in December 2025 or January 2026, consider applying online through your my Social Security account if possible. It's usually faster than paper applications and you can track the status online. Also, once you submit your application, you'll get a receipt number that you can use to check on progress. The whole process took about 6-8 weeks for me from application to first payment, so applying 3-4 months ahead gives you plenty of buffer time. Good luck with your retirement planning!
0 coins
Micah Trail
•Thank you for the online application tip! I do have a my Social Security account set up, so applying online sounds like the way to go. The 6-8 week timeline is really helpful to know - that confirms applying in December/January will give me plenty of time before my March FRA. I'm feeling much more prepared now thanks to everyone's advice!
0 coins
Esteban Tate
As someone who just went through this process last year, I can confirm the advice here is spot on! I applied in November for my February FRA and everything went smoothly. One thing I'd add is to take screenshots of your application confirmation page and save your receipt number somewhere safe - I had to reference it when I called to verify my start date was correctly entered. Also, don't be surprised if you get a few different letters from SSA during the process - they sent me about 4 different notices confirming various aspects of my application. The whole experience was much less stressful than I expected once I understood the timeline. You've got this!
0 coins
Sean Fitzgerald
•This is all such valuable information! As someone new to navigating Social Security, I really appreciate everyone sharing their real experiences. The timeline advice seems consistent - apply 3-4 months early but specify your FRA month as the start date. I'm curious though, for those who applied online, did you encounter any technical issues with the website? I've heard mixed things about the my Social Security portal's reliability during the application process.
0 coins