I'm in a similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Got my EAD about 10 days ago and already starting to feel the anxiety about the SSN wait. The consistent advice here about calling early morning (around 8am) with your A-number ready seems to be the key strategy. It's also really reassuring to see that 3-4 weeks is totally normal timing, even though the waiting feels endless when you're living it! For anyone else going through this - I've bookmarked this thread because everyone's shared timelines and experiences are so valuable. Sounds like the phone call at 3 weeks to check status + scheduling an in-person appointment as backup around week 4 is the tried and true approach. @1c02b0eafc8b you're definitely not alone in this! The 3-week mark you're at seems to be right when most people start getting proactive. Hope your call tomorrow goes well and you get some good news! 🤞 Will definitely update here once I go through the process myself. This community support makes such a stressful process so much more manageable! 🙏

I went through this exact same process about 8 months ago and totally feel your stress! Here's what I learned: **Timeline that worked for me:** - Got EAD in June, called SSA at exactly 3 weeks (like you're doing now!) - They confirmed my application was processing - have that A-number from your EAD ready when you call - Made an in-person appointment at week 4 as a backup plan - Got my SSN card 5 days after the in-person visit **Pro tips:** • Call 1-800-772-1213 first thing at 8:00 AM - seriously, the hold times are so much shorter • Bring EAD, passport, I-94, and printed I-765 approval to any appointment • Mention if you have a job start date - they can sometimes expedite for employment purposes The 3-week mark you're at is totally normal timing, but calling tomorrow is definitely the right move. Don't panic if they say it's still processing - that's standard. The in-person route really does speed things up if you end up needing it. You've got this! The waiting is the worst part but you're so close to the finish line 💪

My sister just went through this in December. She applied right before Thanksgiving and just got her first payment last week! They did backpay her for December and January though so thats something to look forward to. She said the online tracker thingy never updated either so don't rely on that.

Just wanted to add one more perspective as someone who recently navigated this process. I applied in September 2024 and got approved in December - about 3.5 months total. The key thing that helped speed up my process was making sure I had all my documents ready when I applied online. I'd recommend gathering your tax returns for the last 2 years, your birth certificate, and any military service records (if applicable) before you start the application. Also, if you have a my Social Security account online, you can check your earnings record beforehand to make sure everything looks accurate. One tip I wish I'd known: when you get to the part about requesting retroactive benefits (since you're past FRA), they'll ask you to choose a specific month to start benefits. Think carefully about this because it affects your total payout. Since you could get up to 6 months back from February, that would be August 2024 through February 2025 - that's 7 months of benefits in your lump sum if approved in June! Good luck with your application and enjoy retirement when it all comes through!

Welcome to the community! As someone who's also navigating these Social Security decisions, I can't tell you how helpful this entire discussion has been. I'm 64 and was completely in the dark about COLAs continuing while you delay benefits - like so many others here, I thought you'd miss out on those increases if you weren't already collecting! What really convinced me after reading everyone's experiences is the compound effect of getting BOTH the 8% delayed credits AND the inflation protection. The real-world examples people shared here (especially those actual dollar amounts) are so much more valuable than anything I could find on the SSA website. I'm curious - for those who've been tracking their benefit growth online, how often does the SSA website update those estimated amounts? Do you see the COLA increases reflected right away in January, or does it take a while for their system to catch up? I want to start monitoring my own projected benefits but wasn't sure about the timing of when changes show up. Thanks again to everyone for sharing such detailed personal experiences. This thread should honestly be required reading for anyone approaching their FRA!

As someone new to this community, I have to say this entire thread has been absolutely life-changing for my Social Security planning! I'm 66 and reached my FRA three months ago, and I've been agonizing over whether to claim now or delay. Like so many others here, I had absolutely NO idea that COLAs continue to apply while you're delaying benefits - this is such a crucial piece of information that completely changes the math! I actually called the SSA twice about this specific question and got two different answers, which left me even more confused. But reading through all these real-world experiences and seeing the actual dollar amounts people shared has been incredibly enlightening. The fact that you get BOTH the guaranteed 8% delayed retirement credits AND ongoing inflation protection is honestly mind-blowing - it's like getting a guaranteed high-yield investment with built-in inflation hedging! I'm particularly grateful for the detailed explanation about how COLA gets applied to your PIA first, then the delayed credits get calculated on that adjusted amount. That compound growth effect during high inflation years like 2023 is incredible - over 16% in a single year for some people! I'm definitely going to delay now and start tracking my benefit growth using one of those spreadsheets people mentioned. Has anyone here found that their family members or financial advisors were initially skeptical about delaying once they learned about the COLA benefits? I'm getting some pushback from relatives who think I should "take what I can get now" but the numbers in this thread are pretty convincing that waiting is actually the more secure strategy. Thanks to everyone for sharing such valuable real-world experiences - this community is exactly what I needed to make this important decision with confidence!

This is such great information for anyone approaching retirement! I'm still a few years away from my FRA, but I've been wondering about this exact scenario since I have quite a bit of vacation time saved up too. It's really helpful to see all the different perspectives and real experiences people have shared here. The key takeaway seems to be that once you reach your Full Retirement Age, the earnings test disappears completely - but the tax implications are definitely something to plan for. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and advice. This community is incredibly valuable for navigating these retirement questions!

This thread has been incredibly informative! I'm also approaching retirement (though still a couple years out) and had no idea about the distinction between being under vs. over Full Retirement Age when it comes to vacation payouts. It's really reassuring to see so many people confirm that once you're past FRA, the earnings test completely disappears. The tax planning aspect that several people mentioned is something I hadn't considered either - definitely going to keep that in mind as I get closer to retirement. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences, especially those who went through similar situations with large vacation payouts. This is exactly the kind of practical advice that's so hard to find elsewhere!

Update: I finally got through to someone at Medicaid who seemed to really know what they were talking about. They confirmed that my children's survivor benefits are NOT counted towards MY income for Medicaid eligibility purposes! They are considered the children's income. However, they said I should bring all the award letters showing the separate payments to my in-person appointment. Thank you everyone for your help - this forum saved me so much stress!

That's fantastic news! I'm so glad you were able to get a knowledgeable caseworker who could clear this up for you. This is such an important distinction that can make or break someone's eligibility. Your experience will definitely help other people in similar situations who might be dealing with the same confusion. It's frustrating that there's so much inconsistency in how different caseworkers handle these cases, but at least you got the right answer in the end. Best of luck with your application!