I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago - suspended my benefits at 63 after getting a consulting gig that put me way over the earnings limit. The calculator disappearing is definitely frustrating, but there's a workaround that might help while you're waiting to get through to SSA. You can use the general retirement estimator on ssa.gov (not the personalized one in your account) and plug in your earnings history manually. It won't be as precise as your personal calculator was, but it'll give you a ballpark figure. Also, since you're suspending before your FRA, remember that you're essentially just pausing the clock on reductions rather than earning increases. The real benefit growth doesn't start until after your full retirement age. One tip for calling SSA - try calling right at 8am when they open or around 3-4pm. Those seem to be the least busy times in my experience.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - just turned 62 and considering applying for early benefits but worried about this exact issue! Can someone clarify what happens if you withdraw your application completely within the 12 months? Does that restore the calculator and let you start fresh, or are there other consequences? I've been using the online calculator religiously to plan my retirement timing and would hate to lose that tool permanently. Also, for those who've successfully gotten through to SSA by phone, did they provide you with projections that include potential future earnings, or just based on your current record?

As someone new to navigating Social Security, I'm finding this thread incredibly educational! I'm in a somewhat similar situation (though not quite as large an age gap with my spouse), and I had no idea about the "deemed filing" rule that @Mei Lin and @Liam Fitzgerald explained. It sounds like the key takeaway is that Carmen's decision really comes down to her financial needs now versus waiting for the full amount at 67. Given that her husband will be 79 when she reaches FRA, that's definitely something to factor in. Also really appreciate @GalacticGuru sharing that Claimyr service - I've been dreading that phone call to SSA myself! This community is so helpful for breaking down these complex topics.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm amazed at how thorough and helpful everyone has been in explaining Carmen's situation! I'm currently 55 with a spouse who's 8 years older, so while not exactly the same gap, I'm definitely taking notes on all this advice. The thing that really stands out to me is how @Liam Fitzgerald broke down those exact reduction percentages - that makes the financial impact so much clearer than just hearing "you'll get less if you file early." I had no clue about deemed filing either, which seems like a critical piece that could really trip people up if they don't understand it. @GalacticGuru, thanks for sharing that Claimyr tip - I've been putting off calling SSA for months because of the horror stories about wait times. Carmen, it sounds like you've got some great guidance here, and I hope you'll update us on what you decide to do! This thread is going in my bookmarks for future reference.

btw dont forget to check if you should apply for Medicare too if you haven't already! thats a whole other thing with different deadlines

Just wanted to add my experience - I went through this exact same situation two years ago when I reached FRA in August. I was so worried about getting the timing wrong! I ended up calling SSA multiple times and finally got a clear answer: you tell them the month you reach FRA (May in your case), and they handle everything from there. My first payment came exactly one month later as everyone here is saying. The key thing is don't overthink it - just use May as your start month since that's when you actually reach FRA. The SSA system is set up to handle the payment timing automatically. Good luck with your application!

I've been getting Social Security disability for about 8 years now, and I've noticed they seem to send them out in batches based on your Social Security number. People with numbers ending in certain digits get theirs first. My husband and I almost always get ours about 10 days apart even though we're at the same address. Maybe your SSN just puts you in a later batch this year?

I work at a tax preparation office and can confirm that the SSA typically mails out 1099s throughout January, with the deadline being January 31st. What many people don't realize is that the forms are often available online several days before they arrive by mail. If you're having trouble with the SSA website, try calling their main number (1-800-772-1213) early in the morning - wait times are usually shorter between 8-9 AM. Also, if you use a tax preparer, they can often help you access your online account or work with estimated numbers while you wait for the physical form to arrive.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who went through a similar situation! My husband started collecting at 62 due to health issues, then was able to return to work part-time at 68. We were pleasantly surprised when SSA sent us a notice about 8 months later saying his monthly benefit had increased by $42. What really helped us was setting up automatic notifications through his my Social Security account - now we get alerts whenever there are changes to his record or benefit amount. It's much easier than trying to track these things manually or wondering if adjustments happened. Also worth noting: if your brother's recent earnings are substantially higher than his pre-retirement average, the recalculations might continue for several years as each new high-earning year gets added to his record. The increases might get larger over time if he keeps earning more than his historical average!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation with my father who started collecting at 64 and has been working part-time since 67. Reading through everyone's experiences, I realize we should probably check his my Social Security account more regularly to see if any automatic recalculations have happened. One question I have - for those who have seen increases through AERO, do they typically send you a formal letter notifying you of the change, or does it just show up as a different amount in your monthly payment? My dad is pretty good about keeping track of his finances, but I want to make sure we're not missing any notifications about benefit adjustments. Also, does anyone know if there's a minimum threshold for how much your new earnings need to exceed your previous years to trigger a recalculation? Or does any increase in the top 35 years result in at least some benefit adjustment?