can I just say how ANNOYING it is that the SSA is so slow with this stuff???! we live in 2025 for crying out loud! my bank knows my deposit the SECOND it hits my account but somehow SSA needs 6 months to figure out what I earned?? ridiculous govt bureaucracy at its finest

I had this same question a few years ago when I was approaching retirement age. I actually ended up working an extra 6 months because I didn't realize my benefit would be so much higher with those additional months of work. The weird thing was that my January-March earnings showed up in the system differently than my April-December earnings. I think they do some sort of quarterly processing maybe? I still don't fully understand how it works. But anyway, don't make any major decisions until you see your actual benefits calculation with all your 2024 income included. I learned this lesson the hard way!

my cousin said his financial advisor told him to just not report the dividend income but that sounds like a bad idea to me?? the irs knows about it already right??

I've been collecting SS for 3 years now (I'm 64) and have a pretty large stock portfolio. As others said, dividends definitely don't count toward the earnings limit - but just so you know, once you reach your Full Retirement Age, the earnings limit goes away completely! So in a few years, you won't have to worry about ANY type of income affecting your benefits. Also worth noting that if you're under FRA and DO exceed the earnings limit, you don't permanently lose benefits. The SSA withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 earned over the limit, but when you reach FRA, they recalculate and give you credit for those months when benefits were reduced.

Something no one has mentioned yet - if you're planning to file at 65, make sure you've also enrolled in Medicare! The initial enrollment period starts 3 months before your 65th birthday month and ends 3 months after. Missing this window can result in permanent penalties on your Medicare Part B premiums. This is separate from your Social Security retirement application, though you can apply for both at the same time if you're filing for SS at 65.

Thank you all for the helpful information! After reading everything, I think we'll still proceed with me filing at 65 and my wife filing for spousal benefits at 62. The reduced amount will still help our situation, and with my health concerns, waiting doesn't make sense for us. I've already enrolled in Medicare (did that last month), so we're all set there. I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and knowledge - this has been really valuable for our planning!

Also did anyone tell you about the lump sum death benefit??? It's only $255 but better than nothing I guess. You can get that when your ex passes too if you're eligible for his survivor benefits

One additional point about the transition: when you apply for the higher survivor benefit, you'll continue receiving your current benefit until SSA processes the new claim. Then they'll switch you to the higher amount. This processing can take 2-3 months. If your ex-husband passes away, I'd recommend setting up an appointment with your local office rather than just calling the national 800 number. Face-to-face appointments tend to result in fewer errors for these complex cases.

Regarding your question about the specific form - there isn't a separate form just for divorced survivor benefits. She would apply for survivor benefits using the same process as anyone else, but indicate she's a divorced spouse. She can apply either online at ssa.gov or by calling 1-800-772-1213 to schedule an appointment. However, for divorced survivor cases, I generally recommend applying in person or at least by phone rather than online, as these cases sometimes require additional attention to process correctly.

One more important point: when her ex-husband passes away, she should notify SSA as soon as possible. Survivor benefits are not automatically awarded - she must apply. Also, unlike retirement benefits, survivor benefits can be applied for in the month of death. So if her ex passes on June 15th, for example, she could potentially be eligible for a survivor benefit payment for the month of June (paid in July). Social Security only pays survivor benefits 6 months retroactively, so timely filing is important. If she waits too long, she could lose out on some payments.

my cousin was working like 10 hrs a week and they still cut his benefits off said he was over some limit or something i dont remember exactly but he had to appeal for like 6 months to get them back

Thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful information! I feel much better understanding how this works now. I'm going to keep tracking my hours carefully, make sure I stay under that $1,110 monthly for now, and report everything properly. It's such a relief to know I can work these few hours without risking my benefits entirely. Going to call SSA directly to confirm everything for my specific case just to be 100% sure.

you should just take ur own benefit now why wait?

totally off topic but does anyone know if they look at your income for the survivors benefit? my aunt is working part time and collecting survivors from my uncle but she's worried about making too much

My situation was kind of similar but without the railroad part. I filed early at 62 with a 9 year old and my wife waited until her FRA. One thing nobody mentioned is that the family maximum is pretty low when YOU file early. It limited what my kid got. Also the whole 50% thing gets confusing because it's 50% of something but the family maximum can reduce it. The SSA explanation of family maximum calculations makes my head hurt LOL!!!

Based on all the discussion here, I'd recommend these steps: 1. Given the recent WEP repeal, wait a few months for updated guidance from both SSA and RRB before making any decisions about your husband filing. 2. Request a benefit verification letter from SSA that shows your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), your current benefit amount, your son's benefit amount, and the family maximum on your record. 3. Have your husband request his Social Security Statement to see what his PIA would be. 4. With those numbers in hand, you can calculate whether it makes sense for your husband to file early just for your son's benefit. 5. Consider that your son's benefit eligibility will end when he turns 18 (or 19 if still in high school), so filing early only provides benefits for a limited time. 6. Remember that if your husband files early but continues working, his eventual benefit at FRA will be recalculated to account for months when benefits were withheld due to the Retirement Earnings Test. This approach gives you concrete numbers to work with while allowing time for the policy implications of the WEP repeal to become clearer.

When i tried calling the SSA they kept transferring me around to different people and nobody seemed to know the actual rules. its like they don't train their own staff!!! so frustrating

Thank you all for the helpful responses. I'm going to try to get through to SSA this week and specifically ask about the RIB-LIM calculation and restricted application strategy. If I can't get through, I'll try that Claimyr service someone mentioned. I'll update once I know more in case it helps someone else in the future.

wait i just realized u said u got paid august 3rd - were u getting SSI too or just regular retirement? cuz if ur getting both that might explain the 3rd date

One additional tip: you can create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov if you haven't already. It will show you your benefit payment dates and amounts, and you can see exactly when your next payment is scheduled. It's very helpful for keeping track of everything.