One other consideration: if you take your benefits at 62 and continue working before your FRA, you'll be subject to the earnings test. In 2025, if you earn more than $22,750, SSA will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. After FRA, there's no earnings test. Just something to factor into your planning if you're still working.

Just wanted to add one more important detail that might help your planning - when you do eventually switch to survivor benefits, you can do it at any time after your husband passes, not just at your FRA. If you're already past FRA when he dies, you'd get the full survivor benefit immediately. But if you're younger than FRA, you can choose to take reduced survivor benefits right away OR wait until your FRA to get the full amount. This gives you flexibility based on your financial needs at the time. Given your age difference, this timing flexibility could be really valuable for your long-term planning.

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly valuable this entire discussion has been! I'm about a year away from retirement and recently discovered I have a similar birth date discrepancy - my birth certificate shows one date but I've been using a different date (off by just one day) throughout my entire 35-year career. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief. The advice to check your Social Security statement online first is absolutely genius - I logged in immediately after reading this thread and was thrilled to see they have the date I've been using all along! What seemed like a potential retirement disaster is actually just a common administrative situation with clear procedures. The insights from the retired SSA claims representative and HR professional have been particularly reassuring. Learning that these 1-day discrepancies were historically common due to inconsistent record-keeping decades ago, and that SSA has established procedures for handling them, has given me so much peace of mind. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their real-world experiences and expertise. This community is proving to be an invaluable resource for navigating retirement planning - the practical wisdom here goes far beyond what you can find on official government websites!

As someone who's new to this community and just starting to research retirement planning, I'm absolutely amazed by how helpful and detailed this entire discussion has been! I had no idea that birth date discrepancies were such a common issue, and reading through everyone's real-world experiences has been incredibly educational. The systematic approach that keeps coming up - checking your Social Security statement online first, gathering supporting documentation, and being proactive about explaining any discrepancies - provides such a clear roadmap for anyone dealing with similar situations. What really stands out to me is how many people have successfully navigated these exact circumstances, from one-day differences to more complex documentation issues. The expertise shared by the retired SSA claims representative and HR professionals, combined with personal success stories from community members, creates such a comprehensive resource. It's reassuring to learn that SSA has established procedures for handling these historically common discrepancies and that they typically rely on consistent work history records rather than getting hung up on minor birth certificate variations. This thread is a perfect example of why communities like this are so valuable - you get practical wisdom and real-world guidance that simply isn't available through official government websites. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and help others approach retirement planning with confidence!

Hi Keisha! Welcome to the community - I'm new here too and your question really speaks to me since my husband and I are facing the exact same decision! From everything I've read in this thread (and it's been incredibly educational), it sounds like you're in great shape to both receive your own Social Security checks based on your individual work histories. What's been most eye-opening to me from all these responses is learning about the strategic timing aspect. I had no idea that when each spouse claims could make such a huge difference in lifetime benefits! It sounds like since your husband will be 65 in December and you're turning 62 next month, you have some flexibility to stagger your claiming dates in whatever way works best for your specific financial situation. I'm definitely planning to follow the advice several people have given about creating that ssa.gov account to see the actual numbers. Sometimes seeing the real estimates makes everything click into place better than trying to understand all the rules in the abstract. One thing I'm curious about - for those of you who scheduled in-person appointments at Social Security offices, how far out are they booking appointments these days? With so many people approaching retirement age, I'm wondering if there are long wait times. Thanks for starting this discussion - it's been incredibly helpful for someone like me who's just beginning to navigate all of this!

Hi Keisha! Welcome to the community - I'm also new here and found myself in almost the exact same situation last year. Your question brought back all the confusion I felt when trying to figure out Social Security for married couples! I can absolutely confirm what everyone else has said - YES, both you and your husband can receive your own Social Security retirement checks if you've both worked enough to qualify. I was initially worried about the same thing (thinking maybe married couples could only get one benefit), but Social Security really does treat each person's work record individually. What helped me the most was understanding that the "spousal benefit" your neighbor mentioned isn't something that gets added on top of your own benefit - it's an alternative option in case 50% of your spouse's benefit would be higher than what you earned on your own. Since you both worked consistently, you'll likely each get your own earned benefits, which is usually better than the spousal option anyway. One practical tip: when you do get that ssa.gov account working (try different browsers or clear your cache like others suggested), pay special attention to your earnings record. Even though you took 8 years off for kids, as long as you worked at least 10 years total throughout your life, you should easily qualify for your own benefits. The timing advice everyone's given about having the higher earner wait longer is really smart from a financial planning perspective. Take your time with this decision - you've got great support here in this community! Good luck with your planning!

I'm so sorry for your loss, and I can only imagine how difficult this must be for your entire family. What you're describing is actually a very common situation that the Social Security Administration handles regularly. Both your mom and your father's widow can absolutely receive survivor benefits based on his work record, and importantly, these benefits are calculated completely independently - one person's benefit doesn't reduce what's available to the other. Since your mom was married to your father for 22 years, never remarried, and is 67, she meets all the eligibility requirements for divorced spouse survivor benefits. His widow, having been married to him for 15 years at the time of his death, also clearly qualifies for widow's benefits. The SSA system is specifically designed to handle these situations because they recognize that people's lives and families can be complex. One thing that might help reduce family tensions is to explain to both women that they don't need to coordinate their applications or even be aware of each other's filing status. Each will work directly with SSA based on their own circumstances. Also, since they're different ages, their optimal claiming strategies might be different - they should each ask about the best timing for their individual situations. I'd encourage both of them to gather their documentation (marriage certificates, divorce decree, death certificate, Social Security statements) before contacting SSA, as this will make the process much smoother. The fact that you're helping both sides navigate this with such care and sensitivity speaks volumes about your character during an already difficult time.

I'm so sorry for your loss. This is such a difficult time, and navigating Social Security benefits while grieving adds another layer of stress that no family should have to deal with. What you're experiencing is actually quite common, and I want to reassure you that both your mom and your father's widow are likely eligible for survivor benefits without one affecting the other. The Social Security system is designed to handle exactly these situations - it recognizes that people have complex family histories and that multiple people can have legitimate claims based on the same work record. Since both marriages lasted over 10 years and your mom never remarried before age 60, she meets the key eligibility requirements for divorced spouse survivor benefits. Your father's widow also clearly qualifies for widow's benefits. The important thing to understand is that these benefits come from different "buckets" in the system - they're calculated independently and don't reduce each other. I'd suggest encouraging both women to contact SSA sooner rather than later, as there can be protective filing date benefits. When they call, they should ask specifically about their individual benefit estimates and the optimal timing for filing, since they're different ages and may have different financial situations. Most importantly, try to help both sides understand that this isn't about who "deserves" benefits more - both women contributed to your father's life during their respective marriages, and he paid into Social Security with the expectation it would provide security for his eligible family members. This is the system working exactly as it was designed to. You're doing an amazing job helping both sides navigate this during such a painful time. This really doesn't have to become another source of family conflict - with the right information and approach, it can be resolved straightforwardly.

I'm a benefits coordinator at a disability services organization and want to add one more important consideration that hasn't been fully addressed - the timing of when your daughter's SSI will actually terminate versus when her DAC benefits begin. There can sometimes be a gap between when SSI stops (due to the new SSDI income) and when the first DAC payment arrives. This gap can be 1-3 months in some cases. During this period, make sure you have a plan for covering her essential expenses, especially medical costs if there are any Medicaid coverage interruptions. Also, I want to emphasize that you should specifically request that SSA calculate and show you IN WRITING what your daughter's exact DAC benefit amount will be. Don't accept verbal estimates - ask for the written computation showing 50% of your husband's $3400 PIA. This protects you if there are any calculation errors and gives you documentation to reference if you need to appeal anything later. One final point: if your state has a Medicaid Buy-In program for working people with disabilities, your daughter might be eligible for that as an additional safety net even after the DAC transition. These programs often have higher income limits and could provide backup coverage. Worth investigating as part of your overall healthcare planning strategy. The $450/month difference you're fighting for adds up to over $5,400 per year - definitely worth being persistent about getting the correct benefit amount!

I'm a parent of an adult disabled child and have been following this thread with great interest. Just wanted to add my support to everything that's been said here - you are absolutely entitled to 50% of your husband's full retirement age amount ($1700/month), not the reduced amount. I also wanted to mention something that might help with the application process: when we applied for DAC benefits for our son, we found it helpful to prepare a chronological summary of his disability history with dates and key medical milestones. This made it much easier for the SSA examiner to understand his case and establish the "disabled before age 22" requirement. Include things like first diagnosis dates, when he started receiving services, major medical evaluations, etc. Another tip - if your daughter has an ABLE account or you're considering opening one, the DAC benefits won't count against the $2,000 asset limit for SSI (since she'll be on SSDI instead), but ABLE accounts can still be useful for saving money for disability-related expenses without affecting other benefits. Keep fighting for the correct benefit amount - that $450/month difference is absolutely worth pursuing! This community has given you excellent advice, and I hope your application goes smoothly once you get to work with someone at SSA who actually knows the DAC rules.