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wait i'm confused about something... if she died on jan 8 does that mean you DO have to return some money? since she wasn't alive the full month?
No, that's not how it works. The January 15th payment was for December benefits (when she was alive the entire month). She wouldn't be entitled to the February payment (which would cover January) since she didn't live through all of January. But the payment already received in January is correctly paid since it covers December.
I just wanted to update everyone - I called SSA this morning and confirmed what you all said. The January payment was indeed for December and we don't need to return it. They also confirmed they received the death notification from the funeral home last week. Thanks for all your help and advice!
Excellent! I'm glad you got official confirmation. Did you ask about the $255 death benefit while you were on the phone with them?
Yes! They're sending me the form to apply for it. Apparently as her daughter I am eligible since she wasn't married at the time of her death.
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my sister had the same problem and she just let them withhold the payments to recoup the overage then everything went back to normal. she didn't want the hassle of withdrawing and reapplying. less paperwork.
That's definitely the simplest approach! Did your sister end up reaching FRA during this process? I'm wondering if she saw her benefit amount adjust later as someone else mentioned might happen.
To clarify something important about the Adjustment to the Reduction Factor that was mentioned: This only applies if your husband started receiving benefits BEFORE his FRA. Since he started at 66 (which is before his FRA of 66+8 months for someone born in 1958), any months where benefits are completely withheld due to earnings will be credited back to him after he reaches FRA. SSA will automatically recalculate and slightly increase his monthly benefit to account for those months where he received no payment. This is why running the exact calculations is so important - withdrawing and reapplying later means repaying benefits now, but getting a higher amount later. Letting SSA withhold benefits means keeping what he's already received, getting a slightly increased amount later, but still having taken benefits early with some permanent reduction.
This makes the decision even more complex than I initially thought. It seems like we need to calculate: (1) how much we'd need to repay now if withdrawing, (2) what his new benefit would be at FRA if we withdraw vs. the adjusted amount after ARF if we don't withdraw, and (3) how many years it would take to break even between these options. I think we definitely need to speak with an SSA representative to get these exact figures before deciding.
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Your February payment should arrive on a specific schedule based on either your birth date or your late husband's birth date (whichever the claim is based on). The payment schedule for 2025 is: - Birth dates 1st-10th: Second Wednesday of month - Birth dates 11th-20th: Third Wednesday of month - Birth dates 21st-31st: Fourth Wednesday of month If benefits started before May 1997, payment comes on the 3rd of the month. Mark your calendar for the appropriate Wednesday in February to expect your full survivor benefit payment.
This is really helpful! My husband was born on the 17th, so I should expect payment on the third Wednesday. I'll mark my calendar for February 19th.
One more thing about survivor benefits nobody told me - they're taxable if your combined income exceeds certain thresholds. For 2025, if you file as an individual and your combined income is between $25,000 and $34,000, up to 50% of your benefits may be taxable. Above $34,000, up to 85% may be taxable. Caught me by surprise at tax time!
Oh that's good to know! I'll need to plan for that at tax time. I'm working part-time so I'll definitely be above those thresholds. I appreciate the heads up!
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I think I'm confused about something - isn't the Fairness Act different from the WEP/GPO repeal? My brother-in-law was talking about some social security fairness bill that had to do with caretakers getting credits or something like that. Are we talking about the same legislation??
You're thinking of a different bill. The Social Security Fairness Act specifically addresses WEP and GPO repeals for public servants with pensions. The caregiver credits would be part of the Social Security Caregiver Credit Act, which is separate legislation that would allow people who leave the workforce to care for dependents to receive Social Security credits for that time.
Oh thanks for clearing that up! There are so many bills with similar names it gets confusing.
Thanks everyone for the information. Sounds like I shouldn't count on this passing anytime soon, though I'll keep hoping. In the meantime, does anyone know if there are any strategies to minimize the WEP impact? I've heard something about getting to 30 years of substantial earnings can reduce the WEP penalty. I have 18 years now - would it be worth trying to work part-time somewhere to get to 30 years?
You're absolutely right about the 30-year strategy. The WEP reduction is eliminated entirely if you have 30+ years of substantial earnings in Social Security-covered employment. For 2025, 'substantial earnings' means earning at least $32,175 in a year. Since you already have 18 years, you would need 12 more years meeting that threshold to completely eliminate the WEP reduction. There's also a sliding scale - each year of substantial earnings over 20 years reduces the WEP penalty. So even getting to 20, 21, or 22 years would help somewhat.
This is what makes me SO MAD about this whole system! Why should we have to work EXTRA YEARS just to get what everyone else gets automatically?? Public servants are being PUNISHED for choosing careers helping others!!
Kelsey Hawkins
Thanks everyone for the helpful feedback. Based on the calculations shared, we've decided it's not worth amending the returns since the break-even point would be around 25+ years. I appreciate all the insights!
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Alfredo Lugo
•smart move! save that $$ for something fun instead lol
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Kaitlyn Jenkins
One important thing to consider: there's a 3-year, 3-month, and 15-day time limit for correcting Social Security earnings records. For earnings from 2015-2016, you're already beyond this window. However, SSA can make exceptions for "good cause" which includes situations where income was properly reported to IRS but not to SSA. You'd need to file Form SSA-7008 (Request for Correction of Earnings Record) along with proof of income and an explanation. Also, to be very technical, the benefit formula takes your highest 35 years of indexed earnings. The indexing factor adjusts earlier years' earnings upward significantly. So two recent years at $87k each might not actually replace years that, although lower in nominal terms, might be higher after indexing. If you want an exact calculation, you can request a detailed earnings analysis through an in-person appointment at your local SSA office.
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Caleb Bell
•Great point about the time limit! I forgot about that restriction. Also excellent explanation about the indexing - many people don't realize that $50k earned in 1990 might actually count MORE than $80k earned in 2015 after indexing.
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Kelsey Hawkins
•Wow, I didn't know about the time limit. That definitely makes our decision easier - probably not worth fighting for an exception when the financial benefit is questionable anyway. Thank you for this detailed explanation!
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