As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share some additional considerations based on what I've researched for similar situations. One aspect that hasn't been fully addressed is how the Social Security Fairness Act might actually work in your favor beyond just eliminating WEP. Since your husband has 30+ years of substantial earnings outside the fire department, his Primary Insurance Amount could be significantly higher than what he might have calculated under the old rules. This higher PIA would increase both his benefit and the family maximum threshold, potentially making the numbers work better for your family even if he claims early. However, I'd also suggest looking into something called "do-over" strategies. If your husband files at 62 and you later realize the family would benefit more from him having waited, he has a 12-month window to withdraw his application (paying back what was received) and refile later. It's not ideal, but it provides some flexibility if circumstances change or if you get better information about your daughter's benefit calculations. Another practical tip: when you do speak with SSA, ask specifically about "auxiliary benefits" and the "family maximum benefit" for your situation. Using these exact terms seems to help get you connected with representatives who are more familiar with complex family benefit scenarios rather than basic retirement questions. The fact that your daughter will be eligible for 11 years makes this decision really impactful financially - definitely worth getting professional help to optimize!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to add some perspective on the timing considerations that haven't been fully explored yet. Given that your daughter will be eligible for benefits until she turns 18 (so for 11 years), you might want to consider a hybrid approach: have your husband continue working and delay Social Security until at least his full retirement age, while living off his firefighter pension in the meantime. This could maximize the total lifetime benefits for your family. Here's why this might make sense: If your husband's PIA under the new Fairness Act rules is around $1,833/month (to get $1,375 at age 62), waiting until full retirement age would mean he gets the full $1,833, your daughter gets up to 50% of that ($916), and the family maximum would be calculated on the higher amount. Over 11 years, this difference could be substantial. Also, something to keep in mind - your daughter's benefits will automatically stop when she turns 18 (unless she's still in high school), but your husband's benefits continue for life. So the decision isn't just about the next 11 years, but also about his lifetime benefit amount. I'd definitely recommend getting that detailed SSA projection others mentioned, but also consider consulting with a financial planner who can model out different scenarios including your pension, Social Security timing, and your daughter's education costs. The complexity of government pensions plus the new Fairness Act rules really warrants professional analysis.

I'm in a very similar situation - turning 65 next year and born in 1960, so I'm also affected by this deemed filing rule. What's been most frustrating for me is that I keep finding outdated articles online that still talk about the restricted application strategy like it's available to everyone. I wasted months planning around that before I found out it doesn't apply to me! One thing I discovered that might help you is that you can create a my Social Security account online to see estimates of both your own benefit and potential spousal benefits. It's not as detailed as what you'd get from talking to an actual representative, but it gives you a ballpark idea of which might be higher. Also, if you do end up using Claimyr or getting through to SSA, ask them to explain the "break-even" analysis - basically at what age the cumulative benefits would be equal if you claim early versus waiting. That helped me understand whether delaying made sense in my case.

I'm also dealing with this same situation and wanted to add something that helped me understand the timing better. Even though we can't use the restricted application strategy anymore, the timing of when you file still matters a lot. I learned that if your own benefit will be higher than the ex-spousal benefit, you might still want to delay claiming until age 70 to get those delayed retirement credits (8% per year). But if the ex-spousal benefit is higher, there's no point waiting past your FRA since spousal benefits don't grow with delayed credits. What really helped me was calling and asking the SSA rep to run three scenarios: claiming at 62, at my FRA, and at 70, showing the monthly amounts and total lifetime benefits for each. They could see both my record and my ex's record and gave me the actual numbers instead of just estimates. It made the decision much clearer. Also, don't forget that you need to have been married for at least 10 years to qualify for ex-spousal benefits - sounds like you're good with 22 years, but worth mentioning for others reading this.

Based on what you've shared, here's what I recommend: 1. First, verify your husband's claiming history by contacting SSA (whether through regular channels or using a service to help you get through) 2. Ask specifically about: - When your husband began collecting benefits - What his PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) was - How the RIB-LIM rule affects your specific situation 3. Request a benefit calculation for these scenarios: - Taking your survivor benefits now (reduced amount) - Taking your own retirement benefit now, then switching to survivor benefits at your FRA Once you have these specific numbers, you can make an informed decision. The difference could potentially be thousands of dollars over your lifetime, so it's worth doing this research.

I went through this exact situation 3 years ago when I was 64. The misinformation is unfortunately very common - even some SSA representatives don't always have the details right. Here's what I learned the hard way: survivor benefits ARE reduced if you take them before your FRA, period. The reduction is permanent too, so you can't "undo" it later. What saved me financially was doing exactly what Justin suggested - I took my own smaller retirement benefit at 64, then switched to the full survivor benefit when I hit my FRA at 66. This gave me income for those 2 years while preserving the higher survivor benefit amount. The key is getting YOUR specific numbers from SSA because everyone's situation is different based on earnings history and when benefits were claimed. Don't rely on general advice (including mine!) - get your actual benefit estimates in writing before deciding.

Quick question - does anyone know if changing your direct deposit info affects your payment date? I rely on getting paid on a specific day each month.

I updated mine about 6 months ago and it was actually pretty straightforward! Here's what worked for me: - Do it online through my Social Security if possible - way faster than calling - Have all your banking info written down beforehand (routing number, account number, bank name) - Log in during off-peak hours (early morning or late evening) to avoid website issues - Take a screenshot of the confirmation page once you submit - Keep checking your account for the next few payments to make sure everything went through correctly The whole process took me maybe 10 minutes online, and my next payment went to the new account without any issues. Don't stress too much about it - they deal with these requests all the time! Just double-check all your numbers before hitting submit.

This is exactly why I always tell people to check their online account after the New Year! The Medicare premium increases can really catch people off guard. What's frustrating is that sometimes the Medicare Part D premiums vary by plan, so even people with the same Social Security benefit can see different net increases depending on which drug plan they chose during open enrollment. I've been getting Social Security for about 8 years now and I still have to remind myself every January that my COLA isn't just a simple percentage calculation - there are always other moving pieces. At least now with the online portal it's much easier to see the breakdown than it used to be when we had to wait for paper statements!

As someone who's been helping family members navigate Social Security for years, I want to add one more thing that might help others understand their payments better. If you have taxes withheld from your Social Security benefits (federal or state), those withholding amounts can also change from year to year, which adds another layer to why your net increase might be different than expected. The IRS adjusts tax withholding tables periodically, and sometimes people forget they elected to have taxes taken out when they first started receiving benefits. So even after accounting for the Medicare premium increases, you might still see a difference if your tax withholding changed. The key is really that online mySocialSecurity account - it breaks down everything line by line so you can see your gross benefit, COLA increase, Medicare premiums, tax withholding, and any other deductions. It's honestly the best tool they've given us to understand our payments!