Social Security survivor benefits tax question - payments delayed until 2025 but filed in 2024
I'm so confused about how taxes work with delayed survivor benefits. I filed for my survivor benefits back in September to start in November (I'm at FRA so no reduction), but SSA seems to be taking forever to process it. My first payment should've come in December, but now it looks like January is more realistic given the backlog. My question is: when those benefits finally arrive, which tax year will they count for? If I filed for November/December 2024 benefits but the payment doesn't actually hit my account until January 2025, do I report that as 2024 or 2025 income for tax purposes? I'm still working part-time but since I'm at full retirement age, there's no earnings limit to worry about. Just trying to plan my taxes correctly since this delay is throwing everything off. Has anyone dealt with this before?
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Alina Rosenthal
same thing happened when i got survivors after my husband passed. they count for the tax year when you RECEIVE them not when they were for. so january 2025 payment = 2025 taxes even if its for november 2024
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Mohammad Khaled
•Thank you for the quick response. So even though I'm entitled to those months in 2024, I won't need to report them until I file 2025 taxes? That seems odd but I guess it makes it simpler.
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Finnegan Gunn
Social Security benefits are taxed in the year you receive them, not the year they're for. So if your November and December 2024 benefits don't arrive until January 2025, they'll be part of your 2025 tax reporting. When you eventually get your benefits, check the SSA-1099 they send you for 2024 (which will arrive by January 31, 2025). It will only show payments actually received in 2024. Then the 2025 SSA-1099 (arriving in January 2026) will include any backpay from 2024 that was paid in 2025. Since you're at FRA, you're right that there's no earnings limit to worry about. You can earn as much as you want without reduction of benefits.
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Miguel Harvey
•Wait I thought backpay was different? My sister got 6 months backpay and had to report it all for the year she got it even though it was for months in previous year.
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Ashley Simian
I've been dealing with this EXACT situation and it's SO FRUSTRATING!!! I filed for survivor benefits in August and it's STILL processing. Called SSA like 30 times and can't get anyone to help. The local office has a 3 MONTH wait for appointments!!! From what I understand, when you get the payment is what matters for taxes. So if they pay you in January for November/December, it's 2025 income. But just be prepared - they might end up sending you a paper check for the first payment rather than direct deposit. That's what the one agent I finally reached told me might happen.
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Oliver Cheng
•I was in this exact situation last year, and after weeks of not being able to get through to SSA, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in under 20 minutes. Saved me so much frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I got through, the agent was able to see my application was just sitting there waiting for someone to review it and they expedited it. Got my benefits within 2 weeks after that call.
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Taylor To
Social Security benefits follow a cash basis for tax reporting, meaning they're taxable in the year you receive them, not when they were due or earned. Reference: IRS Publication 915. For your specific situation: 1. If you receive November and December 2024 benefits in January 2025, they will be included on your 2025 SSA-1099 form and reported on your 2025 tax return (filed in 2026). 2. Your 2024 SSA-1099 will show $0 if no payments were received in calendar year 2024. 3. Since you're at Full Retirement Age (FRA), the earnings test doesn't apply to you, so your work income won't affect your survivor benefits. One thing to note: if you receive a substantial amount of backpay in 2025, it could potentially push you into a higher tax bracket or increase the percentage of your Social Security benefits that are taxable in 2025, so you might want to adjust tax withholdings accordingly.
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Mohammad Khaled
•Thank you for the detailed explanation. At least there's a silver lining - I won't have to worry about reporting any SS income on my 2024 taxes. I appreciate the tip about potential tax bracket changes in 2025. I'll talk to my tax preparer about that.
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Ella Cofer
yep its always based on when u actually get the money. sorta like work paychecks, if ur december paycheck comes in january it goes on next years taxes not this year
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Miguel Harvey
Has anyone got survivor benefits this year? How long did it take to get approved from when you applied? I'm going to be applying next month and wondering if I should expect these delays too
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Alina Rosenthal
•applied in july and got first payment october. was told 3 months is pretty normal these days
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Ashley Simian
Something NO ONE has mentioned yet is that sometimes SSA will send you a letter saying what month your benefits officially start - keep this letter!!! You might need it to prove when you were entitled to benefits vs when you actually got paid. Especially if there's ever an audit or question later.
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Mohammad Khaled
•That's a great tip! I haven't received an official approval letter yet, but I'll definitely save everything they send me. Documentation seems to be crucial with all this SSA stuff.
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Finnegan Gunn
Just to add one more point of clarification - when the backpay arrives, the SSA-1099 will show the total amount paid to you during that calendar year. It won't specify which months the payments were for, just the total received. This is why it's important to keep your award letter that explains the breakdown of payments. Also, since you're asking about taxes, remember that depending on your combined income (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of SS benefits), up to 85% of your Social Security benefits may be taxable. Since you're still working, this is something to be aware of for your tax planning.
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Mohammad Khaled
•I didn't realize they don't break down which months the payments are for on the 1099. That's really helpful to know - I'll definitely save all the paperwork they send. And yes, I know some portion will be taxable since I'm still working. I was just confused about WHICH tax year they'd apply to. Thanks!
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