one more thing - when u do turn 62 make sure u check if its better to take ur own SS or the ex-spouse benefit. depends on ur work history. if u take it at 62 its reduced no matter what

Thank you all for this valuable information! I'm disappointed I might have missed out on some benefits when my daughter was younger, but at least I understand the rules better now. I'll definitely check on both my own retirement benefit and the ex-spouse benefit when I turn 62 to see which is better. I'm going to try to schedule an appointment with SSA to discuss everything properly. I feel less anxious now that I have more knowledge about how this all works.

I just remembered - my cousin had major problems trying to apply for survivor benefits online. The website kept glitching and then they processed her application wrong!!! She ended up having to go in person after waiting online for like 3 months!! If I were you I would just try to talk to a real person right away and not mess with their horrible website!!!

Thank you everyone for the helpful information! I've scheduled an appointment with my local SSA office for next week, and I've made notes about asking for the "restricted application" option. I'm still upset about potentially losing 3 years of benefits, but at least I can make better choices going forward. I'll update after my appointment to let you know how it goes and what they tell me about my options.

my brother in law had almost the same situation and what nobody told him was that some states have agreements with SSA that exempt certain employees from WEP. worth checking if your state job might be exempt!

You need to get your Social Security Statement and also your pension statement, then use the WEP calculator on the SSA website. Don't trust what the regular benefit estimate shows! Here's what affects your WEP reduction: 1. How many years you paid into Social Security with "substantial earnings" 2. Whether your pension is from work where you paid SS taxes 3. When you plan to start taking benefits Last tip: If you haven't retired yet, sometimes working an extra year or two in Social Security-covered employment can significantly reduce the WEP penalty. Worth considering if you're close to another threshold year.

my financial advisor told me that for most widows its usually best to take survivor benefits first and then switch to your own at 70 IF your own benefit would be higher with the delayed credits. but if your own benefit is already 3x higher right now, waiting might not make sense. every situation is different!

There's actually a relatively simple way to calculate your break-even point. If your FRA benefit is $3,400 and you delay 4 years to get 32% more (about $4,488), you're giving up $2,200/month for 48 months ($105,600 total) to get an extra $1,088/month for the rest of your life after 70. $105,600 ÷ $1,088 = 97 months (about 8 years) to break even So if you expect to live beyond age 78, delaying still makes mathematical sense even with the big difference between benefits. Of course, this doesn't account for investment potential of that money if you took it earlier, or tax considerations.

This is so confusing! I thought I understood how marriage duration works for Social Security but now I'm not sure. I was in a traditional opposite-sex marriage for 9 years and 10 months before divorce, and I was told I missed the 10-year cutoff for ex-spouse benefits by just 2 months. It seems unfair that some people get different rules than others, but I guess that's how the law works sometimes. In any case, OP, I hope you can get those benefits!

Thank you all so much for the helpful information! I feel much better prepared now. I'll definitely keep records of all the policy information mentioned here when I eventually apply. I'm still years away from being eligible age-wise, but it's a relief to know I'll qualify based on the marriage duration. Social Security rules are so complicated - I'm grateful for this community's knowledge!