Social Security

 After years of rubbish from AARP I am not renewing My membership. Constantly sending useless forms to sign, that never see the light of day.  The scare methods AARP uses on Seniors is laughable.  Most articles are just rehashes over and over.  Most of their Info is known already.  By the way Joanne  what does the AARP Lobbyists actually do ??    Disgusting. I hope others will follow My lead and CANCEL Their Membership.  BYE-Bye.

I will reach full retirement age in about 6 months. I'm still working full time at a job I thoroughly enjoy and am in very good health. My social security benefits at 66.5 is approximately $2700 monthly and will increase $800/month if I wait until age 70. I plan to work until 70 regardless. I've been advised by a consultant at Edwards Jones to start drawing at full retirement age and investing the $2700 until I retire at 70. (42 months X $2700 = $113,400) not counting the dividends (appoximately 6%). In theory that sounds great, but when I quit working my social security check will still be $800 less per month. Would love some opinions and/or advice.

I am 68 years old and have delayed taking Social Security. Spouse is 64. She doesn't qualify for benefits, so she would be receiving a portion of mine when I pass. Would there be any difference in her benefit amount if I started receiving payments now vs. if I hadn't begun to receive payments at the time of my death? Also, if I began taking benefits now and subequently passed away, could my surviving spouse decline payments until she reachers her FRA of 67, and then receive the maximum benefit?Thanks so much!  

I am a widow, age 65. Initially when I visited the local SS office and presented all my paperwork, I was told that I could start collecting my SS benefit whenever I choose, and then when I turn 66+4 months I can switch over to my late husband's benefit, which is significantly higher than mine. Based on this, I chose to start receiving my benefit in January 2024, since my 2023 income is too high to collect immediately. The understanding was that I would switch to my husband's benefit after age 66. I was given a phone appointment to get the paperwork started for this. The SS agent on the phone told me this was not possible; I couldn't start taking my benefit and then switch to my husband's at age 66+4, which is contrary to what I was told in person. I asked her 3 times to make sure I understood, and she reiterated that this is the case.  My question is, which agent is correct? I can't seem to find consistent information on this. 

Hello, I am a US citizen and eligible for social security. I am presently in US, but planning to move to India for extended duration. I have following questions: Will I get social security while I am in India?Is there any restriction on how long I can be abroad (India) for continuing getting social security? Thank you Kiran Bakshi 

Im starting social security benefits this year in June ( age 62) . How much can I make monthly in extra income ?  I have read 2 things — a) as much as I want this year  or b) 1680 per month ( or something close to that .  Does anyone know how that works ? 

Recently I was informed by a Social Security representative they would hold several months of my supplement now based on projected income earnings over the Federal mandate of allowed annual earnings outside of Social Security rather than wait and see if I earn that amount. Is this a true thing? Is that how it is done?

Hello, my husband and I were assessed this adjustment for 2024.  It was because our AGI dramatically increased due to the sale of real property in 2021.  We've been told that the adjustment CANNOT be reduced unless one of eight life-changing events occurred, which are listed and explained on formSSA-44.  None of which apply to us.  Certainly that can't be situation.  Our assessment was made because we filed our 2022 tax return in October as opposed to April, and the assessment was made based on our 2021 tax return.  Does anyone have any experience like ours?  Many thanks, and best wishes!

I am a US citizen who lives on a fixed income in Jalisco,Mexico. I receive SSDIand live from month to month. Every year there is a form 7162 that needs to befilled and returned to social security, in my case since I live in Mexico we sendthe forms to the FBU federal benefits unit.These offices only communicate through email. On February 2nd, I received an email that my benefits were suspended. Along with the email was the Form 7162, that the FBU offices shouldhave sent me weeks ago. Instead they waited until I was suspended and then sentme the forms. I returned the form yesterday to the local US consulate office.This form does have to be filled out every year, but the time of the year differseach year, so knowing exactly when its due is something that the office wanted me to guess.Instead they haven't emailed me anything since November of 2023until they tell me my benefits are suspended. Now because of their error, I facea financial emergency. There are no outreach programs in Mexico f

Inflation bumps up benefit payments — but not the income thresholds that make them taxable. By Andy Markowitz. Published February 06, 2024. https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/info-2024/benefits-taxes-cola.html 

 I was born the first week of May in 1958. According to SSA, I can start collecting 100% of my benefits January of 2025--66 & months is when I qualify for 100%. When I put in the date to start collecting my benefits, should I state January 2025 as the start date or February 2025? I don't want to start it a month early and be stuck with less than 100%.  I'm sure this question has been addressed before many times, but I'm not finding a post that directly answers my question.

I applied for social security on 1/1/24. My application is still in the review process even though the ss website says 2-4 weeks. I can’t call or email anyone in ss.  I want to give notice at work but I’d like to hear something from ss beforehand. Am I just overly impatient?

Greetings. I am retired but not yet collecting social security, which I plan to do when I turn 67 in about 4 years. I use some retirement planning models which have you look up you projected benefit amount at age 67 and put them in the model. In 2023, this amount was approximately $3500 on the My Social Security website. I logged on to the site a few days ago and this number is now about $3650 per month. I know there is a COLA for when you are actually collecting social security but I was not expected my project amount to go up. This might not seem like a big different but over more than 20 years it is significant and if this happens again the next three years before I start taking benefits, it would be a relatively large increase that I would want in my retirement planning now. Thanks for any assistance. 

I am retired but still have some ESPP stock from my last two employers. I know that when I sell these ESPP shares the 15% discount I received will be deemed "ordinary income" and as such I will need to pay federal and state taxes. My question is do I also have to pay FICA on this as well?  I have no other "earned income", just dividends and social security, so no FICA due on those.   

I am the higher earner and also older spouse. I am older by 4 years. Our plan was to wait until I turn 70 to receive the maximum benefit. A year after that my spouse would reach her FRA of 67 and her benefit. She would collect 1/2 of my benefit with a GPO deduction. This is higher than her own benefit. All fairly staright forward. Someone mentioned to me that she could start collecting now (she's 63) her reduced benefit and then switch to my higher spousal benefit when she reached her FRA at 67. Sounded like something we should look into. I called my local social security office and was told that was phased out a few years back. She would be stuck at the benefit when she first filed at 63. Can anyone provide any insight. Mike

3 comments (1/22/23) I had never paid attention to the area our Social Security Numbers are printed on our YEARLY Social Security Retirement STATEMENT until last week when I received this year's copy in my MAILBOX. I guess I was not paying attention since retiring July 2020. I am signed up to get everything ONLINE, but for some reason they INSIST on mailing ONLY this to my apartment address. I can see the ONLINE version, so why mail me a PRINT COPY? Hmmm, suppose a dishonest postal worker opens the envelope which is obviously just 1 sheet and from the Social Security Administration. Suppose our mail gets stolen or delivered to the wrong person. I would have thought using the usual x's would protect us. Example, xxx-xx-1234. ➡️  To reply, click on reply button at bottom of this post. Enter your text. Click reply button again. ⬅️ Thank you,Nicole (Social Security Forum)

I applied for SS retirement benefits on August 17, 2023. At that time I also applied for disability but to be honest I wasn't hopeful for that. My retirement is at step one of 3 and my disability is chugging along. When I applied I checked a box stating I wanted to get my retirement benefits while I was waiting for a disability decision. So after 3 months I called in and was told I didn't apply for retirement benefits. When I log into my SS account both applications are listed. She told me I would get a phone call in 2 months. I waited a couple of weeks and called to check to see if she changed anything and the person told me again that I didn't apply for retirement. I called the local office intending to go in and just get this straightened out once and for all and she told me that they aren't doing it in person but gave me a phone number. I called that and the man gave me the phone number of a case manager. I must have left 10 messages and never heard back. I don't know what to do. A

I applied for Medicare part B during the last week of December to presumably begin in January.The SS website says my Medicare premium should be $174.60 but the check I just got has a medicare deduction of $339.60. I have no Part C or D with medicare. Would I be correct in assuming that the reason the premium is this big this month is because I was billed for both January and February and that starting next month the premium will revert to the $174.60 amount? 

 Hello, Can someone please help me sort out my medicare premiums problems?  Here's the issue.  After working for a company for 44 years I retired in Feb 2022 at the age of 64 and received early retirement severance pay for the remainder of the year .  The severance covered income and  COBRA health insurance payments for 2022 since I also lost company health insurance.Upon turning 65 in Jan 2023 I applied for medicare.  They said my premiums would be over $500.00 per month because of my 2021 income.   Mind you, I did not work or earn any income in 2023 and will not in 2024.  They're stating I still have to pay the high premium because they're now looking at 2022 income.They look at 2 years prior income instead of current year income.  Can anyone provide advice on how to proceed?Thanks.🤔

It seems like a simple question, but I cannot get a straight answer, arrg!!! Help! If I retire at 64, and no longer work, and I decide not to take SS benefits until 67, will the SS amount continue to grow by waiting those 3 years? If it does not, I should just start taking it at 64, right?

I will turn age 70 on June 1 and plan to start taking Social Security then in order to get the highest amount. So I have a timing question: Do I have to have first turned age 70 to do this? For example, should I tell them to start me on July 1,  2024? Or if I tell them to start me on June 1, 2024 is there some  risk that they will pay me at the lower tier?