As someone who just went through a similar situation, I wanted to share my experience. I worked 8 years in state government (non-covered) and had the same concern about those zero years on my SSA statement. What I learned is that you're absolutely right to be thinking about this early - those zeros are permanent and normal, but the real impact comes from WEP if you eventually collect both a government pension and Social Security benefits. One thing that helped me was using the SSA's WEP calculator online to estimate my future benefit reduction based on different scenarios. Since you have 15 years of covered work already, you're in better shape than many people - but if you stay in government work much longer, you might want to consider occasional side work or consulting that pays into Social Security to build up more substantial earnings years. Also, keep excellent records of all your government employment and pension contributions. When you do apply for Social Security later, having clear documentation of your non-covered work history can help avoid delays or confusion in the application process. The SSA will need to know about your government pension to apply WEP correctly.

As someone who works in HR for a state agency, I see this question come up frequently with new hires. You're absolutely correct that those years will show as $0 - this is how the system is designed to work. The Social Security Administration only tracks earnings where FICA taxes were paid, so non-covered employment (like most state/local government jobs) will always appear as zero earnings regardless of your actual salary. One important thing to keep in mind is that when you eventually apply for Social Security benefits, you'll need to provide documentation of your government pension to SSA. They use this information to determine if WEP applies to your case. I always recommend that employees keep copies of their annual pension statements and employment records, as this documentation can be crucial decades later. Also, don't let those zero years discourage you from checking your Social Security statement regularly. It's still important to verify that your covered employment years are being recorded correctly, and that there are no errors in your earnings history from your previous 15 years of covered work. Catching and correcting errors early is much easier than trying to fix them at retirement.

I'm new to this community but wanted to share my recent experience that's almost identical to yours! I just started receiving Social Security retirement benefits last month and got a mysterious $85 deposit about 10 days before my first regular check arrived. Like you, I was completely puzzled and worried it might be an error that SSA would want back later. After reading through all these incredibly helpful responses, it's clear this is just SSA's standard way of handling partial month payments for new beneficiaries - they just do a terrible job of explaining it! What really strikes me is how universal this experience seems to be, yet there's virtually no information about it on SSA's website or in their materials. I spent hours googling and found nothing useful until I discovered this thread. It's honestly frustrating that something so routine isn't better communicated upfront. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and explanations - this discussion has been far more informative than anything I could get from official SSA sources. It's such a relief to know this is completely normal and that we can keep the money without worry!

I'm new to this community and just went through this exact same experience! I received an unexpected $78 payment from SSA about two weeks before my first regular retirement check was scheduled to arrive. Like so many others here, I was completely confused and spent way too much time worrying it was some kind of mistake that would need to be repaid later. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring - it's clear that these mysterious partial payments are just SSA's standard (but very poorly communicated) way of handling the transition to retirement benefits. What really bothers me is how routine this seems to be, yet there's absolutely no explanation provided with the payment or in any of their materials. I actually created my MySocialSecurity account specifically to try to figure out what this payment was, but like others mentioned, it just showed up as a generic "Social Security benefit" with no additional details. This thread has been more informative than hours of searching SSA's website or waiting on hold! Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - it's such a relief to know this is completely normal and we don't need to worry about unexpected repayment demands later.

I'm going through the exact same situation right now with my family benefits! My husband's PIA is $2,650 and we're seeing similar reductions for our 10-year-old son and me. I called SSA three times and finally got someone who explained that the family maximum is calculated using those bend points others mentioned, but what really helped was asking for a written explanation of the calculation. One thing I learned is that you can also check if there were any errors in your earnings record that might have affected your PIA calculation. Sometimes correcting even small discrepancies can bump up your PIA enough to increase the family maximum threshold. It's worth requesting your full earnings history if you haven't already. Also, I discovered that some online calculators specifically designed for family benefits are more accurate than the basic SSA ones. The AARP Social Security calculator and the one from Social Security Solutions both factor in family maximums better than most others I tried. The timing issue about benefits ending when kids turn 16 vs 18/19 really caught me off guard too. We're already starting to save extra now to prepare for that gap period when I'll lose benefits but won't be old enough for my own retirement yet.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My husband's PIA is $2,920 and we just got our award letters showing our 12-year-old daughter and I are each getting $798 monthly instead of the roughly $1,460 each we were expecting (50% of his PIA). It's such a shock when you've been planning your finances around those theoretical amounts for years. What's been most frustrating is how poorly this is communicated upfront. All the SSA materials talk about "up to 50%" but don't really emphasize how often the family maximum kicks in to reduce those amounts significantly. I wish they had better tools on their website to estimate actual family benefits instead of just the theoretical maximums. Has anyone found a good financial planner who really understands these Social Security family benefit calculations? We're trying to figure out how to adjust our retirement timeline given these lower-than-expected amounts, especially knowing that my benefits will stop when our daughter turns 16 but won't resume until I'm 62 (if we take early retirement) or my full retirement age.

Since you're trying to plan ahead, here's another important consideration: If you're still working and have access to retirement accounts like 401(k)s or IRAs, maximizing those contributions during your remaining working years can provide additional security. Regarding your specific situation, with a current salary of $48k and potential survivor benefit of $2,975, here's how the earnings test would affect you if you claimed at 63: 1. 2025 earnings limit: approximately $22,320 2. Amount over the limit: $25,680 3. Benefit reduction: $12,840 (half of the amount over) So instead of receiving $2,975 monthly ($35,700 annually), you'd receive about $1,905 monthly ($22,860 annually) after the earnings test reduction. This changes once you reach FRA - no more earnings test at that point.

I'm new to this community but going through a similar situation - my husband is 75 and I'm 61, still working. One thing I learned from meeting with a financial planner is that you should also consider the tax implications of your decision. Survivor benefits are taxable just like regular Social Security benefits, and if you're still working with a $48k salary, you might end up paying taxes on up to 85% of the survivor benefit. Also, don't forget that Medicare eligibility starts at 65 regardless of when you claim Social Security benefits. If you're getting health insurance through your employer now, factor in those costs when you're deciding whether to keep working or not. The timing of when you stop working, when you claim benefits, and when you transition to Medicare can all impact your overall financial situation. It might be worth meeting with a fee-only financial advisor who can help you model different scenarios before making your final decision.

WAIT! I'm confused now. Does she get 32.5% of YOUR benefit amount, or 32.5% of what YOUR benefit WOULD HAVE BEEN at your full retirement age???? This matters a lot!!! I thought it was based on what you actually GET?

Just want to add one more important detail that might affect your planning - if your wife has her own Social Security earnings record from those 15 years of part-time work, she can actually file for her own reduced retirement benefit as early as age 62, even before you claim yours. Then when you file at 65, SSA will automatically check if her spousal benefit would be higher and switch her to that if it is. This strategy called "filing and switching" can sometimes provide a few extra years of income while you're both figuring out the optimal timing. The key is running the numbers on both scenarios to see what maximizes your household's total lifetime benefits.