When does Social Security ask about tax withholding during online application process?

The online application doesn't include tax withholding options. After your benefits are approved, you'll receive a notification to create your my Social Security account (if you haven't already). From there, you can set up voluntary tax withholding by selecting the \

Thank you so much for this clear explanation! I was worried I missed something in the application. We already have our my Social Security accounts set up, but I didn't realize we'd need to wait until after approval to handle the withholding part. Much appreciated!

my husband and i both started SS last year and the tax part confused us too!!!! we ended up owing a bunch at tax time cause we didnt know to setup withholding until our 3rd payment... dont make our mistake lol

Oh no! That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. How much did you end up owing, if you don't mind me asking? And was it difficult to set up the withholding once you realized you needed it?

we owed like $3200 for the year it was awful!!! setting it up wasn't hard just went into the my SS account thing and picked 10% withholding. wish theyd warn people better

What I found helpful was understanding exactly when to handle tax withholding in the process:1. First, complete and submit your retirement applications2. Wait for approval notification (typically 2-4 weeks)3. Once approved, immediately log into your my Social Security accounts4. Navigate to Benefits & Payments > Tax Withholding5. Both you and your husband should select your preferred withholding rateAlternatively, you can submit Form W-4V (Voluntary Withholding Request) directly to your local office. Just be aware that if you don't set up withholding, you may need to make quarterly estimated tax payments instead to avoid underpayment penalties.

This step-by-step guide is exactly what I needed! Really appreciate you laying it out so clearly. I'll make sure to set calendar reminders so we handle this immediately after approval.

BE WARNED THE SSA SOMETIMES TAKES FOREVER TO PROCESS WITHOLDING REQUESTS!!! I submitted mine through my SS account and it took OVER 2 MONTHS to actually start the withholding!!!! I had to call them multiple times to get it fixed. Their system is completely broken!!!!

I had this exact same experience. Submitted my withholding request and nothing happened for weeks. I tried calling but spent literally 3 hours on hold before getting disconnected. Then I found Claimyr.com which got me through to an actual SSA agent in about 15 minutes. They have this service where they wait on hold for you then call when an agent is on the line. Saved me so much frustration! There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. The agent was able to confirm my withholding request had gotten stuck in their system and fixed it right away.

Why should we have to pay a service just to talk to someone at SSA? This is ridiculous. Our tax dollars already fund this agency. I'm gonna try the local office instead.

I understand the frustration, but my local office had a 3-week wait for appointments. For something time-sensitive like tax withholding, I felt the service was worth it. But yes, ideally we shouldn't need workarounds like this.

Congrats on retiring! My wife and I just went through this whole process last summer. One thing to consider: you might not NEED to withhold taxes. We talked to our accountant and decided to just make quarterly estimated payments instead since our other income fluctuates throughout the year. Gives us more flexibility than fixed withholding.

That's a really good point I hadn't considered! We do have some variable income from investments, so maybe quarterly payments would work better for us too. I'll definitely discuss this with our tax person. Thanks for bringing this up!

wait quick question - are you guys both taking your own benefits? or is one of you taking spousal? cause my sister did the spousal thing at FRA and got more money than her own record

We're both taking our own benefits since we had similar earnings histories. I did check the spousal benefit option but my own benefit amount is higher. It's definitely worth looking into though - I know several friends who got more with the spousal benefit!

Just to add to this - make sure you both ran the math correctly. At FRA, spousal benefits are 50% of the higher earner's PIA (even if they delayed claiming). Sometimes it's not immediately obvious which is better without seeing the actual numbers.

Since you're both at or past your Full Retirement Ages, I wanted to mention something important about tax planning with Social Security. Once you start receiving benefits, up to 85% of your Social Security income may be taxable depending on your combined income. The thresholds are:- Up to 50% taxable if your combined income is between $32,000-$44,000 (married filing jointly)- Up to 85% taxable if your combined income exceeds $44,000Combined income = Adjusted Gross Income + Nontaxable Interest + 1/2 of Social Security BenefitsThis is why setting up proper withholding or estimated payments is so important. Many new retirees are surprised by their tax liability.

These thresholds are so much lower than I expected! With our pension and investment income, we'll definitely be in the 85% taxable category. This makes the withholding question even more critical for us. Thank you for sharing these specific numbers.

One more thing to be aware of - if you want to set up or modify your tax withholding by phone instead of online, be prepared for extremely long wait times (often 1-2 hours). The

Thanks for the heads up! I'll definitely stick with the online method whenever possible. The thought of being on hold for 2 hours is not appealing at all.

I'm about to start this process myself next month and this whole thread has been incredibly helpful! Just wanted to add one tip I learned from my financial advisor - if you're concerned about the timing gap between approval and setting up withholding, you can always make a voluntary tax payment directly to the IRS for the first quarter to cover yourself. That way you're not scrambling if there are delays with SSA processing your withholding request. You can do this online at irs.gov using Direct Pay. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - definitely saving me from some potential headaches!

As someone who just went through this process a few months ago, I can confirm everything mentioned here is accurate. The tax withholding really isn't part of the initial application - it's a separate step after approval. One thing I'd add is to keep documentation of when you submit your withholding request through your my Social Security account. I took screenshots showing the date and confirmation, which helped when I had to call about a delay. Also, if you're worried about the timing gap, you can always increase your withholding percentage initially (like 15% instead of 10%) and then adjust it down later once you see how your actual tax situation plays out. It's easier to get a refund than to owe at tax time!

Just wanted to share my experience since I went through this exact situation last year. You're absolutely right to be concerned about the timing - there is definitely a gap between application approval and when you can set up withholding. What I did was calculate roughly what our first few months of benefits would be and made a voluntary estimated tax payment to the IRS to cover that period. This gave me peace of mind while waiting for the withholding to start. Also, when you do get to set up withholding through your my Social Security account, I'd recommend choosing a slightly higher percentage initially (maybe 12-15%) rather than trying to be exact. You can always adjust it down after a few months once you see your actual tax picture. Better to get a small refund than owe unexpectedly! The whole process took about 6 weeks from approval to actually seeing withholding on my payments, so definitely plan for that delay.

I'm jumping in as someone who's helping their elderly parents navigate this exact process right now! We just submitted their applications last week and I was equally confused about the tax withholding timing. This thread has been incredibly enlightening - especially learning that it's a completely separate step after approval rather than part of the initial application. One additional resource I discovered that might help others: if you're unsure about what withholding percentage to choose, the IRS has a Tax Withholding Estimator tool on their website that can help you calculate based on your total expected income for the year. We're planning to use that once we know their exact benefit amounts to determine the right withholding rate. Also, for anyone dealing with this timing gap concern, our tax preparer suggested keeping track of the exact start date of benefits and the amount of each payment received before withholding begins. This makes it easier to calculate any additional tax payment needed when you file. Thanks everyone for sharing your real-world experiences - it's so much more helpful than the official SSA guidance!

As someone who went through this same confusion just six months ago, I can relate to your concern about the tax withholding timing! The process is definitely counterintuitive - you'd think such an important financial decision would be part of the main application, but it's completely separate. One thing I wish I had known earlier: you can actually call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to set up tax withholding even before your first payment arrives, as long as your application has been approved. This can help close some of that timing gap everyone's mentioned. The hold times are brutal (usually 45+ minutes), but it might be worth it for peace of mind. Also, I'd strongly recommend setting up automatic calendar reminders for both of you to check your withholding status monthly for the first few months. I found that even after setting it up online, there were occasional glitches where it didn't take effect immediately. Having those regular check-ins helped me catch and fix issues quickly. The tax implications at your income levels are definitely significant, so you're smart to be thinking about this upfront. Better to over-prepare than get hit with a surprise tax bill!

This entire thread has been a goldmine of information! As someone who's planning to retire in about 8 months, I'm bookmarking this whole conversation. The disconnect between the application process and tax withholding setup seems like such a design flaw - you'd think SSA would at least mention it during the application or send some kind of heads up about it. I'm particularly grateful for all the specific timelines people have shared (6 weeks from approval to withholding actually starting, potential 2+ month delays if there are system glitches, etc.). It really helps with planning. The suggestion to start with higher withholding and adjust down later makes so much sense, especially given how difficult it apparently is to reach SSA by phone if you need to make changes. One question for those who've been through this - did any of you set up withholding for both federal AND state taxes, or just federal? I'm in a state with income tax and wondering if I need to handle state withholding separately or if SSA can do both.

This has been such an informative thread! I'm 63 and considering when to start my benefits, so all this tax withholding information is incredibly valuable. The fact that there's no mention of tax implications during the actual application process seems like a major oversight by SSA. One thing I'm curious about - for those who've been receiving benefits for a while now, have you found that your initial withholding percentage estimates were accurate, or did most of you end up needing to adjust them significantly after your first tax season? I'm trying to figure out whether it's better to be conservative and start high (like the 15% several people mentioned) or if there's a more strategic approach to estimating the right percentage from the start. Also, has anyone dealt with the withholding setup while also having other retirement income like 401k distributions? I'm wondering if coordinating withholding across multiple sources gets complicated or if it's simpler to just handle it all through estimated quarterly payments instead.

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm 65 and was planning to apply for my Social Security benefits next month, and I had no idea that tax withholding wasn't part of the main application process. Reading about everyone's experiences with delays and system glitches has me thinking I need to be much more proactive about this. The suggestion about making a voluntary first-quarter payment to the IRS while waiting for withholding to kick in is genius - I'm definitely going to do that. And starting with a higher withholding percentage (like 12-15%) and adjusting down later makes so much more sense than trying to guess the exact amount and potentially owing at tax time. One thing I'm still unclear about - when you log into your my Social Security account to set up withholding after approval, are the withholding percentage options clearly explained, or do you just get to pick from standard rates like 7%, 10%, 12%, 15%, etc.? I want to make sure I understand all my options before I get to that step. Thanks to everyone who shared their real-world experiences - this is so much more helpful than anything I've found on the official SSA website!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm 62 and planning to start benefits at my FRA in about 3 years, but I wanted to understand the tax withholding process early so I can plan properly. Reading everyone's experiences has highlighted just how important it is to be proactive about this. A few key takeaways I'm noting for my future self: 1) Tax withholding is completely separate from the application process, 2) There can be significant delays (6+ weeks) between approval and withholding actually starting, 3) Starting with higher withholding (12-15%) and adjusting down is smarter than under-withholding, and 4) Making a voluntary first-quarter payment to the IRS can bridge the gap while waiting for withholding to begin. One additional question for those who've been through this - did anyone find it helpful to consult with a tax professional specifically about Social Security withholding strategy, or were you able to figure out the right approach on your own? Given how complex the taxation rules seem to be (especially that 85% taxability threshold), I'm wondering if it's worth getting professional guidance before I reach that point. Thank you all for sharing such detailed, practical experiences. This is exactly the kind of real-world insight that makes all the difference in planning!

As someone who's been helping seniors navigate Social Security for over 15 years, I can confirm everything shared here is spot-on. The tax withholding gap is one of the most common issues I see new beneficiaries struggle with. Here's what I always recommend to my clients: First, calculate your expected annual Social Security benefits and multiply by 0.85 to get your maximum taxable amount. Then estimate your total retirement income and see where you'll fall in the tax brackets. This gives you a baseline for withholding percentage. For couples like you and your husband who are both claiming at FRA, I typically suggest starting with 12% withholding if your combined income will exceed $44,000 (which it sounds like it will). You can always adjust quarterly. One tip I haven't seen mentioned - if you have a trusted tax preparer, ask them to run a projection now using your estimated Social Security amounts. Most tax software can model this, and having actual numbers beats guessing every time. The small fee for this service often saves hundreds or thousands in unexpected tax bills later. Stay organized with documentation as others have suggested - the SSA's systems can be finicky, and having records of every step helps tremendously if issues arise!