As a newcomer to this community, I want to echo what so many others have said - this thread has been incredibly educational! I'm 61 and planning to claim Social Security next year, and I had the same concerns about IRA withdrawals affecting my benefits. The clarity everyone has provided about the earnings test only applying to work income is such a relief. What really stands out to me is how many of us had this same misconception initially. It makes me wonder how many people are making suboptimal financial decisions based on incorrect assumptions about these rules. The real-world experiences shared here - from successfully making withdrawals without benefit impacts to the practical challenges of reaching SSA - are so much more valuable than trying to parse through official documentation alone. I'm grateful to have found a community where people are willing to share their knowledge so openly. This discussion will definitely influence my own retirement planning decisions!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to express my gratitude for this incredibly informative discussion! I'm 64 and recently started receiving Social Security benefits, and like so many others here, I had been under the impression that ANY income could potentially affect my monthly payments. Reading through all these responses has been such a relief - the clear explanation that only work income (wages and self-employment earnings) counts toward the earnings test, not IRA or other retirement account distributions, has completely changed my understanding. It's fascinating to see how many of us shared this same misconception initially. The personal experiences shared here, from successful withdrawals to practical tips about dealing with SSA phone lines, provide such valuable real-world context that you just can't get from official websites. I'm particularly grateful for the distinction clarified between the earnings test (affecting benefit amounts) and benefit taxation (separate issue entirely). This community's willingness to share hard-earned knowledge is truly remarkable and will definitely help guide my own retirement financial decisions moving forward!

I'm also new to this community and dealing with a very similar situation! My retirement application has been pending for 42 days now and I was really starting to panic until I found this thread. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a relief - the pattern is incredibly consistent where SSA needs additional verification but their notification system completely fails to communicate this. What gives me the most hope are all the quick resolution stories once people actually got through to speak with someone, especially Leeann's 3-day approval after providing missing employment verification. The 40% statistic from the benefits counselor about delayed applications really puts this into perspective. I'm definitely calling tomorrow morning right at 8 AM with my confirmation number, SSN, and complete employment history organized and ready. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences - this community has been way more helpful than hours of searching the official SSA website which basically just tells you to keep waiting indefinitely. It's such a relief to know these delays are unfortunately common but that there's a clear action plan to move things forward!

I'm also new to this community and going through almost exactly the same thing! My retirement application has been pending for 35 days now and I was really starting to worry something was seriously wrong. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly reassuring - the pattern is so clear that SSA frequently needs additional verification but their notification system is completely broken. What really gives me confidence to call are all the success stories like Leeann's where she got approved in just 3 days once she provided the missing employment verification they never bothered to request. The 40% statistic from the benefits counselor about delayed applications needing verification really opened my eyes. I'm definitely calling tomorrow morning right at 8 AM with my confirmation number, SSN, and all my employment records organized and ready to go. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences - this thread has been infinitely more helpful than anything on the official SSA website. It's such a relief to know these delays are normal given the current system issues and that we have a clear path forward!

This has been such an incredibly comprehensive and helpful discussion! As someone who's 64 and trying to figure out my optimal retirement strategy, reading through all these real-world experiences has been invaluable. What strikes me most is how consistent everyone's message is - your coworker is definitely wrong, and the automatic recomputation system absolutely does work. The range of $30-75 monthly increases that multiple people have reported gives me realistic expectations rather than hoping for some massive windfall. I love all the practical tips that have been shared: creating the my Social Security account to review earnings history, taking annual screenshots of benefit verification letters, understanding the October processing timeline, and knowing that increases are retroactive even if there are delays. These are exactly the kinds of real-world insights you need but can't find in official SSA materials. One thing that really resonates with me is the point several people made about the long-term value of even modest increases. A $50 monthly boost might not seem huge now, but when you factor in 20+ years of retirement with COLA adjustments, that really adds up to meaningful money over time. I'm definitely going to work at least a few years past my FRA after reading this - it sounds like a win-win situation where I get to keep earning while also improving my Social Security benefits for life. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences here!

I'm 63 and still working toward my FRA, but this discussion has been incredibly educational for my future planning! It's so reassuring to see multiple people confirm that the automatic recomputation system actually works, despite what some people claim. What really caught my attention was the point about indexed earnings - I had no idea that SSA adjusts your historical wages for inflation when doing these calculations. That explains why it's not always obvious which years will get replaced when you continue working past FRA. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread and will be creating my Social Security account soon to review my earnings record. The tip about taking annual screenshots of benefit verification letters is brilliant - such a simple way to track changes over time. One quick question for those who have been through this: Did any of you find it helpful to estimate potential increases ahead of time, or is it better to just wait and see what happens? I'm wondering if there are any online calculators that account for the recomputation process, or if it's too complex to predict accurately. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed real-world experiences - this kind of peer knowledge is so much more valuable than trying to decipher official SSA publications!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm blown away by how incredibly helpful and detailed this discussion has been! I'm 63 and just started receiving Social Security benefits while working part-time as a pharmacy technician, and the earnings limit has been causing me so much stress. Like practically everyone else here, I was completely wrong about tracking by pay date instead of work date. It seemed so logical to track when the money actually hits your account! But after reading through all these responses, especially the insights from the retired SSA employee about the various provisions and exceptions, I realize I need to completely overhaul my approach. My pharmacy schedule is pretty irregular - sometimes I pick up extra shifts when people call out sick, and our payroll runs on a weird cycle that doesn't align with calendar months at all. I can see now that trying to track by paystubs would have been a disaster waiting to happen. I'm definitely going to implement the simple notebook system that so many people have recommended - just logging each shift as I work it with the date, hours, and calculated pay. It sounds so much more straightforward than trying to decode payroll periods later. What gives me the most confidence is knowing that SSA seems to work with people who communicate proactively and make good faith efforts to follow the rules correctly. If I ever find myself in an unusual situation, I'll call them right away rather than just worrying about it. Thank you all for creating such a supportive and informative community. This thread has completely transformed my understanding from anxiety-inducing confusion to manageable knowledge!

Welcome to the community, Mary! Your experience as a pharmacy technician adds another valuable perspective to this discussion. The irregular schedule and weird payroll cycles you mentioned are exactly why so many of us struggled with these earnings limit rules initially. I love that you're planning to implement the notebook system right away - it really is the simplest and most reliable method. Once you get in the habit of jotting down each shift as you work it, you'll wonder how you ever managed without that real-time tracking. Your point about calling SSA proactively if unusual situations arise is spot-on. One thing this whole thread has taught me is that they really do appreciate when people communicate openly rather than trying to figure everything out on their own or waiting until problems surface. The pharmacy setting probably gives you some unique scheduling challenges too - I imagine you might get called in for unexpected shifts when people are out sick, similar to the healthcare workers who've shared their experiences here. Having that solid tracking system in place will give you confidence to handle whatever scheduling curveballs come your way. It's wonderful to see how this discussion has helped so many people transform their anxiety about earnings limits into practical, manageable knowledge. That's exactly what this community is all about - sharing real-world experiences to help each other navigate these sometimes confusing rules successfully!

As a newcomer to this community, I have to say this thread is absolutely incredible! I'm not dealing with Social Security applications yet, but the level of detailed troubleshooting and community support here is amazing. What started as one person's frustration with a missing submit button has turned into the most comprehensive guide to SSA website issues I've ever seen. Reading through everyone's solutions - from the "Ready to Submit" tab discovery to ad blocker interference, browser compatibility issues, electronic signature requirements, and even maintenance windows - it's like having a complete technical support manual written by real people who actually solved these problems. This is exactly why I joined this community. Government websites can be so frustrating to navigate, but seeing how everyone collaborated to help @Liam McGuire and then continued sharing solutions for future users is really inspiring. I'm bookmarking this entire thread as a reference for when I eventually need to apply for benefits myself. Thank you to everyone who took the time to document their experiences - you're making the SSA application process less intimidating for all of us!

Wow, this thread has become an incredible resource! As someone new to this community, I'm amazed at how a single frustrating SSA website issue turned into such a comprehensive troubleshooting guide. Reading through all the solutions everyone shared - from the hidden "Ready to Submit" tab to ad blocker interference, browser compatibility issues, and even VPN conflicts - it's like having a complete manual for navigating SSA website problems. What really stands out to me is how @Liam McGuire came back to share what actually worked, and then everyone kept building on that to help future users. That's the kind of community spirit that makes dealing with government bureaucracy so much less intimidating. I'm definitely bookmarking this entire thread for when I eventually need to apply for benefits myself. For anyone else reading this in the future who's stuck on the same issue, it looks like the most common solutions are: 1) Look for a "Ready to Submit" or "Application Status" tab, 2) Disable ad blockers, 3) Check for an electronic signature section, 4) Try different browsers (Chrome seems to work best), and 5) Make sure you only have one SSA tab open. Thanks to everyone who contributed their experiences - you've made the SSA application process a lot less scary for the rest of us!