Will my husband's Social Security benefits include 2025 COLA if he started receiving in Oct 2024?
My husband finally started getting Social Security retirement benefits in October 2024 (he applied in September). Today we got this letter from SSA explaining his benefit amount and saying he'll receive the same payment each month going forward, with his November payment coming in December on his regular payment date. I'm confused about two things: 1) Does this mean he WON'T be getting the 2025 COLA increase that was just announced? The letter doesn't mention anything about a COLA adjustment. Will that come in a separate notice? 2) We estimated his 2024 earnings would be around $28,300 when he applied, but his actual earnings ended up being about $29,000 before he stopped working completely. All those extra earnings ($700) were from before he started collecting benefits. Do I need to contact SSA about this difference or will they figure it out automatically when his employer reports his W-2? This is our first time dealing with Social Security benefits and I don't want to mess anything up! Thanks in advance for any guidance.
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Ethan Scott
Yes, your husband will get the 2025 COLA increase! The letter you received is their standard benefit verification letter that confirms his initial benefit amount. The COLA adjustment will be applied automatically in January, and you should receive a separate COLA notice in December explaining the new amount. As for the $700 earnings difference, as long as he's completely stopped working now, you don't need to contact them about this small difference. SSA will automatically adjust once they receive the W-2 information from his employer. They reconcile estimated vs. actual earnings regularly. Keep all those letters for your records though!
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Genevieve Cavalier
•Thank you so much! That's a huge relief. I was worried we'd somehow missed out on the COLA by starting benefits so late in the year. Will keep an eye out for that December notice then.
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Lola Perez
my husband got same thing last yr. dont worry the cola comes auto in jan and they send letter in dec tellin u the new amount. its always confusin the 1st time lol
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Genevieve Cavalier
•It really is confusing! Glad to hear this is normal. Looking forward to that December letter now. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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Nathaniel Stewart
Watch that earnings estimate closely! SSA messed up my husband's earnings record and it took MONTHS to fix. You might think $700 is small but they can come after you for overpayments YEARS later. I'd call them right away to report the difference just to be safe. Their system is so broken.
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Riya Sharma
•While it's true the SSA can be strict about earnings records, a $700 difference that occurred before benefits started is unlikely to cause issues. The annual earnings test only matters if you're working while receiving benefits. Since OP's husband has stopped working completely, this small discrepancy will be reconciled automatically through the W-2 process. It's always good to keep records, but this particular situation doesn't require immediate action.
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Santiago Diaz
Same thing happened to me when I started my benefits in 2023! The COLA comes later in a different letter around December. Don't stress - everyone who gets Social Security gets the COLA increase no matter when they started receiving benefits! For the earnings question - did he earn over the annual limit? If not, don't worry about it at all. If he was over the annual limit it might matter, but sounds like he stopped working before claiming anyway.
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Genevieve Cavalier
•No, he didn't go over the annual limit. He's 67 so he's already at his Full Retirement Age anyway. I think the earnings limit doesn't apply anymore at that point? But good to know about the COLA - thanks!
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Millie Long
I've been through this exact situation. The COLA adjustment will definitely be applied to your husband's benefits starting in January 2025. The letter you received is just confirming his initial benefit amount. About contacting them regarding the earnings difference - I've been trying to reach SSA for weeks about an issue with my own benefits and it's been IMPOSSIBLE. Hours on hold only to get disconnected. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a representative in under 30 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Honestly though, for a $700 earnings difference that happened before benefits started, I wouldn't even bother calling. They'll adjust automatically when tax records are processed.
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Genevieve Cavalier
•Thank you! And thanks for the tip about Claimyr. I might need that service for future issues - the one time I tried calling SSA directly I waited over an hour before giving up. Good to know there are options if we need to contact them about something more serious down the road.
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KaiEsmeralda
NOBODY at SSA knows what they're doing!! My COLA letter last year had the WRONG AMOUNT and I spent 4 MONTHS trying to get it fixed!!! Don't believe anything they say in those letters!!!
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Ethan Scott
•While there can certainly be mistakes sometimes, the vast majority of COLA adjustments are processed correctly. If you're concerned about the accuracy of your benefit amount, I'd recommend checking your mySocialSecurity account online after January 1st to verify the new payment amount matches what was stated in your COLA notice.
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Riya Sharma
To add a bit more technical detail: The 2025 COLA (3.2%) will be applied to everyone receiving Social Security benefits as of December 2024. The timing of when someone started receiving benefits doesn't affect COLA eligibility. For the earnings question, the rules depend on your husband's age. Since you mentioned he's 67 and at his Full Retirement Age (FRA), the earnings test doesn't apply to him anyway. SSA will reconcile his actual earnings when tax information is processed, but this won't affect his benefit amount. The letter you received is standard for new beneficiaries. You'll receive a separate COLA notice in December that will explain the inflation adjustment being applied to his benefits starting January 2025.
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Genevieve Cavalier
•Thank you for the detailed explanation! Yes, he is past his FRA so it sounds like we don't need to worry about either issue. It's surprising how little explanation comes with these notices - they just assume everyone understands all the Social Security rules already.
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Lola Perez
wait does anyone know if the 3.2% gets added to wats in the letter already or is it calculated some other way?? so confused
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Ethan Scott
•The 3.2% COLA will be applied to your current benefit amount (before any deductions like Medicare premiums). So if your current benefit is $2,000, the COLA would add $64 (2000 × 0.032 = 64), making your new gross benefit $2,064 starting in January. The COLA notice in December will show the exact calculation for your specific situation.
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