As someone who just went through this decision process myself, I wanted to add a practical perspective. I was in a very similar situation - 62 and needing income while my husband was 57 and still working. One thing that really helped me was creating a spreadsheet comparing different scenarios over 10, 15, and 20 years. I looked at: - Taking my reduced benefit immediately vs waiting - Total lifetime benefits under different longevity assumptions - The impact on our overall retirement cash flow What I found was that the "break-even" point for waiting vs claiming early was around age 78-80 in my case. Since I'm in good health and both my parents lived into their 90s, waiting made more sense for us. However, the cash flow aspect was important too. We ended up using a combination of savings and a small part-time job to bridge the gap until I reached FRA. It wasn't ideal, but the long-term benefit increase was worth it for our situation. One resource that really helped was the Social Security Administration's online benefit calculators. You can run different claiming scenarios to see the actual dollar amounts for your specific situation rather than trying to guess.

I'm in a somewhat similar situation - I'm 64 and my husband is 60, so I've been researching this extensively. One thing I learned that might help you is to look at your Social Security statement online to see your estimated benefits at different claiming ages. What really opened my eyes was understanding that if you claim your own benefit early and then later become eligible for spousal benefits, you don't just "switch over" to the spousal amount. Instead, Social Security pays you the higher of: (1) your own reduced benefit, or (2) your own reduced benefit PLUS the difference needed to reach your reduced spousal benefit amount. The key word here is "reduced" - if you claim early, both your own benefit and any spousal benefit get reduced permanently. So in your case, if you take your $950 now and your husband's PIA ends up being $3,000, you wouldn't necessarily get $1,500 as a spousal benefit later. The spousal amount would also be reduced based on your age when you first claimed. I'd suggest calling SSA and asking them to walk through a few "what if" scenarios with your actual numbers. Despite what others have said about inconsistent information, I found that if you ask very specific questions about your own record, they can give you the exact dollar amounts for different claiming strategies.

One thing to keep in mind - if you're planning to stop working next year and your income will drop significantly, you might want to consider making quarterly estimated tax payments instead of adjusting withholding. That way you have more control over the timing and amounts. For Q4 2024, the estimated payment is due January 15th, so you could make a payment then to cover any shortfall from this year without having to mess with withholding at all. Just another option to consider alongside the work withholding adjustment!

For quarterly estimated tax payments, there's no minimum amount - you can pay whatever you calculate you'll owe. The key is making sure your total payments (withholding + estimated payments) equal at least 90% of this year's tax liability or 100% of last year's (110% if your prior year AGI was over $150k). Since you're planning to stop working early next year, quarterly payments might actually give you the most flexibility. You could make a Q4 payment in January to cover any 2024 shortfall, then reassess your 2025 situation once you're no longer working. The IRS Form 1040ES has worksheets to help calculate the right amount.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm truly amazed by how this thread has evolved from Giovanni's original question into such a comprehensive resource! I'm currently 66 and approaching my decision point for Social Security, so reading about the calculator disappearing issue is incredibly timely for me. I had no idea that starting an application could make the comparison tools vanish - that seems like such a problematic design choice by SSA. The direct link to the Retirement Estimator at ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/estimator.html is exactly what I need to bookmark, and I'm definitely going to implement that text file system for keeping track of useful SSA links. What strikes me most is how this community provides the real-world navigation tips that you just can't get from official SSA documentation. The advice about browser cache clearing, optimal calling times, and even backup options like the paper form SSA-7004 shows the incredible value of people sharing their actual experiences with these systems. Thank you to everyone who has contributed such detailed, practical solutions - this discussion has given me so much more confidence about approaching my own Social Security decisions!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely blown away by how helpful and comprehensive this discussion has become! I'm about 2.5 years from my FRA and had no idea that the Social Security website had so many quirks and navigation issues. Giovanni's original question about the disappearing calculator seems to have struck a nerve with so many people - it's clear this is a widespread problem that SSA really needs to address. Reading through all the responses, I'm particularly grateful for the direct links to the different calculators, especially the Retirement Estimator at ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/estimator.html. The tip about bookmarking these direct links and creating a text file reference system is brilliant - I'm definitely going to set that up this week. What really impresses me about this community is how everyone shares not just the basic information, but all the practical workarounds that actually make these systems usable. The advice about clearing browser cache, calling at 8 AM for shorter wait times, and even having a backup paper form option shows the incredible value of real-world experience sharing. Thank you to everyone who has contributed such detailed solutions - this thread has convinced me to start exploring these tools now rather than waiting until I'm closer to retirement. It's so reassuring to know there's a community like this to help navigate Social Security's complex and sometimes counterintuitive systems!

I really appreciate everyone sharing their real experiences here! As someone who's 45 and finally getting serious about retirement planning, this thread has been incredibly helpful. I've been putting off looking into my Social Security benefits because the whole system seemed so confusing, but reading through everyone's comments has motivated me to actually dig in. It sounds like I should set realistic expectations - I've had a decent career in tech but definitely had some lean years early on when I was freelancing. Based on what others have shared, I'm probably looking at something well below that theoretical maximum, but that's okay as long as I know what to expect. One question for those who've already gone through this process: how far in advance should I start seriously planning the timing of when to claim? I know there's the trade-off between claiming early vs. waiting, but is there an optimal time to start running those calculations?

Just wanted to add my perspective as someone who recently went through this process at age 62. I was in a similar situation to the original poster - worked consistently for 35+ years with earnings usually at or above the Social Security wage base. When I finally got my actual benefit calculation, I was eligible for about $3,400/month at my FRA (which was 66 and 6 months). Not quite the theoretical maximum, but pretty close. However, I ended up claiming early at 62 because my company offered an early retirement package and I had enough other retirement savings to bridge the gap. My reduced benefit is about $2,550/month, which honestly feels pretty good even though it's lower than waiting would have given me. The peace of mind of having that guaranteed income starting immediately was worth more to me than the extra money I might have gotten by waiting. One thing that really helped was using the SSA's detailed benefit calculators on their website - they show you exactly how much you'd get at different claiming ages based on your actual earnings record, not just generic estimates. Definitely worth the time to create that my Social Security account and run the numbers for your specific situation!

This has been such an incredibly helpful thread! I'm 64 and was honestly dreading having to figure out the Social Security timing, but reading everyone's real experiences has made it so much clearer. The biggest revelation for me was understanding that applying early for processing time doesn't affect your benefit amount - it's only when you choose to START benefits that matters. I was terrified I'd accidentally lock myself into reduced benefits just by submitting paperwork too early. I'm planning to wait until my FRA at 67, so based on everyone's advice here, I should apply around March when I'm 66 years and 8 months. The 4-month window seems like the sweet spot to avoid both processing delays and having forms expire. I also love the tip about doing a "practice run" with the online application - that's going to save me so much stress when it's time for the real thing. And I'm definitely setting up my My Social Security account this week to check my earnings record and get familiar with the system. One question: for those who applied online, did you run into any technical glitches or is the system pretty reliable? I'm reasonably comfortable with computers but always worry about government websites crashing at the worst possible moment! Thank you everyone for sharing such detailed, practical advice. This community knowledge is invaluable!

Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly reassuring! I'm 65 and was getting overwhelmed by all the conflicting advice I'd heard from friends and family about Social Security timing. The clarification that applying early (for processing) is completely separate from when you choose to START benefits is exactly what I needed to understand. I'm planning to wait until my FRA of 66 and 10 months (born in 1958), so I should be applying around February next year. The consensus here seems to be that 3-4 months ahead is the sweet spot, and hearing from the former SSA employee about potential application updates if you apply too far in advance makes perfect sense. One thing I want to add that might help others - I just spent some time on the SSA website's benefit estimator, and it's actually pretty user-friendly once you get the hang of it. You can model different claiming ages and see the exact dollar impact. For me, waiting those extra 10 months past age 66 to reach my full FRA makes a significant difference in monthly payments. The advice about triple-checking that benefit start date on the application is gold - I can totally see how easy it would be to accidentally select the wrong month and end up with reduced benefits when that wasn't your intention. Thanks to everyone who shared their real-world experiences, especially the warnings about common pitfalls. This is exactly the kind of practical guidance you can't get from official sources!