Great question! I'm going through something very similar with my spouse. Just to add another perspective - if your wife does end up going over the earnings limit accidentally, SSA typically sends a notice and gives you a chance to explain or provide documentation before they start withholding benefits. They're usually pretty reasonable if it's a genuine miscalculation and not intentional. Also, one thing that helped us was setting up automatic alerts in our banking app to track her part-time income deposits. Since she's aiming for about $1,250/month ($15k annually), having a monthly tracker makes it really easy to spot if any month looks unusually high before it becomes a problem. The peace of mind from staying well under the limit is worth it - sounds like you both have a solid plan in place!

I'm a newcomer here but found this thread incredibly informative as my wife and I are in almost the exact same boat! She's 64 and just started benefits, I'm 61 and still working. Reading through everyone's experiences has been so helpful. One thing I wanted to add that we learned from our accountant - since your wife is working at her sister's shop, make absolutely sure they're issuing proper paystubs and handling all the employment taxes correctly. Family businesses sometimes get sloppy with documentation thinking "it's just family," but SSA will want to see everything properly reported if they ever audit. Also, I noticed several people mentioned the online my Social Security account - definitely set that up ASAP! We found it super helpful to monitor her payments and it makes reporting any changes much easier than calling their overloaded phone lines. Your $15k target for her part-time work sounds very reasonable and well within the safe zone. We're being even more conservative and aiming for about $12k annually just to have extra buffer room. Sometimes the peace of mind is worth leaving a little money on the table!

As someone who's completely new to Social Security benefits, this entire thread has been an absolute goldmine of information! I was terrified about making any major financial moves that might accidentally impact my benefits. The clear consensus from everyone - backed up by real-world experience, professional expertise, and even insider knowledge from SSA family members - that home sale proceeds don't count toward the earnings test is incredibly reassuring. What I find most helpful is learning that the earnings test is so specifically defined as only wages and self-employment income. As a newcomer, I was worried that ANY money coming in might somehow affect my benefits. The distinction between earned income and capital gains makes perfect sense now that it's been explained so clearly. The mention of SSA Publication No. 05-10069 is particularly valuable - having official documentation to reference gives me confidence that I can verify these rules myself if questions come up in the future. Thank you all for creating such a welcoming and informative community where those of us new to navigating these systems can learn without fear of making costly mistakes!

As someone who's also new to Social Security and still learning about all these regulations, this discussion has been absolutely enlightening! I had similar concerns about whether various financial transactions might impact my benefits, and I'm so grateful for all the detailed explanations everyone has provided. What really stands out to me is how specific the earnings test is - I had no idea it only applied to wages and self-employment income, not capital gains from home sales. As a newcomer to this system, I was worried that ANY incoming money might somehow affect my benefits, so learning about these important distinctions has been incredibly valuable. I especially appreciate everyone mentioning SSA Publication No. 05-10069 - having that official reference gives me confidence that I can always verify these rules directly with SSA if questions arise. It's also reassuring to see confirmation from so many different perspectives, including real estate professionals and people with family connections to SSA. This community has made navigating these complex benefit rules so much less overwhelming for those of us who are new to the system. Thank you all for creating such a supportive environment where we can learn about these important financial decisions without fear of making costly mistakes!

So glad you were able to get this resolved! It's frustrating that the system flagged your payment because of the previous fraud incident - you'd think they'd have better ways to verify without causing stress to beneficiaries who are already victims. The separate bank account idea is brilliant too. Thanks for updating us on what happened - this thread will be really helpful for others who run into similar issues.

This whole situation highlights a major problem with SSA's fraud prevention system - it seems like once you've been a victim of fraud, you're more likely to have future payments flagged and delayed. It's almost like they're punishing you for being victimized in the first place! I'm glad you got it sorted out with the Claimyr service, but it shouldn't take a third-party service to get basic answers about your own benefits. The fact that they can flag payments for "verification" without any notification to the beneficiary is really concerning, especially for people who depend on that money for basic living expenses.

Welcome to Social Security! I totally get the confusion - I'm about 6 months into receiving benefits and remember feeling exactly the same way when I started. The "one month behind" thing really messes with your head at first! What really helped me was thinking of it like this: you're earning your benefit by living through each month, and then you get paid for that "work" the following month. So you'll earn your November benefit by making it through November, and then get paid for it in December. I actually keep a little note on my phone that says "Dec check = Nov life" which sounds silly but helps me remember! The hardest part is that first transition period when you're trying to figure out your new budget rhythm. Once you get through the holidays and into the new year, you'll have a much better feel for the timing. This community has been amazing for answering these kinds of practical questions that the official SSA materials somehow never explain clearly!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm also completely new to Social Security - just received my very first payment two weeks ago - and I was having the exact same confusion about timing. I kept thinking I was missing a payment somewhere because my mental math wasn't adding up! The "payment in arrears" explanation everyone has shared really clicked for me - it's like any other job where you work first and get paid after. I love all the practical tips here, especially the calendar method of writing "Nov benefits → Dec payment" and the wallet cheat sheet idea. It's honestly frustrating that something this basic isn't explained clearly in the welcome packet, but finding this supportive community has made all the difference. As someone who was genuinely stressed about whether I was doing something wrong with my benefits, it's such a relief to know this confusion is totally normal for newcomers. Thank you all for being so patient and helpful - you've saved me from hours of worry and probably some unnecessary calls to the SSA!

just wondering how the appointment went?? mine was so scary but the lady was soooo nice actually!

That's wonderful news! What a huge difference between the two benefit amounts - almost double! It sounds like waiting for the higher survivor benefits at your FRA could be worth it financially, especially since you're only turning 65 in a few months. Since you mentioned health issues that kept you out of work, you might want to consider how that factors into your decision timeline. Sometimes having benefits start sooner provides peace of mind even if the amount is less. Did they give you any paperwork or deadlines for making your final decision? And congratulations on getting through what sounds like it was a stressful process!