Ask Larry

my wife born on 1/30/1957, what month she can receive full social security benefit payment, She will use half of my retirement payment instead of her payment which is less, if she chooses to delay to receive the payment will the payment be increased?

Hi. If your wife was born on January 30th 1957, her full retirement age (FRA) for Social Security retirement and spousal benefits is July 2023. Waiting past then to claim spousal benefits would not increase her spousal benefit rate, but would increase her own Social Security retirement benefit rate.

However, your wife can't qualify for spousal benefits unless you're drawing your benefits. And, your wife can't apply for either her own benefits or for spousal benefits without being deemed to be filing for both benefits at the same time. So, if 50% of your PIA is more than your wife's own PIA and assuming that your wife has enough Social Security earnings credits to qualify for benefits on her own account and you are drawing your benefits, she'll be paid her own benefit plus a partial spousal benefit. If she starts drawing at her FRA or later, her total benefit amount would then add up to 50% of your PIA.

For example, say Mary files for benefits when she reaches FRA in July 2023. Mary's PIA, which is equal to her FRA retirement benefit rate, is $800. Mary's husband is collecting his benefits, and his PIA is $2000. Mary's unreduced excess spousal benefit would then be calculated by subtracting her PIA from 50% of her husband's PIA, which in Mary's case amounts to $200 (i.e. $2000/2 - $800). Mary would then be paid both her own FRA rate of $800 plus her unreduced excess spousal rate of $200 to give her a combined benefit amount of $1000 (i.e. equal to half of her husband's PIA).

If Mary waited until age 70 to start collecting benefits, her own retirement benefit rate would increase to $1024 due to delayed retirement credits (DRC). But, in that case Mary would not qualify for spousal benefits since her own benefit rate would be more than 50% of her husband's PIA. So, Mary would almost certainly choose to start drawing her combined benefit of $1000 at her FRA of 66 & 6 months as opposed to waiting until age 70 to receive a $24 higher monthly benefit.

Your wife's best filing option depends on a number of different variables, so she should strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully compare and analyze all of her options so that she can be sure to choose the best strategy for maximizing her benefits.

Best, Jerry

I reach my FRA August 2023. My wife took SS at 62 . When I apply for SS, will my wife automatically receive spousal benefits or does she has to do something on “ my account” ? Do I need do do something on “my account” ? Will she receive spousal bump the same month I receive my first payment? I am a user of maximize my social security.

Hi. No. If your wife will be eligible for additional spousal benefits when you start drawing your benefits, she'll need to apply for those benefits. Your wife can file her application for spousal benefits as early as the same date that you apply for your benefits, but not before then.

Best, Jerry

Can you confirm the status of my application to start receiving my social security benefits on March 1, 2023?

Hi. No. We are a private company not affiliated with the Social Security Administration. However, you may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully compare and analyze all of your various options for claiming benefits in order to make sure that you've chosen the best possible strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry

My SSDI benefits were suspended I didn't receive my continuing review paperwork so I didn't turn it in but I have since downloaded it completed it and returned it along with my work history can I reopen it using my original date that I that I submitted for SSDI to get retroactive payments?

Hi. Without access to your Social Security records there's no way for me to know the exact status of your benefits. However, if your Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits have been suspended but not terminated due to a delay in receiving the paperwork needed for a continuing disability review (CDR), then any benefits that were suspended should be refunded to you as long as your CDR determination is favorable.

I don't know why you didn't receive the original CDR paperwork that was apparently sent to you, but for anyone reading this I want to stress the importance of making sure that Social Security has your correct mailing address. If Social Security mails you something that is returned by the Post Office because of an incorrect address, they can suspend your benefits even if your benefit payments are being paid by direct deposit.

Best, Jerry

I am 68 years old in July of this year. I am contemplating filing for retirement benefits at that time, and then reducing my hours working to quarter-time. Would it be best to wait and file until I am age 70, or would it be more beneficial continue working. I realize that if I continue working, in addition to collecting social security, my benefits will rise in the future if those wages are one of my highest 35. I want to know, if I do that, will my benefits rise enough to equal what I would collect if I wait until age 70 to file?

Hi. If you compare starting benefits at a certain age versus starting them sooner, it would generally take you about 12 years of collecting at the higher rate to make up for the total amount of benefits that you passed up by not starting your benefits sooner. However, that math doesn't factor in any additional benefit rate increases that would result from additional years of earnings.

That said, we do not recommend basing your filing decisions on break even analysis. To find out why, read the following article that Larry wrote for PBS: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/take-social-security-benefits-early-just-think-can-invest-profit.

Your best overall filing strategy depends on on numerous different factors that are unique to you. By using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase), you could fully compare and analyze all of your various options so that you can determine the filing strategy that you believe would be the most likely to maximize your benefits.

Best, Jerry

I closed bank account. Did not receive direct deposit for February. Will my benefit check be double in March?
Thank you

Hi. If you had a benefit payment that was returned due to closed bank account, Social Security should reimburse you for that as soon as possible. They won't necessarily wait until your next month's payment is due before returning the returned payment to you.

The important thing you'll want to do is contact Social Security to make sure that they now have your correct and current bank account number for direct deposit. They should then send you the payment that was returned shortly after they have all of the correct information in their files.

Best, Jerry

I am an american living in the Philippines and married a filipina who has a child, by another man, she is currently 12. I plan on adopting this child, my question is can the child receive SS benefits from my SS. We do currently live in the Philippines, I have been here for ten years, thank you for any info...

Hi. Assuming that your wife and child are not U.S. citizens, it sounds like the only way that they could be paid U.S. Social Security benefits based on your record while living in the Philippines would be if you lived together in a family relationship in the U.S. for at least 5 years (https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302610025).

That said, it couldn't hurt to apply for benefits on behalf of your adopted child in order to get a formal determination from Social Security.

Best, Jerry

I have earned a Social Security benefit from 25 years active duty in the Air Force. I have also earned a California State Teacher's Retirement benefit (non-SS covered). Normally my SS would be reduced by the Windfall Elimination Provision, but I am covered by the exception "You're a federal worker first hired after December 31, 1983" (by just a couple of months, whew!) However, I am planning to go back to work for a couple of years in a non-government SS-covered job -- will that cancel my WEP exception? This is truly a $50,000 question!

Hi. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like the exception to which you refer will exempt you from the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). The exception that you mention applies only to FEDERAL pensions received by federal workers hired after 1983, and the reason that those pensions are exempt from WEP is because the wages of federal civil service employees became subject to Social Security taxes starting January 1 1984. As a result, their federal pensions don't cause a WEP reduction because they paid Social Security taxes on the earnings on which their federal pensions are based.

Your non-covered teacher's pension from California will still cause your Social Security retirement benefit rate to be reduced due to WEP unless you meet one of the other WEP exceptions. It sounds like the only exception that might apply to you is the 30 years of 'substantial' Social Security covered earnings exception. If you have at least 30 years of Social Security covered earnings that meet the definition of being substantial for WEP purposes, you would then be exempt from any WEP reduction. The annual amounts defined as 'substantial' can be found on page 2 of the following Social Security publication (https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10045.pdf).

The good news is that returning to work at a job where you'll be paying Social Security taxes could only help your Social Security retirement benefit rate, not hurt it. Even if you end up with less than 30 years of substantial earnings that were subject to Social Security taxes, the amount of any WEP reduction would be mitigated for each year of substantial earnings that you have from 21 to 30 years. Plus, additional years of Social Security covered earnings will raise your benefit rate if your yearly earnings are among your highest 35 years of Social Security covered earnings.

Our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) is programmed to handle benefit calculations involving WEP, so you should strongly consider using the software to fully compare and analyze all of your options so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry

Hi Larry
I'm on DAC/Disabled Adult child benefits I started receiving SSI in December 2014 because the social security administration didn't find me eligible for my Dad's benefits
then 10 months later in October of 2015 I started receiving my dad's benefits because they found me disabled before the age of 22yr old so I started receiving ssi/DAC benefits
I'm not sure if it's SSD or SSDI
It's always been listed as Social Security benefits

I'm just wondering why is it that I've been receiving social security since December 2014 and here it's 2023 7yr later they are sending me the CDR/continuing disability review
I've never received anything in 7yr for a disability review so why now

Hi. The Social Security Act requires the Social Security Administration to do periodic reviews for disabled beneficiaries in order to make sure that they are still disabled (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0413004005). The reviews can be scheduled any time from 1 to 7 years depending on the likelihood of medical improvement.

The fact that you haven't previously been reviewed likely indicates that significant medical improvement wasn't expected in your case. Nonetheless, the periodic reviews are required as a matter of law.

Best, Jerry

Larry..I am not sure how to do this. I have an adult daughter who has been receiving SSI for many years due to OCD, etc. and she is the payee. It was originally $750 but has decreased for many years to $567. Her current mental state is not so good and she refuses to (or physically can't) acknowledge that she needs to have it reviewed to have it increased. How can I go about it with the least amount of participation from her? Mary

Hi Mary. You could apply to be appointed as representative payee on your daughter's behalf (https://www.ssa.gov/payee/). If you're application is approved, you could then act on her behalf in all matters dealing with her Social Security benefits.

Social Security will only appoint a representative payee, though, if the Social Security recipient is either legally or mentally incapable of managing their own benefits. If you don't think that applies to your daughter, then there probably isn't much you can do to intervene on her behalf with Social Security.

I can tell you that Social Security does annual redeterminations for people receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. So, if your daughter is eligible for a higher SSI payment amount, that fact should be discovered during her next redetermination.

Best, Jerry