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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!
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My wife and I went thru this last year. What a headache! We ended up estimating too high and got less subsidy than we shoulda. Make sure you ONLY count the SS income that's taxable for marketplace (which isnt the same as taxable for IRS). I think theres a worksheet on healthcare.gov somewhere.
Oh wow, I didn't realize there was a difference between taxable for IRS versus Marketplace! Now I'm even more confused. I'll look for that worksheet you mentioned. Thanks!
One last important point: For Marketplace insurance income calculations, you need to report your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI), which may include some non-taxable Social Security benefits depending on your other income. The Marketplace uses a specific calculation for Social Security benefits that differs from normal tax rules. If your income is below certain thresholds, you may not need to count all of your Social Security benefits toward your Marketplace MAGI. I recommend using the Marketplace's income calculator tool on healthcare.gov to get the most accurate estimate for your specific situation.
Thank you! I found the calculator tool on healthcare.gov and it's really helpful. I appreciate everyone's advice - I feel much more confident about calculating our income correctly now!
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My mother in law got TOTALLY screwed by SS on this exact thing!!! She retired in March and started benefits in April but did some part time work in October. They counted ALL her income for the year and reduced her benefits AND made her pay back money!!! The system is rigged against us seniors!!!!
That's not actually Social Security being unfair - those are just the rules of the monthly earnings test. If you work even one month after starting benefits in your first year of retirement, the grace period (monthly test) no longer applies, and they have to use the annual test instead. It's important for everyone to understand this rule to avoid unexpected consequences.
btw when does ur husband reach full retirement age? cuz the earnings limit goes way up in the year he reaches FRA and then goes away completely the month he hits FRA
He's only 63 now, so his FRA is 67. We've got 4 more years of dealing with the earnings limits. But at least now I understand how it works! Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice!
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Thank you all for the helpful responses! I now understand that my husband won't get any additional amount since his benefit is already more than half of mine. I appreciate the clarification about survivor benefits too - that's something we hadn't considered in our planning. I'm going to talk with him about whether it might make sense for him to delay claiming even past his FRA since his benefit would continue to grow. Does anyone know if the spousal benefit calculations change if he waits until 70?
Great question about delaying beyond FRA! The spousal benefit calculation doesn't change - it's still maxed at 50% of your PIA. Since his own benefit already exceeds the spousal maximum, delaying to 70 would only increase his own retirement benefit (by 8% per year from FRA to 70). Given that his own benefit is already higher than what he'd get as a spouse, delaying to age 70 could be advantageous if he's in good health and expects longevity. His retirement benefit would increase by about 32% if he waits from FRA to 70, potentially reaching around $2,500/month instead of $1,900.
my sister in law was in this same boat. her husbands check was like $700 less than hers and he didnt get any extra. but then when she needed to go on medicare it took a bigger chunk out of her check cause she was in a higher income bracket. so theres other stuff to think about too with the higher benefit sometimes.
That's a good point about IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount). If your combined income exceeds certain thresholds, you may pay higher Medicare Part B and D premiums. For 2025, the first threshold is $103,000 for married filing jointly. It's definitely something to factor into retirement planning.
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Great question. If you're approved for ex-spousal benefits when applying for retirement, any additional amount would start from your entitlement date - usually the month after you apply for benefits. However, if you're already receiving your own retirement benefits and later apply for ex-spousal benefits, SSA can provide up to 6 months of retroactive benefits (but not going back further than your full retirement age).In the original poster's case, since she's applying for both at roughly the same time at age 70, the benefits would start together from her application date with no significant retroactive payment likely.
Javier Hernandez
what happens if u earn MORE than u expected? do they make u pay it back or just take it from future benefits?
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Malik Jackson
•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.
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Freya Andersen
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.
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LunarLegend
•Those calculators don't include the earnings test though. They just show different claiming ages.
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