What about if your grandson gets disability later?? My friend's adopted son got SSDI and they made him choose between SSDI and survivor benefits from bio parents. Don't know if it's the same for retirement tho?? SSA rules are SO CONFUSING!!!!!

One more thing I didn't mention earlier - when your grandson turns 16, you should look into whether he qualifies for SSI (Supplemental Security Income) in addition to his Social Security benefits. The income limits are strict, but if his combined Social Security benefits are below the threshold, SSI could provide additional monthly support. This becomes his own benefit based on age and limited income, separate from either survivor or retirement-based benefits. Also, ensure you're keeping his benefits in a properly designated account. Benefits paid to children require annual representative payee accounting to SSA, and they can audit how funds are being used. I recommend setting up a dedicated account just for his benefits to make this reporting easier.

After thinking about your situation more, I recalled another possibility: if your husband took reduced retirement benefits first and then later qualified for SSDI, his disability benefit would have included both his reduced retirement benefit PLUS an additional amount to bring it up to the full disability rate. When he reaches FRA, the additional amount stops, and he goes back to just his reduced retirement amount. This scenario would explain the significant drop. Did he by chance apply for early retirement before being approved for disability?

Glad you figured it out! This is a perfect example of why it's important to understand how the original benefit was calculated. When someone takes early retirement and then qualifies for SSDI, they receive their reduced retirement benefit plus an additional amount to reach the full disability benefit level. At FRA, they return to their original reduced retirement amount plus any COLAs. For others reading this thread: this is why claiming strategy and timing matters so much with Social Security benefits. Taking early retirement can have long-term impacts even if you later qualify for disability.

Make sure to double check the FRA for survivor benefits! Some people don't realize survivor FRA can be different from retirement FRA depending on your birth year. For most people born 1943-1954, FRA for survivors is 66, not 67. Just want to make sure you have the right age!

One more thing to consider - when you apply, do it as a "filing strategy" rather than just applying for benefits. Make it very clear you're: 1) Filing ONLY for survivor benefits at your FRA 2) Explicitly deferring your retirement benefits to grow delayed retirement credits 3) Planning to switch to your own higher benefit at age 70 I recommend applying in person at your local office if possible for this type of situation. Over the phone or online applications sometimes don't handle these strategic filings correctly. Bring a printed statement explaining your intention if needed.

Would be good to check if your wife has any SS credits at all. Sometimes teachers work enough quarters in SS jobs before teaching to qualify for some small SS benefit. If she does, then GPO would reduce what you could get as a widower from HER record (not your own), but you'd still have your own $2,304 + her CalSTRS. The only potential loss would be any survivor benefit from her SS record, which is probably small or non-existent anyway.

Just wanted to add that GPO is so frustrating for those of us affected by it. I worked as a teacher for 28 years and get a pension, but my husband had a great career with high SS earnings. When he passes, I'll only get a tiny fraction of what most widows would get from his record because of GPO. It feels so unfair that I'm punished for choosing a public service career!

One more thing to consider - regardless of the earnings test, there's no financial advantage to waiting past your FRA unless you want to earn delayed retirement credits (8% per year until age 70). Since you're retiring anyway, if you're at FRA, you might as well start benefits in May because: 1. You'll get an extra month of benefits compared to starting in June 2. The earnings test won't impact you once you reach FRA 3. There's no advantage to waiting unless you're specifically trying to maximize your benefit by waiting until 70 You can apply up to 4 months before you want benefits to begin, so you could actually submit your application now and specify May as your start month.

Here's what the SSA website says exactly about the earnings test in the year you reach FRA: "In the year you reach full retirement age, we deduct $1 in benefits for every $3 you earn above a different limit, but we only count earnings before the month you reach your full retirement age." So just to be 100% clear - they only count earnings BEFORE the month you reach FRA. If you reach FRA in May, they only count January through April earnings. May earnings don't count AT ALL, even if your birthday is May 31st. This is one of the few Social Security rules that actually works in our favor!

I thought I read somewhere that Congress might eliminate WEP? Is that true or just wishful thinking?

Update: I found the WEP calculator link and it worked! For anyone else dealing with this, it shows both the regular PIA and the reduced amount after WEP. In my case, my monthly benefit would be $2,285 without WEP but will be $1,786 with the reduction. My 23 years of substantial earnings helped reduce the penalty from the maximum, so that's good news at least. Thanks everyone for your help!

Update: I took everyone's advice and waited another week. Just checked my account again and it finally moved to Step 3 - approved! Looks like everyone was right about them processing it closer to the payment date. Thanks for preventing me from wasting hours on the phone! Still no communication from SSA directly, but at least the online status changed.

Great news! That's exactly how the system is supposed to work. You should receive an official award letter in the mail within 7-10 days that will confirm your exact benefit amount and payment date. I always recommend keeping that letter in your permanent records since it has your specific benefit information that can be useful for future reference.

Make sure to double-check your earnings record before applying! I discovered my employer from 2010-2012 had reported my income incorrectly, and it took MONTHS to fix. This affected my benefit calculation by almost $200/month. You can check your earnings record on mySocialSecurity. If there are any errors, fix those BEFORE applying for benefits. Also, if you're married, have you considered spousal benefit coordination strategies? Sometimes it makes sense for the higher-earning spouse to delay benefits while the lower earner claims early.

dont forget about TAXES! i was shocked when i had to pay taxes on my SS benefits. if ur total income is over like $25k (single) or $32k (married) u might have to pay federal taxes on up to 85% of ur benefits. big surprise to me!!!

Does anyone know if there's a penalty if you're still working while collecting either benefit? I heard something about an earnings limit but don't understand how it works

my neighbor waited till 70 for everything and then died at 72 just sayin

Did u check if the payment amount was correct? Sometimes they mess that up too

Just as an FYI - make sure you're budgeting for your regular payment date going forward. I've seen people get caught off guard when their second payment comes on the regular schedule, which can be 2-3 weeks later than when they received their first payment. Especially if you're setting up automatic bill payments, plan around your regular schedule (third Wednesday for you) rather than the date of your first payment.