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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!
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- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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I just remembered something important - ask the doctor to write a note specifically stating your husband cannot work! My husband's neurologist wrote a detailed letter about his limitations and I think that made a big difference in his approval.
Thank you everyone for the helpful advice. After showing my husband these responses, he finally agreed not to work during the application process. We're gathering all his medical records, VA disability documentation, and will be asking his doctors for detailed statements about his limitations. I'm nervous about our finances, but his health and securing these benefits is more important right now. I'll update once we get further in the process.
That's a wise decision. Remember that if he's approved, SSDI benefits can be paid retroactively for up to 12 months before the application date (depending on when disability began), which might help with financial concerns. Best of luck to you both during this challenging time.
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anybody know if military service counts extra for social security? i heard something about special credits but dont know if thats real
Yes, military service can potentially provide special credits that boost your Social Security earnings record, especially for service during certain periods. It's a bit off-topic from the original question about calculating benefits after stopping work at 45, but if you served in the military, you should definitely look into these credits when calculating your own benefit.
Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I'm going to try the detailed calculator and also consider whether I might be able to do some part-time work to replace some of those zero years. It sounds like even modest earnings could help improve my benefit calculation significantly. I'm also going to try reaching out directly to SSA to get a more personalized estimate given my specific situation. Really appreciate all the insights!
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She asked her accountant for a recommendation. Be careful though - make sure they're a fiduciary (legally obligated to act in your best interest) and not just someone selling retirement products!
One more thing to consider - if you're still working, you might want to delay claiming until you fully retire or reach your FRA. Benefits claimed at 62 are reduced by about 30% permanently compared to claiming at 67 (your FRA). However, if you wait until 70, you get an 8% increase for each year after FRA. That's a potential range from 70% of your full benefit (claiming at 62) to 124% (claiming at 70). This is why getting a personalized analysis is so important. For some people, claiming early makes sense; for others, waiting is better. It depends on your health, longevity in your family, other income sources, and immediate financial needs.
Thank you, this is really helpful! I need to think about this carefully - my mom lived to 92 but I don't have much saved up, so I'm torn between taking it early or trying to maximize. Looks like I need to create that account and see the actual numbers first.
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One important factor many break-even calculators miss is the impact of required minimum distributions (RMDs) from retirement accounts. If you delay Social Security and use retirement account withdrawals to fund early retirement, you'll reduce future RMDs, potentially lowering your tax bracket in your 70s and beyond. Conversely, if you claim early and preserve retirement accounts, your RMDs could be larger, potentially pushing you into higher tax brackets and causing more of your Social Security to be taxable. This tax interaction effect can shift the break-even point by several years, typically making delaying benefits more advantageous than simple calculators suggest.
This is such an excellent point that most people miss! I worked with a financial planner who showed me that taking SS early while preserving my 401(k) would actually cost me more in taxes later due to larger RMDs pushing me into a higher bracket. The tax implications shifted my breakeven age by almost 4 years compared to the basic calculation.
my neighbor took ss at 62 and invested all of it in bitcoin and now hes rich lol. no calculator shows THAT option!!
This is TERRIBLE advice! Gambling your retirement security on cryptocurrency is EXACTLY how seniors end up broke and desperate! Social Security is meant for ESSENTIAL needs, not speculation. Your neighbor got lucky, but for every story like his, there are THOUSANDS who lost everything!
Lily Young
just wondering, how old r u and ur husband? cause that matters for the benefits i think
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Jessica Suarez
•Good question - I'm 68 and he's 72. We both started taking our benefits at our full retirement ages.
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Kennedy Morrison
Based on your ages (68 and 72), you're both at Full Retirement Age, which simplifies things considerably. Since you're already at FRA, if your husband were to pass away, you would be eligible to receive 100% of his benefit amount immediately with no reduction. And since you're not working, there would be no earnings test to worry about. Just ensure both of you have created MySocialSecurity accounts online. This will make it easier to track benefits and provide you with benefit verification letters that might be needed during the survivor benefit application process.
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Jessica Suarez
•We do have MySocialSecurity accounts already - that's been helpful for keeping track of our current benefits. It's reassuring to know that my situation would be relatively straightforward since we're both past FRA. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything!
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