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!
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- 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 :)
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what happens if u earn MORE than u expected? do they make u pay it back or just take it from future benefits?
Great question. If you earn more than you estimated, you're required to notify SSA. They'll adjust future payments to recover any overpayment. If you don't report it, they'll eventually catch it when tax records are processed and you could receive an overpayment notice requiring repayment. It's better to report changes proactively so there are no surprises.
I went through the exact same thing last yr trying to figure this all out. My advise is go to the ssa.gov site and use their retirement calculators. They were really helpful for me to see all the different scenarios.
Those calculators don't include the earnings test though. They just show different claiming ages.
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my mom got benefits from 2 exhusbands at the same time so it might depend on ur situation call them and check dont listen to ppl on here
That's not possible under Social Security rules. You can be eligible for benefits from multiple spouses/ex-spouses, but you'll only receive the highest amount you're eligible for. Your mother might have received benefits sequentially (first from one ex, then switched to another when it was more advantageous) or she might have received benefits from one ex-spouse and then survivor benefits after another ex passed away, but she wouldn't receive multiple benefits simultaneously.
Has anyone actually successfully claimed on an ex-spouse's record after being widowed from a subsequent marriage? I'm just trying to understand what the process will be like when the time comes. Should I go to my local SSA office or try to handle it by phone?
I did this last year after my husband passed. The local office was backed up for months, so I made a phone appointment using Claimyr to skip the wait. The agent walked me through all my options based on my marriage history. In-person is good if you have lots of documents they need to see, but phone worked fine for my initial application. They just needed me to fax/upload the supporting documents afterward.
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One important factor many people overlook is the impact on survivor benefits. If you're married, the higher of the two spouse's benefits becomes the survivor benefit when one passes away. If you expect your benefit to be higher than your spouse's, waiting to claim increases not just your retirement benefit but potentially your spouse's survivor benefit as well. This creates an additional incentive to delay, especially with family longevity on your side. The survivor benefit protection is essentially free "insurance" that comes with delaying your claim. If you're concerned about Social Security's future, remember that any legislative changes would almost certainly be phased in gradually and likely wouldn't affect those already near retirement age. Current retirees and those close to retirement are typically protected in reform proposals.
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The earnings limit is SUCH A HEADACHE! My advice? Have your husband tell his boss he needs to be paid MONTHLY, with the pay periods matching calendar months. That would solve everything. Not sure why companies can't figure this out when so many older workers have this exact problem with Social Security!
Since several people mentioned reporting: Your husband should call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 to report his return to work. Alternatively, he can report estimated earnings online through his my Social Security account or in person at a local office. For calculating his earnings during his first year of retirement, SSA uses the "Grace Year" rule. This means they'll look at his monthly earnings for the remainder of 2024. For each month he earns under the limit ($1,860), he'll receive his full benefit regardless of annual totals. Starting in 2025, SSA will switch to annual accounting. They'll estimate his expected earnings for the year and may adjust his benefits accordingly. If the estimate changes, he should update SSA to avoid overpayments. Keeping detailed records is absolutely critical - especially the breakdown of exactly which days' work falls into which calendar month.
This is extremely helpful - thank you! I didn't know about the "Grace Year" rule by name, but this confirms what others have said. We'll make sure to report his return to work right away and keep detailed records of when he performs the work.
Edison Estevez
This all sounds complicated! Wouldnt it be easier just to take the survivor benifits now? Why wait?
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
•It might be simpler, but it wouldn't maximize her lifetime benefits. By taking her own reduced retirement benefits now and switching to full survivor benefits at FRA, she'll get some income now PLUS the maximum survivor benefit later. If she took survivor benefits now, they would be permanently reduced. In her specific situation (where her husband was the higher earner), this strategy often results in tens of thousands of dollars more over her lifetime. The exact difference depends on benefit amounts and life expectancy, but it's usually significant enough to justify the more complex approach.
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James Johnson
When you do make the switch at 67, start the process at least 3 months before your birthday. I waited until the month of my FRA to switch strategies, and there was a gap in my payments that created some financial stress. The SSA backdated everything eventually, but I went almost 2 months without any benefits while they processed the change. Just something to plan for.
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Joshua Hellan
•Thank you for this practical advice! I'll definitely start the process early. Did you have to complete a whole new application when you made the switch, or was it a simpler process since you were already in their system?
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