I know several people mentioned calling SSA is difficult, and it really is these days. When I was trying to sort out my own benefits (with a similar ex-spouse situation), I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent. They have this system that navigates the phone menus and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an agent is on the line. Their video demo (https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU) shows how it works. Saved me hours of frustration and the agent was able to calculate exactly what my options were with specific numbers rather than generalities.

A couple more points that might help you: 1. Your alimony has zero impact on Social Security benefits - they're completely separate systems. 2. If your ex passes away before you (hopefully not!), the rules change completely. As a surviving divorced spouse, you'd be eligible for survivor benefits which could be up to 100% of what he was receiving or eligible to receive. 3. Since you're planning to work until 70+, each additional year of higher earnings can potentially replace a lower-earning year in your benefit calculation. Social Security uses your highest 35 years of earnings (indexed for inflation). 4. When you eventually speak with SSA, ask them to calculate both your projected benefit at 70 based on your earnings AND what your ex-spouse benefit would be. That way you'll know exactly which will be higher. Hope this helps!

Sorry but what is a PIA? Seeing that term in one of the comments and not sure what it means.

Thank you everyone for all the helpful responses! I've learned so much from this thread. To summarize what I understand now: 1. I cannot receive spousal benefits until my husband actually files for his own retirement benefits (the "file and suspend" strategy is no longer available) 2. When he does file (likely at age 67), I'll need to apply for the spousal top-up - it won't happen automatically 3. The maximum spousal benefit would be 50% of his PIA, minus my own SSDI amount 4. His strategy to wait until 67 is probably best for maximizing our lifetime benefits, especially considering potential survivor benefits I really appreciate everyone taking the time to explain this to me!

my mom went thru something like this and she just gave up trying to get her money back because the SSA people kept giving her different answers every time she called...the system is so broken

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I'm going to try to get through to SSA to request that earnings test recalculation. I had no idea I needed to specifically ask for this - I thought they would automatically adjust it based on my tax return. I'm also reconsidering my timeline for taking survivor benefits based on the earnings test information. One last question if anyone knows - is there a time limit for requesting the earnings recalculation? It's been almost 2 years since that initial withholding.

my mom got this same email i think. she said something about a lawyer sending her ss statement. gonna call her today and make sure she didnt click anything thanks for posting this

To address your question about how they got your partial SSN - these scammers usually obtain personal information through data breaches that have happened over the years. Companies like Equifax, Target, and many others have had breaches where millions of Americans' data was exposed. The scammers use this partial information to make their phishing attempts more convincing. They might have your name, email, and last 4 digits of your SSN from one of these breaches. As for protecting yourself going forward: 1. The SSA will primarily contact you through postal mail for important matters 2. If you have a my Social Security account, they'll notify you to log in to view secure messages 3. They will NEVER attach documents to emails or ask you to download anything 4. They will NEVER threaten to suspend your SSN or benefits if you don't provide information immediately If you're ever in doubt about a communication claiming to be from SSA, call their official number directly (1-800-772-1213) rather than any number provided in a suspicious email or letter.

I filed at 62 last year and was in a similar situation with my husband. After several calls to SSA where I either couldn't get through or got conflicting information, I finally just went to my local office in person. Took almost 3 hours of waiting but I got clear answers about my specific situation. If you can't get through on the phone, try going in person with all your documents and questions written down. They can run your actual numbers there.

One important correction to my earlier comment: The reduction for taking spousal benefits early is actually calculated differently than for your own retirement benefits. At age 62, the spousal benefit reduction is actually MORE than the reduction for your own benefit. For retirement benefits, filing at 62 results in approximately a 30% reduction. For spousal benefits, filing at 62 results in approximately a 35% reduction. So if your full spousal benefit would be 50% of your husband's PIA, at age 62 you'd get closer to 32.5% of his PIA. This is why getting precise calculations for your specific situation is so important. The difference could significantly impact your long-term planning.