How to cancel Social Security application at age 62 when I need to keep working for health insurance
I'm in a bit of a panic about my Social Security application. I applied on December 31st, 2024 when I was 62 and 5 months old. My MySocialSecurity account shows my application is at Step 2 of processing. I originally thought I could reduce my work hours, but now I'm stuck in a difficult situation. I've been working nearly 80 hours weekly between two jobs, and I just learned I need multiple surgeries in the coming months. My main job provides my health insurance which I absolutely need right now, but that job alone puts me over the earnings limit (I think it's about $22,320 for 2025?). I don't want my benefits to start in April if I'll just lose most of them to the earnings test! How do I withdraw my application before it's processed? And if I decide to keep the application going, would my payments (around $1,950/month) be retroactive to January 1, 2025? I'm completely confused about what to do with these upcoming medical procedures.
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Victoria Scott
You need to contact SSA immediately to withdraw your application. This is called a "withdrawal of application" and you must submit form SSA-521. Since benefits haven't started yet, you won't need to repay anything. The earnings limit for 2025 is $22,320, and you lose $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit, so yes, your high earnings would significantly reduce your payments. Regarding retroactivity - for retirement at 62, benefits aren't retroactive. The earliest you could receive benefits would be for the first month you're eligible and have applied (and served your waiting period). So if you applied in December 2024 for age 62 benefits, April 2025 would be your first payment month (covering March 2025) due to the standard processing time.
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Ezra Collins
•Thank you for the info! Do you know if there's a deadline for submitting the withdrawal form? My application has been processing for almost 2 months already. Also, if I withdraw now but want to apply again after my surgeries (maybe in 6-8 months when I might reduce hours), would that be a problem?
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Benjamin Johnson
im in almost the SAME boat but already getting benefits. make SURE u withdraw before they start paying you!!! once they start paying its a NIGHTMARE to undo!!!! u only get ONE withdrawal in your lifetime so be careful!!!!
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Ezra Collins
•Oh wow, I didn't realize you only get one withdrawal opportunity! That's really good to know. I'm definitely going to withdraw now and wait until my medical situation is more stable.
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Zara Perez
Have you tried calling the SSA to stop the application? I've been trying to reach them for weeks about my own issue and just keep getting busy signals or disconnected. So frustrating trying to get a human on the phone!
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Daniel Rogers
•I had the same problem but found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an SSA agent in under 20 minutes. They basically call SSA for you and when they get a rep on the line, they connect you. Saved me hours of frustration. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a demo video here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU For something time-sensitive like withdrawing an application, it's worth considering since you really need to talk to a person at SSA about this form SSA-521.
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Aaliyah Reed
A few important things to understand about your situation: 1) You can withdraw your application by filing form SSA-521 as long as it's within 12 months of being approved (not just filed) AND you haven't received benefits yet. It sounds like you're still in the application phase, so you're fine. 2) The earnings limit for someone under FRA in 2025 is $22,320. For every $2 you earn above that limit, $1 is withheld from benefits. At 80 hours/week, you're likely significantly above that limit. 3) There's no retroactivity for retirement benefits before FRA unless you're filing for reduced benefits in the month you reach FRA. So no, you wouldn't get payments back to January. 4) Regarding health insurance: Have you considered whether you'd qualify for Medicare under disability while you're dealing with these surgeries? That might be another avenue to explore depending on your medical situation.
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Ezra Collins
•Thank you for such detailed information! I never considered disability Medicare - these surgeries are for degenerative disc issues that have gotten worse, but I've been pushing through work despite the pain. Maybe I should look into that option as well. Do you know if I need to go into an office to submit the SSA-521 form, or can I mail it?
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Ella Russell
Just my 2 cents, but with the surgeries coming up, have you checked if waiting until closer to your FRA would give you a better monthly amount? My brother waited until 67 and got WAY more than when he first qualified at 62. Might be something to think about while you're keeping your job for the health insurance anyway.
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Mohammed Khan
•This is actually good advice. Each year you delay past 62 adds about 8% to your benefit amount (varies slightly depending on exact birth year). So if OP needs to keep working full-time for health insurance anyway, might make sense to just withdraw and wait until they can actually retire or reach FRA when the earnings limit is much higher.
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Benjamin Johnson
wait i just realized something does your employer know u applied for ss?? my friend got fired when his boss found out he applied even tho he was still working full time!!! something about assuming he was leaving soon anyway
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Ezra Collins
•Oh my gosh, no they don't know! I didn't even think about that aspect. Definitely another reason to withdraw my application ASAP. Between needing my health insurance and not wanting to risk my job, this was clearly a premature application.
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Aaliyah Reed
One more thing to consider - you mentioned you're 62 and 5 months now. Remember that your benefit amount increases slightly each month you delay, not just each year. So even waiting a few more months until after your surgeries will give you a slightly higher benefit amount when you do claim. And since you'd likely lose most of your benefit to the earnings test right now anyway, there's little advantage to keeping the application active.
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Ezra Collins
•I didn't realize the increase happened on a monthly basis! That's really helpful to know. I think I've decided to withdraw for sure now. Between the earnings test, the health insurance concerns, and the fact that I can get a higher benefit by waiting, it seems like the clear choice. I'll submit that SSA-521 form ASAP.
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Zara Perez
Do you actually NEED to withdraw the application? Can't you just tell them to pause it or something? Seems like a lot of paperwork just to delay things a bit.
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Victoria Scott
•Unfortunately, Social Security doesn't have a "pause" option for applications. You either need to let it process or formally withdraw it using the SSA-521 form. Once benefits begin, stopping them gets much more complicated. If the person plans to continue high-earning work, withdrawal is the right approach since they'd lose most benefits to the earnings test anyway.
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