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One additional tip: If you're married and file jointly, remember that you each need to submit a separate W-4V form for your individual benefits. Also, keep in mind that generally only about 50-85% of your Social Security benefits are taxable, depending on your combined income. This is calculated using your adjusted gross income plus nontaxable interest plus half of your Social Security benefits. If this total exceeds certain thresholds ($25,000 for single filers or $32,000 for joint filers), then a portion of your benefits becomes taxable.
Wait so if my husband and I make less than $32,000 combined we don't pay taxes on SS at all? I've been withholding for nothing??
Just to follow up on my earlier comment - once your withholding starts, check your MySocialSecurity account online to verify the correct percentage is being withheld. When I submitted my W-4V, they somehow entered 12% instead of the 10% I requested. It took another form submission to correct it. The online account shows your payment details including all deductions.
That's really helpful - I'll definitely monitor my account once I submit the form. Sounds like I need to be proactive about checking that everything processes correctly. Thanks for all the advice everyone!
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Thanks everyone for the thoughtful responses! You've given me a lot to consider that I hadn't thought about before - especially the earnings test, taxation issues, and the idea of choosing a middle ground rather than extremes. I'm going to try getting my exact numbers from SSA using that contact service someone mentioned, then sit down with these new considerations and make a more informed decision. This has been incredibly helpful!
Good luck! And remember there's no perfect answer - just the one that works best for your specific situation. Let us know what you decide!
One other thing to consider - your health insurance situation. Are you on your spouse's plan? Will you be eligible for Medicare soon? The health insurance factor can sometimes tip the scales one way or another depending on your situation.
That's another good point! I'm still on my employer's health plan through my part-time job. Medicare eligibility starts at 65 for me, so that's definitely another factor to consider in the timing. So many variables!
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wait i thought IRA was better than individual 401k for most people? my brother in law said individual 401ks have more paperwork and fees. did your advisor explain why he recommended that instead?
Individual 401ks (also called Solo 401ks) actually have higher contribution limits than IRAs. For 2024, you can contribute up to $23,000 as employee deferral plus about 25% of your business income as employer contribution, up to a total of $69,000. IRAs are limited to $7,000/year ($8,000 if over 50). They do require more paperwork once they exceed $250k in assets, but for high-earning self-employed people, the higher contribution limits often outweigh the administrative burden.
Thanks to everyone for the helpful responses! This community is amazing. To summarize what I learned: 1. 401k rollovers don't affect SS benefit calculations in any way 2. Social Security only cares about my earnings record where I paid FICA/self-employment tax 3. I need to be careful about self-employment tax reporting to keep building my SS record 4. I'll need to file Form 5500-EZ once my individual 401k exceeds $250k 5. Retirement account withdrawals can affect how my SS benefits are taxed in retirement This gives me a lot more confidence moving forward with my rollover plan. I'll be creating an account on ssa.gov to check my earnings history too. Thanks again!
Smart plan!! Make sure you ALSO download and SAVE your SS statement from the website!! Sometimes the system has outages and it's GOOD to have your records saved locally!!
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When my sister turned 66 (her FRA) she got a job and her benefit check went UP the next year! Something about recalculation of her benefits because she was working again. So working might actually help your benefit amount in the long run too!
That's correct. If you work after beginning benefits and your earnings are higher than one of your previous 35 highest earning years (which are used to calculate your benefit), SSA will automatically recalculate your benefit amount the following year. However, this applies to retirement benefits based on your own record, not necessarily survivor benefits.
I think what matters most is how much this job is gonna pay you. If it's just a few hours a week maybe you don't even hit the limit? My cousin works at Walmart just 15 hours a week and stays under just fine.
The position would be about 20 hours a week at $23/hour, so that would be around $1,840 monthly or approximately $16,560 before reaching FRA in October. Sounds like I'd still be under the limit based on what everyone has shared!
Diego Flores
Just to add an important point - when you go in for your appointment, ask them to calculate what's called your "RIB-LIM" amount. This is a special calculation that applies in cases where your spouse was on disability benefits. In some situations, it can affect the amount of survivor benefits you're eligible for. Many SSA reps don't automatically check this, so you want to specifically ask for this calculation.
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Zara Mirza
•Yes! This RIB-LIM thing is real. When my neighbor's husband died after being on disability for years, they initially calculated her benefit wrong and she got less than she should have. She had to specifically mention this RIB-LIM rule before they fixed it.
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Omar Zaki
Thank you all for the helpful advice! I've scheduled an appointment with SSA for next week, and I've made a list of all the questions to ask based on your suggestions - especially about the earnings test and that RIB-LIM calculation. For now, I'm leaning toward taking reduced survivor benefits even with the earnings test reduction, since I could still receive around $1,388 monthly according to the calculations provided. That would help me a lot financially while I'm still working part-time. I'll update after my appointment in case the information helps someone else in a similar situation.
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Chloe Robinson
•Good luck with your appointment! Hope they're more helpful than some of the reps I dealt with. Definitely write down EVERYTHING they tell you and get the name of who you spoke with. I learned that the hard way!
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