As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share some additional resources that might be helpful for anyone dealing with spousal Social Security benefits questions. I recently discovered that the Social Security Administration has a really useful online benefit calculator at ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/estimator.html that can help you get a rough estimate of what your spousal benefit might be. While it won't give you exact amounts (since those depend on your spouse's actual PIA), it can give you a ballpark figure to help with budgeting and expectations. Also, for those who are struggling with long wait times when calling SSA, I found that their local field offices sometimes have shorter wait times for phone consultations if you call the office directly rather than the main 1-800 number. You can find your local office contact information on the SSA website under "Office Locator." One more tip - if you're already receiving Medicare, any changes to your Social Security benefit amount could potentially affect your Medicare premiums since they're usually deducted from your Social Security payment. It's worth keeping an eye on that when your spousal benefit adjustment happens. This thread has been incredibly educational about the real-world timeline and process for spousal benefits. The combination of professional advice and personal experiences shared here is exactly what people need when navigating these complex systems. Thank you to everyone who has contributed their knowledge and experiences!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to express my gratitude for this incredibly thorough and helpful discussion about spousal Social Security benefits! I'm currently in a similar situation where my husband filed for his retirement benefits about 6 weeks ago, and I've been receiving my own small benefit ($695/month) for the past year. Reading through everyone's real-world experiences has been so reassuring - I was getting really worried that I should have heard something by now, but understanding that the 6-10 week timeframe (or even longer) is completely normal has given me much-needed peace of mind. I'm particularly grateful for the combination of professional insights from people like Ingrid Larsson and Ethan Campbell, along with the detailed personal timelines shared by Dylan Cooper, Carmen Flores, Ella Russell, and others. Having both expert knowledge and real experiences makes this feel so much more manageable. Based on everything I've learned here, I'm going to follow the proven approach: continue monitoring my MySocialSecurity account monthly, give the system until mid-January to process automatically, and then call SSA using the specific terminology about "spousal benefit eligibility review status" if needed. I've already taken screenshots of my current account for documentation. This community has transformed what felt like navigating a bureaucratic maze into a clear process with realistic expectations. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences so generously - it makes such a difference for those of us just starting this journey!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that if you do end up going over the earnings limit in any year, it's not necessarily "lost" money. Once you reach your full retirement age, SSA will recalculate your benefits to give you credit for any months where benefits were withheld due to excess earnings. So if you have benefits reduced now due to the earnings test, you'll get a slight increase in your monthly benefit amount later to partially make up for it. It's not a dollar-for-dollar recovery, but it does help offset some of the impact. This might factor into your decision about when to start benefits and how much consulting work to take on.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone approaching 62 myself, I was also confused about whether spousal income counted. It's reassuring to see so many people confirm that only the beneficiary's earnings matter for the limit. One additional tip I'd add - if you're doing consulting work, make sure you understand the difference between being an employee vs. independent contractor for SSA purposes. If you're getting a W-2, they count your gross wages. But if you're self-employed (1099), they count your net earnings from self-employment after business expenses. Since you mentioned consulting, you'll likely be self-employed, so keep track of legitimate business expenses like office supplies, software subscriptions, professional development, etc. These can reduce your net earnings for SSA purposes and help you stay under that $22,300 threshold.

As someone who's also navigating the Social Security system for the first time, this thread has been incredibly valuable! I'm still in the early planning stages for my own application, but reading everyone's experiences has really opened my eyes to the potential challenges ahead. @Liam Fitzgerald, I'm so relieved to see you got your issue resolved! The address synchronization problem you encountered is honestly shocking - it seems unbelievable that updating your address online in 2025 wouldn't automatically sync across all their systems. That's definitely going on my checklist to verify when I apply. The consistent advice about calling at 8am appears to be the secret weapon here, and I really appreciate everyone sharing these practical strategies. While it's encouraging to see that persistence pays off, it's concerning that it takes so much effort just to get basic updates on your own benefits application. This thread perfectly illustrates the gap between what the SSA website suggests the process will be like versus the reality many people face. Thanks to everyone for sharing their real-world experiences - this kind of insider knowledge is infinitely more helpful than the generic information on official websites!

As a newcomer to this community and someone who's just beginning to understand the Social Security system, this entire thread has been absolutely incredible to read through! I'm still in the very early stages of researching how all of this works, but seeing everyone's real experiences has given me such valuable insight into what to actually expect. @Liam Fitzgerald, huge congratulations on finally getting your application resolved! Your persistence through months of frustration really shows how important it is to keep pushing, even when the system seems completely broken. The fact that it turned out to be an address synchronization issue is both relieving (it wasn't actually lost!) and concerning (how is this still a problem in 2025?). I'm taking notes on all the practical advice shared here - especially the 8am calling strategy that seems to be the unanimous recommendation. The address verification issue you encountered is definitely going on my pre-application checklist since I had no idea that online updates might not sync across all their systems. This thread perfectly demonstrates why real community discussions are so much more valuable than official government websites. The gap between what the SSA website suggests the process will be like versus what people actually experience is pretty eye-opening. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences and practical tips - this is exactly the kind of insider knowledge that makes all the difference when navigating government bureaucracy!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! I've been putting off dealing with my SSA account for way too long because every story I heard about the ID.me transition was absolutely terrifying. But reading through @Landon Morgan's complete journey from being totally locked out to actually getting it resolved gives me real hope that this nightmare is actually manageable. The date format mismatch explanation is both maddening and reassuring - it's such a basic technical error that should have been caught in any decent testing process, but at least there's an actual fixable cause behind these lockouts rather than some mysterious government black hole. I can't believe MM/DD/YYYY vs DD/MM/YYYY confusion is causing such widespread problems! I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service based on all the success stories here - multiple people having positive experiences makes it seem legitimate, and honestly I'd pay a fee to avoid those 2+ hour hold time nightmares any day. It's pretty dystopian that we need third-party services just to reach our own government agencies, but whatever actually works at this point! What really stands out about this community is how everyone follows up with real solutions instead of just venting frustration. This thread has completely changed my approach from dreading this process to feeling like I have a clear action plan. Thanks to everyone for sharing such helpful experiences!

As someone who just joined this community, I can't express how valuable this thread has been! I've been dreading the SSA/ID.me transition for months after hearing nothing but horror stories, but @Landon Morgan's complete journey from lockout to resolution has given me actual hope that this is solvable. The date format mismatch issue is simultaneously infuriating and enlightening - it's incredible that such a basic data migration error (MM/DD/YYYY vs DD/MM/YYYY) could make it past testing and cause widespread lockouts. But knowing there's an actual technical root cause makes this feel less like battling some mysterious government black box. I'm definitely going to try Claimyr when I finally tackle my account setup - the multiple success stories here from real community members make it seem legitimate, and I'd rather pay a small fee than endure 2+ hours of hold music torture. It's pretty dystopian that we need third-party services just to access our own government benefits, but if it gets results, I'm all for it! What really impresses me about this community is how everyone follows up with actual working solutions instead of just venting. This thread has completely transformed my approach from pure dread to having a clear action plan. Thanks to everyone for sharing such practical, helpful experiences - this is exactly why community forums matter when official channels fail us!

I went through this exact same situation about 8 months ago! I was so skeptical when I got that letter because it seemed too good to be true. But it's absolutely legitimate - I now get an extra $142/month on top of my SSDI. Here's what helped me get through to SSA faster: I called right when they opened at 7am local time on a Tuesday. Still took about 45 minutes on hold, but that was way better than the 3+ hour waits I was getting in the afternoons. Make sure your sister-in-law has her Social Security number, your brother's SSN, their marriage certificate (or at least the date and location of marriage), and her current SSDI award letter handy when she calls. They processed mine over the phone and I got my first increased payment about 6 weeks later, plus they backdated it to when my husband first started collecting. The agent explained that since I'm under my FRA, I'm only getting about 37.5% of my husband's benefit amount rather than the full 50%, but it's still helpful money every month. Tell her not to wait - the sooner she calls, the sooner any backpay can start accumulating!

I just want to echo what everyone else is saying - this letter is absolutely real and your sister-in-law should definitely follow up on it! I work as a benefits counselor and see this situation regularly. The confusion is totally understandable because SSA's letters aren't always the clearest. What's happening is called "dual entitlement" - she'll continue getting her full SSDI amount, but if 50% of your brother's benefit (reduced to about 35% since she's 62) is higher than her current SSDI, she'll get the difference added to her monthly payment. A few practical tips from what I've seen work best: - Call SSA at 7am or 8am on weekdays for shorter wait times - Have ready: marriage certificate, both SSNs, her current award letter - If she applies now, she'll likely get backpay to when your brother first started collecting - This won't affect her SSDI status, Medicare, or trigger any reviews Even if the extra amount is small, it's money she's entitled to and every bit helps with expenses. The worst part is just getting through to them on the phone, but once connected, they can often process it during that same call.