Wow, what an incredibly thorough and helpful discussion! As someone who's still several years away from retirement but starting to think about these issues, this thread has been absolutely invaluable. The calendar year rule really is the key insight here - it's so logical once explained but definitely not something I would have intuited on my own. I love how this community came together to not only answer the original question but provide so many practical resources and real-world tips. The recommendations for Claimyr, the SSA online tools, keeping detailed records, and having your Social Security statement ready when calling are all going into my retirement planning notes. It's clear that navigating Social Security requires both understanding the rules and having good strategies for actually getting reliable information from the system. Thanks to everyone who contributed their knowledge and experiences - this is exactly the kind of community support that makes these complex government programs more manageable for regular people!

This thread has been incredibly educational! As someone who's just starting to research Social Security benefits, I had no idea about the calendar year rule - it makes perfect sense once explained but definitely isn't intuitive. I'm curious about one thing though - does this same principle apply if someone starts benefits mid-year? For example, if someone starts collecting in June 2025, would their January-May 2025 earnings be subject to the earnings test, or only earnings from June onward? I assume it would be the full year since it's still the same calendar year, but want to make sure I understand correctly. Also, huge thanks to everyone who mentioned Claimyr and the SSA online tools - I'm definitely bookmarking those resources for when I get closer to retirement. The practical tips in this thread are worth their weight in gold!

This is such a common trap that catches people off guard! I went through something similar when my father passed and we had to liquidate some assets to settle the estate. The key thing I learned is that SSA actually does recognize that retirement account withdrawals for specific one-time purposes can be appealed. Since you have clear documentation showing the withdrawal went directly to necessary home repairs (not lifestyle expenses), you should have a decent chance with the appeal. Make sure to emphasize in your appeal letter that this was an extraordinary circumstance related to estate management, not a reflection of your ongoing income capacity. Also, if the house sale is still pending, include documentation showing it will be sold and the proceeds distributed per the will - this reinforces that it was truly a temporary situation. The $260/month increase is brutal when you're on SSDI, so definitely worth fighting!

I'm new to this community but dealing with a very similar situation! My spouse had to withdraw from their IRA last year to cover unexpected medical expenses for their elderly parent, and now I'm facing IRMAA increases on my Medicare Part B premiums. Like you, we never thought of this as "high income" - it was money that went directly to medical bills and eldercare costs. Reading through all the advice here has been incredibly helpful, especially learning about the different appeal options. It's frustrating how the system doesn't automatically account for these one-time necessary expenses versus actual lifestyle income increases. I'm going to follow the suggestions here and gather all my documentation for an appeal. Thank you for posting about this - it's reassuring to know we're not alone in dealing with these unexpected IRMAA penalties!

I'm also facing this same timing decision and wanted to share something I learned from my local SSA office visit last week. The representative emphasized that when you're born in January of any year, you actually reach your birthday month age on the first day of that month for Social Security purposes. So if you were born in January 1958, you're considered to reach age 66 on January 1, 2024, and then your additional 10 months would put your FRA at November 1, 2024. What really helped me understand this was asking the SSA rep to show me exactly how they calculate it in their system. She pulled up my record and walked through it step by step. This might be worth doing if you have any lingering doubts - even though it can be hard to get through on the phone, visiting a local office (with an appointment if possible) can give you that face-to-face confirmation. One more tip - when I was there, she showed me how the online application has a "preview" feature before you submit where you can see exactly what benefits will start when. Use that preview to double-check everything looks right before hitting submit!

This thread has been incredibly educational! I'm in a similar boat - born January 1958 with an FRA of 66 and 10 months. Reading everyone's experiences has really helped clarify the process. One thing I wanted to add that I learned from my financial advisor - if you're married and your spouse will eventually claim spousal benefits on your record, starting your benefits right at FRA (rather than delaying) can actually be beneficial because it establishes your Primary Insurance Amount for their spousal benefit calculation. Delaying your own benefits past FRA increases YOUR monthly payment but doesn't increase the spousal benefit amount your spouse could receive. This might not apply to everyone's situation, but it's worth considering if spousal benefits are part of your household's retirement strategy. Just another piece of the puzzle to think about when timing your application! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's so helpful to hear from people who have actually been through this process successfully.

That makes PERFECT sense and explains the confusion! His benefit is right around $3,100 and she said the family max was about $5,200. So she was saying the family would get about 67% MORE in total, not that each dependent would get 67% of his benefit. Thank you for helping me make sense of this!

I'm glad you got that sorted out! Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - when you do call SSA back to confirm everything, ask them to mail you a written benefit estimate that shows the breakdown for each family member. Having it in writing can prevent any confusion later and gives you something to reference if there are discrepancies when payments start. I learned this the hard way when our family went through the SSDI process. The written estimates are usually pretty accurate and can save you a lot of headaches down the road.

I'm so sorry to hear about the change in your retirement strategy! The deemed filing rule really did eliminate a lot of flexibility for people in your situation. But don't give up hope yet - there might still be some options worth exploring. Since you're planning to retire at 62 and your own benefit will be higher at 67, you might want to consider: 1. Working part-time until your FRA to avoid the early filing reduction penalties 2. If you do need income before 67, remember that the earnings test goes away completely once you reach FRA, so any benefits withheld due to excess earnings get added back to your future payments 3. Consider doing some Roth conversions now while you're still working and in potentially lower tax brackets, to reduce future RMDs that could push you into higher SS taxation brackets Also, make sure to get an updated benefit estimate from SSA that shows both your own projected benefit and the divorced spousal benefit, so you can see exactly what the numbers look like under deemed filing. The silver lining is that at least you found out about this now and can adjust your planning accordingly!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through a similar situation a few years ago. The deemed filing rule really is a game-changer for retirement planning, and it sounds like you're getting great advice here about adapting your strategy. One thing I'd add - when you do get those updated benefit estimates from SSA, pay close attention to your earnings record to make sure it's accurate. I found several years where my earnings weren't properly credited, which would have significantly affected my benefit calculation. You can dispute and correct errors, but it's much easier to do while you're still working and have access to your old tax records. Also, regarding the taxation thresholds that were mentioned earlier - don't forget that those dollar amounts ($25k, $34k, etc.) haven't been adjusted for inflation since they were set in the 1980s! So more and more retirees find themselves paying taxes on their Social Security benefits than was originally intended. Definitely factor that into your withdrawal strategies. The good news is you still have several years to optimize your approach. Take advantage of that time to really understand all your options!