This is such valuable information! I'm in a similar situation as the original poster - turning 62 next year and considering early retirement while my spouse continues working. Reading through all these responses has really clarified the earnings test for me. I had no idea that only the beneficiary's income counts, not the spouse's. This completely changes my retirement planning calculations! One thing I'm still wondering about - if I do exceed the earnings limit accidentally one year, how quickly do they catch it and start withholding benefits? Do they wait until after tax season or do they monitor it throughout the year somehow?

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm 63 and just started collecting SS last month while my husband continues working. I was so worried about his $80k salary affecting my benefits, but now I understand it's only MY earnings that matter. I do want to add one important detail that might help others - when you're self-employed or doing consulting work, SSA looks at when you EARN the money, not when you get paid. So if you do a big project in December but don't get paid until January, that income counts toward the previous year's earnings test. I learned this the hard way when I did some freelance work right before starting benefits. Just something to keep in mind for tax planning!

Congratulations Olivia! This is such a helpful thread for those of us going through the same process. I'm currently in a similar boat - applied in December for April 2025 benefits and have been stuck in Step 2 for about 8 weeks now. Reading everyone's experiences here really helps ease the anxiety. It's clear that SSA's lack of communication is their biggest weakness, but at least the system seems to work behind the scenes even if we can't see it. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and tips - this community is so valuable for navigating these government processes!

This whole thread has been incredibly reassuring! I'm also a newcomer here and currently stuck in Step 2 for my retirement application (applied in November for March 2025 start). Reading everyone's experiences really helps normalize what feels like a very stressful waiting period. It's amazing how consistent the pattern is - long wait in Step 2, then sudden approval with no communication from SSA. Olivia, congratulations on finally getting approved! Your timeline matches almost exactly what I'm going through. I think I'll follow the advice here and wait another few weeks before trying to contact them. This community is such a valuable resource for understanding these government processes that seem designed to keep us in the dark. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share my experience because I'm also dealing with WEP elimination as a retired nurse from Wisconsin. I worked 12 years in private healthcare before switching to county public health for 19 years where I didn't contribute to Social Security, and my benefit was reduced to just $650/month when I retired in 2024. Nina, this entire thread has been incredibly helpful! Like many others have said, I've learned more about WEP elimination and spousal benefits from reading these responses than from countless hours trying to navigate government websites on my own. The practical advice here is pure gold - especially the tip about calling local SSA offices instead of battling the main number's endless wait times. One thing I wanted to add that might help you and others: when I finally got through to my local office last week, the representative mentioned that they're prioritizing WEP elimination cases for people who retired in 2024, since we've been affected for the shortest amount of time. This could mean you might see your adjustment sooner than some of the earlier retirees. The representative also walked me through something called the "substantial earnings test" which determines how many years of substantial Social Security earnings you have. This apparently affects how much your benefit increases when WEP is eliminated - the more years of substantial earnings, the smaller the WEP reduction was originally, but also the smaller the restoration will be. Just something to ask about when you call! It's so encouraging to connect with this community of public servants who understand exactly what we've been through. After years of feeling penalized for choosing careers that served our communities, we're finally getting the fairness we deserve!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share my experience because I'm also navigating WEP elimination as a retired police officer from Arizona. I worked 6 years in private security before joining the police force for 26 years where I didn't pay into Social Security, and my benefit was cut to just $580/month when I retired in early 2024. Nina, this entire discussion has been a goldmine of information! I've been struggling to understand the complexities of this whole process, but reading through everyone's experiences has provided so much clarity. The insight about how spousal benefits work - that you get the higher amount rather than both combined - was something I completely misunderstood initially. I'm particularly grateful for the practical strategies shared here: calling local SSA offices, preparing detailed employment timelines, and asking for both the WEP-modified and standard calculations. I had no idea these approaches could make such a difference in actually getting through to someone and having productive conversations. What really resonates with me is how similar all our stories are - public servants with split careers who got unfairly penalized through WEP. After decades of serving our communities, it felt like we were being punished for our career choices. This WEP elimination truly feels like justice finally being served. I'm planning to call my local SSA office this week using all the excellent advice from this thread. The combination of practical tips and emotional support from this community has been invaluable. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating such a helpful resource for those of us navigating this process!

I'm new to this community and just wanted to thank everyone for sharing such detailed experiences with this Medicare premium transition! I'm turning 65 in a few months and will be starting Social Security benefits early next year, so I know I'll be dealing with this exact situation soon. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational - I had no idea about the coordination period between agencies or that you could request to speak with a "Social Security benefit coordination" specialist at Medicare. The consistent advice about calling at 8 AM, keeping detailed records, and getting everything in writing is going straight into my preparation notes. It's so reassuring to see how many people have successfully navigated this transition using these proven strategies. What really stands out to me is how much less stressful this becomes when you know what to expect and have a clear action plan. I'm already planning to set up my documentation system and prepare my questions before I even need to make the calls. This community is amazing for getting practical, real-world guidance that you just can't find in official government resources. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences - you're helping so many people avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary anxiety!

I'm new to this community and currently going through this exact same transition! I just started my Social Security benefits this month and was completely overwhelmed by the Medicare premium payment confusion until I found this thread. Reading everyone's detailed experiences has been absolutely invaluable - I had no idea there was a "Social Security benefit coordination" department at Medicare or that calling at 8 AM could make such a difference in wait times. Based on all the excellent advice here, I called Medicare yesterday morning at 8:10 AM, asked specifically for the coordination department, and got through in just 14 minutes! The specialist confirmed I should pay just December directly while their system syncs with Social Security over the next 4-6 weeks. She also gave me a case reference number and is sending written confirmation. It's amazing how much less stressful this becomes when you have the right information and approach. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is a lifesaver for navigating these complex government processes! For anyone else facing this transition, don't panic - it really is manageable with the strategies shared here.

I'm new to this community and currently preparing to help my mother with her Social Security application. She has two previous marriages - one that lasted 13 years and another that was only 3 years. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly reassuring! Based on everyone's advice here, it sounds like we should answer "yes" to previous marriages and provide the basic information for both (dates, spouse names, how they ended). The system should automatically recognize that only the 13-year marriage meets the threshold for potential spousal benefits while just noting the 3-year one. I'm particularly grateful to those who shared recent experiences like Finnegan and others - knowing that the process worked smoothly just last week gives me confidence that we're approaching this correctly. For those dealing with the red error bug, that sounds incredibly frustrating and definitely seems like a technical issue SSA needs to fix. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their real-world experiences. This thread has been invaluable for understanding what to actually expect versus trying to interpret government forms alone!

I'm new to this community and just wanted to add my recent experience since I completed my Social Security application two weeks ago! I had a previous marriage that lasted about 7 years, and like many others here, I was really anxious about whether to include it or not. After reading through experiences like those shared in this thread, I decided to answer "yes" to previous marriages and provide honest information. The online system asked for the basic details - marriage start date, end date, spouse's name, and how it ended (divorce in my case). Once I entered the dates, it immediately calculated that the marriage was under 10 years and displayed a message saying it would be noted in my file but wouldn't affect my benefit calculations. The whole process was incredibly smooth - no red error messages, no document requests for the short marriage, and I was able to complete and submit my application that same day. The marriage section added maybe 5 minutes total to the application time. For newcomers dealing with this same question - definitely be honest and trust the system to handle marriages under 10 years appropriately. The anxiety beforehand was much worse than the actual process! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - reading real stories from people who've been through this makes all the difference.