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
who else gets confused between all these dif benefits? survivors, retirement, spousal, SSI, SSDI...my head spins! 🤯
It's definitely confusing! Quick summary: Retirement benefits are based on your own work. Spousal benefits are based on a living spouse's record. Survivor benefits are based on a deceased spouse's record. SSDI is disability insurance based on work credits. SSI is needs-based for limited income/resources. Each has different rules!
Just to clarify some technical details about your strategy: This approach (survivor benefits first, then switching to retirement) can work very well when your own benefit at 70 exceeds your survivor benefit. A few important facts: 1. Your survivor benefit reached maximum value at your FRA (66 years, 8 months) 2. Your own retirement benefit grows until age 70 (getting 8% delayed credits per year) 3. Taking survivor benefits early at 64.5 means you're accepting a reduced amount (about 88-90% of the full survivor benefit) 4. But that reduction doesn't affect your own retirement benefit at 70 So mathematically, your strategy makes perfect sense if your own benefit at 70 is indeed higher than your survivor benefit would be at FRA, as the SSA rep confirmed.
Thank you for breaking down the math! So even though I'm taking reduced survivor benefits early, it was still the right move if my own benefit at 70 will be higher than the full survivor benefit would have been? That's a relief!
Join the conversation
If you need to handle a name change AND apply for benefits, here's what worked for me recently: 1. First, I made an in-person appointment specifically for the name change document verification (called my local office directly) 2. During that appointment, had them scan all my marriage certificate and ID documents 3. Then scheduled the phone appointment for the actual benefit application 4. When they called for the benefit application, everything went smoothly since my documents were already in the system The key is separating the identity verification from the benefit application. Hope this helps!
This is EXACTLY what I needed to know! Thank you so much for laying it out step by step. I'll call tomorrow to set up the document verification appointment first. Did you have any issues with them calculating your benefit amount correctly during the phone appointment?
No problems with the calculation. The agent was able to see all my earnings history and gave me three different estimates based on starting benefits at 62, my FRA (which was 66 and 8 months), or waiting until 70. Just make sure to ask them to explain how they calculated your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) so you understand where the numbers come from.
dont waste ur time w/ phone appointments!!! JUST APPLY ONLINE!!! its soooo much easier, i did mine last month took 25 mins tops. but make sure u have ur bank info ready they need direct deposit now
While online applications work for many people, they don't support all scenarios. Name changes, spouse applications, or WEP/GPO situations like the original poster mentioned typically require speaking with an agent. But yes, for straightforward retirement claims, the online option is definitely the fastest route.
Join the conversation
Maybe I misunderstanding something - I thought the widow always gets the HIGHER of either their own benefit OR their deceased spouse's benefit? So if your mom is already getting the highest benefit (from husband #1), why would it matter if husband #3's benefit increases after WEP repeal? Wouldn't she just continue getting the highest one available?
Great question. The key is that right now, husband #3's benefit might be artificially lower due to WEP/GPO. If those provisions are repealed, his benefit could potentially become higher than husband #1's, making it the new highest benefit available to her. That's why it's worth checking what husband #3's unreduced benefit would be - to see if it might exceed what she currently receives from husband #1 after a repeal is implemented.
Something else to consider: The GPO/WEP repeal proposals usually include a phase-in period, not an immediate full repeal. This means the full benefit increase would likely come gradually over several years. Given your mother's age, I'd recommend getting the information now so you're prepared to take action as soon as any legislation passes. While you're gathering this information, also ask about what documentation she might need to provide if she needs to switch to claiming on husband #3's record. Having these documents ready (marriage certificate, death certificate, etc.) can save time later.
That's a really important point about the phase-in period that I hadn't considered. I'll definitely get all her documentation in order too. She has all the marriage and death certificates filed away, so at least that part should be straightforward. Thank you for this advice!
Join the conversation
Im confused about something.. if the GPO reduced your spousal benefit to $0 before, why would it change now? Did your non-covered pension amount go down or something??? This whole GPO thing is SO UNFAIR to those of us who worked in public service!
Great question. There are a few scenarios where GPO impact could change: 1. A change in pension amount (unusual, but possible with pension recalculations) 2. A recalculation of the spouse's PIA that increases the spousal benefit potential 3. Administrative correction of a previous error 4. Changes in other income affecting taxation (doesn't affect GPO directly but might affect net payment) The GPO reduction is 2/3 of the non-covered pension amount. So if her spouse's benefit increased significantly due to delayed retirement credits or earnings recalculations, it's possible the math now works out differently. For example: If her spouse's PIA increased enough that 50% of it (reduced for early filing) is now greater than her own benefit plus 2/3 of her pension, she might now be eligible for a partial spousal benefit where before it was reduced to zero.
Astrid Bergström
wait i thought SS only counted 30 years not 35??
0 coins
PixelPrincess
•Social Security definitely uses 35 years, not 30, for the benefit calculation. They take your highest 35 years of earnings (after indexing them for inflation), average them, and use that to determine your primary insurance amount (PIA). If you have fewer than 35 years of earnings, they'll use zeros for the missing years, which lowers your average.
0 coins
Emma Johnson
Thanks everyone for the helpful information! Based on your responses, I'm going to download my earnings history and check my lowest-earning years in the top 35. Even though I've had 30+ years at max contribution, I definitely had some lower-earning years in my 20s that might get replaced. Seems like it's worth analyzing before I make my decision about continuing to work.
0 coins
Omar Farouk
•Smart move! Just remember that when they do the calculation, they adjust all your past earnings for inflation ("indexing"), so those early years get a boost in the calculations. My SSA agent explained that a year where I earned $25,000 in the 1980s might actually count as $70,000+ in today's dollars after indexing. That's why some of my recent work didn't help as much as I expected - my indexed early years were actually pretty competitive with my current salary!
0 coins