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 thing DONT FORGET to return the last check if SS deposited money for the month she died!! they will take it back later anyway and charge you interest or penalties. they did this to my brother and it was a huge mess cause he spent the money not realizing
That's a really good point - thank you! I'll check with my dad about this right away. Mom passed on the 14th of last month, so I'm not sure how that works with partial months.
For Social Security benefits (including SSDI), if the person passes away at any point during a month, they are NOT entitled to the payment for that month. So if your mother passed on the 14th, the payment received for that month would need to be returned. If benefits are directly deposited, SSA will usually attempt to reclaim the funds electronically. If they can't, they'll send a notice requesting repayment. As the previous commenter mentioned, it's best to be proactive about this to avoid complications.
so sorry about your mom :( my dad died last year and we had to deal with all this ss stuff too. really stressful time. we found out the funeral home actually reported his death to ssa for us, maybe yours did too? might wanna check
Thank you. I'm sorry about your dad as well. That's a good point about the funeral home - I'll check if they reported it. We've been overwhelmed with everything and might have missed that detail.
Join the conversation
WHY is everything with Social Security so COMPLICATED?! I swear they make these questions confusing on purpose. My sister answered this wrong and her application was delayed by TWO MONTHS while they sorted it out!!
i know right!! and then when u try to call them its impossible to get through. spent my whole day off work last week trying to reach someone!
If you're unsure about this or any other question on your application, it's always best to include an explanation in the remarks section. Something like: "My mother received survivor benefits on my behalf from 1975-1981 after my father passed away." This additional clarity can help prevent processing delays.
Thank you, that's a great suggestion. I'll definitely add that explanation to make things clearer. I'm hoping to get this application submitted by the end of the week.
Join the conversation
Thank you all so much for these detailed responses. I'm going to keep my phone appointment and come prepared with questions about both benefit types. I'll also write down my earnings record and what I know about my late husband's benefits so I can compare the numbers during the call. Since it sounds like my born-in-1956 status still allows me to choose between survivor OR retirement (just not both at once), I'll need to understand the long-term impacts of each option. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and knowledge!
Join the conversation
i had to deal with this last yr too and went in circles for months!! they kept asking for more proof and more proof until i finally gave up and just didn't claim until this year. The system is broken!
Did you try visiting your local SSA office in person? Sometimes that's more effective than phone calls, especially for complicated situations.
One more important thing - when your benefits are withheld due to earnings, they're not lost forever! Once you reach FRA, SSA will recalculate and give you credit for those months, resulting in a permanent increase to your monthly benefit amount going forward. So even if you can't get the exception for non-work months, any withheld benefits do eventually come back to you in the form of higher payments later.
Exactly right. This is the Adjustment to the Reduction Factor (ARF). For every month benefits are completely withheld due to excess earnings, SSA adjusts your reduction factor when you reach FRA. It doesn't make up for the full amount withheld, but it does increase your monthly benefit permanently.
Ezra Beard
Does anyone know if they look at your TAX RETURN from the previous year to determine your earnings? Or do they somehow track your current salary? I'm so confused about how they even know what you're making during the year when they calculate these deductions!!
0 coins
Everett Tutum
•Good question. SSA asks you to estimate your earnings for the year when you apply. They'll pay benefits based on that estimate. Later, when tax information becomes available, they'll compare your actual earnings to your estimate. If you earned more than estimated, you may have to repay some benefits. If you earned less, they may send you additional payments. If your earnings change significantly during the year, you should notify SSA to avoid potential overpayments or underpayments.
0 coins
Statiia Aarssizan
I just went through this exact situation! Few tips from my experience: 1) Apply for the survivor benefits even with your higher income. Yes, most will be withheld, but it establishes your eligibility and the withholdings aren't permanently lost. 2) SSA's online system won't let you apply for survivor benefits - you MUST call or visit in person. 3) Getting an appointment took me 3+ months, but I used Claimyr.com to reach an agent quickly who helped me complete everything by phone. 4) Have ALL your documents ready when you call: marriage certificate, divorce decree, death certificate, birth certificate, tax returns, etc. 5) The agent may encourage you to wait due to your income, but it's often better to have your application on file now. Hope this helps! Navigating this wasn't easy but definitely worth it for the long-term strategy.
0 coins
Vince Eh
•Thank you for sharing your experience! I'll definitely have all my documents ready. Did they need original documents or were copies acceptable when you applied?
0 coins
Statiia Aarssizan
•They accepted certified copies of everything except my own ID. For the application by phone, I didn't need to submit anything immediately - they gave me time to mail in or drop off the documents after the application was submitted. Just make sure any copies are certified!
0 coins