KEEP FIGHTING!!! Don't let them get away with this! When this happened to me I had to call my congressperson's office to get help when SSA was dragging their feet. The congressional inquiry lit a fire under them and suddenly they were VERY responsive. Don't be afraid to escalate if you're not getting answers.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this - what a stressful situation! Based on what others have shared here, it definitely sounds like an administrative error during your conversion. One thing I'd suggest is also requesting a "benefit verification letter" from your mySocialSecurity account if you can access it - this sometimes shows more detail about how they calculated your current payment amount and might give you clues about what went wrong. Also, if you do end up needing to escalate to your congressperson, having documentation of multiple failed attempts to reach SSA by phone will strengthen your case. I really hope you get this resolved quickly - that's a huge difference in your monthly income and you shouldn't have to stress about this when the conversion was supposed to be seamless!

I'm turning 70 in August and this entire discussion has been a goldmine of practical information! Like many of you, I've been putting off dealing with the application process because it felt overwhelming, but reading everyone's real experiences has made it feel so much more manageable. One thing that really helped me was seeing how many people mentioned the online application only taking 20-30 minutes - I had built it up in my mind to be this massive, complicated process. I also appreciate all the tips about preparing documents beforehand and checking your earnings record first. I'm planning to apply in May (3 months before my August birthday) and will definitely create my Social Security account early to get familiar with the system. The advice about applying early in the morning to avoid technical issues is great too - I'm definitely an early bird so that works perfectly for me. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and making this feel less intimidating. It's wonderful to have a community where people actually help each other navigate these important life transitions!

I'm also approaching 70 and found this discussion incredibly reassuring! One thing I wanted to add from my recent experience with SSA - if you're worried about the online application, you can actually call the national number and ask them to walk you through it over the phone while you're on their website. I did this last month and the representative was very patient, staying on the line while I filled out each section. It gave me the confidence of doing it online (which they prefer) but with live support when I had questions about specific fields. The whole process took about 45 minutes with their guidance, and I felt much more confident knowing someone was there to help if I got confused. This might be a good middle ground for those who are tech-savvy enough for online applications but want that extra reassurance from speaking with an actual person!

This thread is giving me anxiety. I'm turning 62 next month and STILL don't know when to file!!! Everyone has a different opinion and the SSA website is so confusing! I need the money but don't want to make a mistake I'll regret for the rest of my life!!!!!

I went through this exact same dilemma last year! I'm a retired federal employee and spent months researching this. Here's what I learned from speaking directly with SSA: The monthly benefit calculations ARE done to the exact month, but many online calculators only display estimates at certain intervals (like January of each year) which makes it confusing. When I called SSA (took forever to get through), they confirmed that if you're past your FRA, you get 2/3 of 1% more for EACH month you delay up to age 70. So waiting from June to December would give you 4% more monthly benefit for life. One tip: SSA benefits are paid in the month AFTER you earn them. So if you want your first payment in September, you'd need to have your birthday and file so that August is your first month of entitlement. Also, don't forget to sign up for Medicare Part B at 65 even if you delay Social Security - that's a separate decision with its own penalties if you wait (assuming you don't have other qualifying coverage). Hope this helps with your decision! The monthly increases are real, even if the calculators don't show them clearly.

I'm a federal employee and see these PPPBI letters come through our office fairly regularly. What you're describing is incredibly common - the SSA is essentially working through decades of backlogged employer reporting data and sending out automated notifications without any ability to cross-reference whether benefits have already been claimed. A few things that might help put your mind at ease: 1. The timing makes perfect sense - employers were required to submit Form 8955-SSA data for participants with deferred vested benefits, and SSA is now processing reports that are 20+ years old 2. Code A designation for a lump sum benefit from PwC in 2001 is almost certainly your 401(k). That was right around when most consulting firms were transitioning away from defined benefit pensions to 401(k) plans 3. The $32,606 amount sounds very reasonable for a 401(k) balance from that era, especially if you were there 3+ years My recommendation: Check your 2017 tax records for the 1099-R from your rollover. If the amount matches (or is close accounting for market growth), you can file this letter away with confidence. The SSA agent hotline will just confirm what you already know after making you wait on hold for hours. These letters cause a lot of unnecessary anxiety, but in 90%+ of cases it's money people have already properly rolled over or withdrawn years ago.

I'm going through the exact same thing! Just got one of these letters about my old IBM 401k from 2002 and have been putting off dealing with it for weeks. Reading everyone's experiences here is such a huge relief - sounds like 99% of the time it's just money we already rolled over. The tax return trick that @Sofia Price suggested is brilliant! I'm definitely going to dig out my old returns tonight to look for that IBM 1099-R instead of trying to navigate their phone system. @Ava Rodriguez thanks for the federal employee perspective - knowing that 90%+ of these cases are false alarms makes me feel so much better. It's kind of absurd that the SSA is sending out these anxiety-inducing letters about money we already have, but at least this community has been incredibly helpful! I'll report back if I find anything surprising, but based on everyone's stories I'm expecting to find that 1099-R and put this whole thing to rest. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - you've probably saved me hours of unnecessary stress and phone calls!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and have been following this incredibly helpful thread. As someone who just turned 62 and is starting to think about when to apply for Social Security, all of your shared experiences have been so valuable! I wanted to add something I learned from my experience working in customer service - when you call the 1-800-772-1213 number, if you get an automated system, listen carefully to all the menu options before selecting one. Sometimes there are specific options for retirement applications that can route you to the right department faster than just pressing "0" for an agent. Also, I've found that having your questions written down ahead of time can be really helpful during longer phone calls like this. That way you don't forget to ask about something important while you're focused on providing all the application information. Reading about everyone's positive phone application experiences has definitely convinced me to go that route when I'm ready to apply. Thanks to this community for creating such a supportive space to share real experiences with these government processes - it makes everything feel so much less intimidating!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and have been reading through this incredibly informative thread. As someone who's been putting off applying for my Social Security benefits because the whole process seemed overwhelming, all of your shared experiences have been so reassuring! I wanted to add one more tip that might be helpful - I called my local library yesterday and they mentioned that many libraries offer free assistance with government forms and applications, including Social Security. Some even have volunteers who are trained to help with these processes. While it sounds like the phone application is definitely the way to go based on everyone's experiences here, it's nice to know there's another support option available if anyone needs in-person help understanding their documents or preparing for the call. Also, for anyone who might be concerned about privacy during the phone application (like I was initially), the SSA representatives are bound by strict privacy laws and handle thousands of these applications. Reading about everyone's positive experiences with how professional and thorough they are has really put my mind at ease. Thank you to this amazing community for sharing so many helpful real-world experiences. You've all made what felt like navigating a confusing government maze seem completely manageable!