I'm in a very similar situation! American citizen living in Edinburgh with my Scottish husband who worked in the US for about 8 years back in the early 2000s. We just started looking into this recently as he's approaching 65. One thing I discovered that might be helpful - if your husband is close to qualifying on his own record (like mine is with only 32 quarters), you can actually purchase voluntary National Insurance contributions in the UK to potentially boost his UK pension amount. While this won't help with US Social Security qualification, it could increase his UK pension, which ironically might make the spousal Social Security benefit smaller due to GPO, but his overall pension income could be higher. The math gets complicated, but it might be worth running the numbers both ways - especially if his UK pension is currently quite small. Sometimes maximizing the UK side makes more financial sense than trying to minimize GPO impact. Also, I've heard that the Federal Benefits Unit in London has been doing some virtual consultations since COVID, which might be easier than trying to get to London for in-person meetings. Worth asking when you contact them! Keep us posted on how the process goes - there seem to be quite a few of us in similar cross-border situations!

I'm in a somewhat similar situation - American expat in Germany with a German husband who worked in the US for about 6 years. We went through this process two years ago and I wanted to share a few additional insights that might help. First, regarding the Social Security card mentioned earlier - if your husband can't locate his original card, you can actually request a replacement through the Federal Benefits Unit rather than going through the standard US process. They have streamlined procedures for expats that can be much faster. Second, I'd strongly recommend getting a benefits estimate before you apply. You can do this by calling the SSA international number (it's painful but worth it) and asking them to calculate what his spousal benefit would be with and without GPO applied. This will help you make informed decisions about timing. One thing that caught us off guard was that they required proof of your marriage being valid for the entire period you've been married - not just the marriage certificate. Since you've been married 22 years, they might ask for additional documentation like joint tax returns, shared bank accounts, or other evidence of an ongoing marital relationship. The whole process took us about 5 months from start to finish, but we did hit a snag with document authentication that added about 6 weeks. Starting early is definitely the way to go!

Welcome to the community! I just joined recently after getting my own SSDI approval and going through this exact same nerve-wracking waiting period. Your experience at 5 days for an $8,900 back payment sounds very similar to what many of us have shared here. Based on all the timelines people have posted, you're definitely still in the normal range - it seems like anything over $5,000-7,500 triggers that manual review process that takes 5-15 business days. It's really frustrating that SSA doesn't explain any of this upfront, especially after we've already waited so long for approval! I found it helpful to call my bank just to confirm they weren't holding anything on their end, but based on everyone's experiences here, your payment should hit sometime in the next week. This community has been such a lifesaver for understanding how the process actually works versus what SSA tells you. Hang in there - you've made it through the hardest part already!

Just wanted to add my experience to help with your peace of mind! I went through this exact same situation about 4 months ago. My SSDI back pay of $10,200 showed up in MySocialSecurity on a Friday and took exactly 14 business days to actually deposit into my account. I was calling my bank every other day thinking something was wrong! What I learned from finally getting through to an SSA representative is that any back payment over $10,000 goes through what they call a "Treasury security review" which is completely separate from their regular payment processing. It's an automatic process that can't be expedited, and they said 10-15 business days is their standard timeline for these larger amounts. The frustrating part is they don't explain this anywhere in their online system or approval letters. Since you're at $11,250, you're definitely in that category. At only 4 days since your processing date, you're still very much in the normal window. Based on everyone's experiences here and my own, I'd expect yours to hit sometime between next Tuesday and the following Friday. The good news is your monthly payments will come like clockwork on the 3rd regardless of when the back pay arrives!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely amazed by how supportive and detailed everyone has been in sharing their experiences! I have my auxiliary benefits phone appointment scheduled for next Tuesday and was feeling pretty nervous about it, but this thread has been like finding a goldmine of practical advice. I've already started creating my "cheat sheet" with all my kids' information (ages 7 and 14) organized exactly like several of you suggested - names, DOBs, SSNs, schools, grade levels, plus I'm adding sections for previous addresses and my SSDI award letter details. Reading about all the potential questions they might ask has me feeling so much more prepared than I would have been going in blind. The consistent 4-6 week timeline from interview to first payment that everyone has shared really helps set realistic expectations. And hearing how patient and thorough the representatives are makes me feel much less worried about taking time to find information during the call. I'm definitely planning to go the in-person route for document submission based on everyone's positive experiences - it sounds so much more reliable than mailing and getting those receipts right away seems really valuable. Thank you all for creating such a comprehensive guide through your shared experiences. I'm hoping to update this thread after my appointment to add to the collective knowledge for future newcomers who might be just as nervous as I was when I first found this discussion!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share my recent experience to help others who might be going through this process! I just completed my auxiliary benefits phone appointment last week for my two kids (ages 9 and 13) and it went much smoother than expected. Reading through this thread beforehand was incredibly helpful - I created a detailed cheat sheet with all my kids' information, had my SSDI award letter ready, and prepared answers for all the questions mentioned here. The interview took about 35 minutes and the representative was very patient and professional. One thing I'd add that I haven't seen mentioned - they asked about any 529 college savings accounts I have for the kids. It wasn't disqualifying, just for their records, but it caught me slightly off guard even with all my preparation! The representative walked me through the representative payee responsibilities and explained that benefits would be deposited to the same account as my SSDI unless I requested otherwise. I'm planning to go to my local SSA office this week to submit documents in person based on everyone's recommendations. This community has been such a lifesaver for navigating this process - thank you to everyone who shared their experiences so generously. I'll update once I receive my first payment to add to the timeline data for future newcomers!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Fatima. Reading through this entire discussion has been incredibly educational - I had no idea about the RIB-LIM rule or how complex widow's benefits can be when the deceased spouse was on disability. The community here has provided such comprehensive advice, and your decision to wait until FRA really does seem like the smart financial choice given that significant monthly difference. I wanted to add something that might be helpful: when you do have your SSA appointment, consider asking them to provide you with a "benefit estimate letter" or written summary that shows the exact calculations they used. This can serve as important documentation if you need to reference it later or if there are any discrepancies down the road. Also, if you're comfortable doing so, you might want to record the conversation (with their permission) or at least take very detailed notes about which specific rules and calculations they reference. One more thought - since you have over two years until your FRA, you might want to schedule a preliminary appointment now just to get all your questions answered and ensure your records are accurate, then schedule the actual application appointment closer to your FRA date. This way you can address any potential issues early rather than discovering problems when you're ready to start receiving benefits. Your willingness to share this experience and come back with updates will be so valuable for others facing similar situations. Wishing you all the best as you navigate this process!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Fatima. Reading through this entire discussion has been incredibly enlightening - I had no idea how complex widow's benefits could be, especially with the RIB-LIM rule when the deceased spouse was on disability. This community has really come together to provide you with such comprehensive guidance! Your decision to wait until FRA is clearly the right financial choice based on all the calculations shared here. That $429 monthly difference is substantial over a lifetime. I'm also impressed by all the practical strategies everyone has suggested - from asking for Claims Specialists to bringing documentation and even having preliminary appointments to verify everything is correct. As someone who may face similar decisions in the future, I'm grateful you're willing to share your experience and provide updates on how the process goes. The real-world feedback about things like the Claimyr service and which approaches work best with SSA representatives will be invaluable for others navigating these complex rules. It's concerning but not surprising that so many people have encountered calculation errors and conflicting information from different SSA reps. The advice about getting multiple opinions, asking for step-by-step explanations of calculations, and requesting written documentation seems crucial for protecting yourself. Wishing you strength as you work through this process, and thank you for creating such an educational discussion that will help many others in similar situations!

I'm new to this community and just turned 62, so I'm facing this exact same decision about starting SS benefits while working part-time! This entire thread has been absolutely incredible - thank you all for sharing your real experiences rather than trying to decode the confusing official SSA publications. Reading through everyone's responses has finally made this clear for me: SSA withholds $1 from your Social Security benefits (not your paycheck) for every $2 you earn over the annual limit of around $22,800 for 2025, based on gross earnings calculated annually. Sofia, your original confusion about whether they "take $1 for every $2" was exactly what I was struggling with too! The biggest game-changer for me was learning about the benefit recalculation at Full Retirement Age from StarGazer101. I had absolutely no idea that withheld benefits could actually result in higher monthly payments later! This completely transforms the decision from "losing money" to more of a "temporary deferral with future benefits." Has anyone here actually experienced this recalculation personally yet? I'm definitely implementing the practical strategies I've learned here: 1) Using the 80% buffer zone approach that many mentioned to avoid surprises, 2) Setting up a tracking spreadsheet with quarterly alerts like GalacticGuru suggested, 3) Calling SSA proactively before starting benefits to set up proper withholding like Oliver recommended, and 4) Keeping detailed records throughout the year. The monthly earnings test for your first year that Emma explained is fascinating too - I never realized that timing when you start benefits could make such a difference. This community has given me so much confidence about navigating what seemed like an impossibly complex situation. Thank you everyone for the real-world wisdom!

I'm new to this community and just turned 64, facing this exact situation! This thread has been incredibly helpful - thank you everyone for sharing real experiences instead of confusing official language. Like many others here, I was initially confused about whether they take money from your paycheck or withhold from benefits. Reading through all your responses has made it crystal clear: SSA withholds $1 from your Social Security benefits for every $2 you earn over the annual limit (around $22,800 for 2025), based on gross earnings calculated annually. The revelation about benefit recalculation at Full Retirement Age from StarGazer101 has been huge for me too! Knowing that withheld benefits can actually increase your future monthly payments completely changes this from "losing money" to "temporary deferral." This one piece of information has made me much more confident about early retirement planning. I'm planning to implement the practical strategies I've learned here: 1) Use the 80% buffer zone approach to avoid surprises with seasonal work or unexpected overtime, 2) Set up a tracking spreadsheet with alerts like GalacticGuru suggested, 3) Call SSA proactively before starting benefits to set up proper withholding, and 4) Keep detailed records throughout the year. The monthly earnings test for the first year that Emma explained is fascinating - I had no idea timing when you start benefits could make such a difference! Planning to start my benefits mid-year, so this could really help with my part-time consulting work. One question I haven't seen addressed: Does consulting income (1099 work) get treated the same as regular W-2 wages for the earnings test calculation? I do some freelance bookkeeping and want to make sure I'm calculating everything correctly. This community has given me so much more confidence about what seemed like an impossibly complex situation!