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!
Ask the community...
- 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 :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
I'm still confused about survivor vs retirement benefits. Are they the same amount? How do you know which one to take?
They're usually different amounts. Your retirement benefit is based on your own work history. The survivor benefit is based on your ex-husband's work history - specifically, it's based on what he would have received at his full retirement age. The best strategy depends on your specific situation. Generally: 1. If your survivor benefit would be higher than your own benefit at age 70, take the survivor benefit at your FRA (to get the full amount). 2. If your own benefit at 70 would be higher than the survivor benefit, take the survivor benefit early (even with the reduction) and switch to your own at 70. This is why getting a detailed benefit calculation from SSA for both benefits is so important before making a decision.
Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I've made an appointment with my local SSA office for next month to discuss my specific situation. In the meantime, I'll gather my ex-husband's death certificate and our marriage/divorce documents. It's complicated, but it sounds like it might still be worth claiming survivor benefits even with the earnings reduction - especially if I can switch to my own benefit later. I'll definitely be clear about restricting my application to ONLY survivor benefits!
Join the conversation
wait i'm confused... isn't windexing for cleaning windows? lol what does that have to do with social security??
Haha, no - though that's an understandable mix-up! In Social Security context, people sometimes incorrectly use "windexing" to refer to detailed benefit calculations done through a program called WINDOWS (WINdfall Offset WorkSheet). But as another commenter correctly pointed out, WINDOWS is actually for worker's compensation offset calculations, not retirement benefit matrices. What OP needs is a month-by-month benefit calculation showing various claiming age options, which is a different service.
One more tip: When the technical expert does your calculation, make sure to ask about the impact of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) if you've ever worked for a government entity where you didn't pay into Social Security. These provisions can significantly reduce your benefits and aren't accounted for in standard calculations. Also, if you're planning on continuing to work while collecting benefits before your FRA, make sure they explain how the earnings limit would affect your payments. The benefit calculation matrix is much more useful when it includes these adjustments.
That's good to know. I did work for a state university for about 5 years where I didn't pay into Social Security, so I'll definitely ask about WEP. I hadn't thought about that.
Join the conversation
One thing I want to clarify about divorced spouse benefits - you mentioned possibly being able to claim them at 60, but that's not accurate. Divorced spouse benefits based on an ex's retirement record (not disability) can only be claimed as early as age 62, and they're reduced if taken before your FRA. The benefit you can potentially claim at 60 is a surviving divorced spouse benefit, which only applies if your ex-spouse has passed away. Based on your post, it sounds like your ex is still living. Just wanted to clarify this point since there seems to be some confusion about the different types of benefits and their eligibility ages.
Thank you for that clarification! You're right - my ex is still alive, so survivor benefits wouldn't apply. I think I was confusing the different benefit types. The Social Security rules really are complicated.
i think ur overthinking this... ur getting a decent benefit already and the stress of trying to figure out all this complicated stuff isn't worth it. just enjoy ur retirement and the money ur already getting! life's 2 short 2 spend it fighting with SS bureaucracy
You make a good point about stress! $2,470 is definitely not terrible, and I'm grateful to have it plus my part-time income. Maybe I should focus on enjoying life rather than maximizing every dollar. Thanks for the perspective.
Ava Martinez
my mom just prints all the papers they mail her, says its easier than the website lol. check your mail maybe they sent you the calculation?
0 coins
Sofia Gutierrez
•Good point! I've been trying to go paperless with everything, but maybe I should check if they mailed me more detailed information than what shows up online.
0 coins
Dmitry Petrov
I just checked my own account to verify - if you go to the Benefits Verification Letter in your Message Center, it should show your monthly benefit amount after WEP. Then you need to call SSA to ask for your pre-WEP amount, as I don't see it displayed clearly anywhere on the site. Also, if you haven't already, check if you qualify for the WEP guarantee provision - in some cases, your WEP reduction cannot exceed 50% of your non-covered pension amount.
0 coins
Sofia Gutierrez
•Thanks for checking your own account! I don't think I've heard of the WEP guarantee provision before - that's another thing for me to look into. I appreciate everyone's help with this confusing topic!
0 coins