One thing nobody mentioned - when you apply for your mother's benefit, bring ALL the documentation about your son's condition with you! The 504 plan, doctor letters, hospital records, EVERYTHING. I made the mistake of not bringing my daughter's medical records and they gave me a hard time about proving she needed special care. They kept saying "but she gets survivor benefits already" like that was enough. You need to be super clear that you're applying for the mother's benefit based on having his father's child in your care, not applying for anything related to disability.

I'm a newcomer here but have been following this discussion closely as I'm in a somewhat similar situation. Reading through everyone's responses has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea about mother's/father's benefits either! MoonlightSonata, I want to echo what others have said: you absolutely should apply for these benefits immediately. From what I'm learning here, it sounds like you've been eligible this entire time and just weren't informed about it when you first applied for your son's benefits. One thing I'm curious about - has anyone here had experience with how quickly SSA processes mother's/father's benefit applications? Given that you mentioned your savings are rapidly depleting, timing might be important for your financial planning. Also, thank you to everyone sharing their experiences and technical knowledge. This community is proving to be more helpful than any official SSA resource I've found online!

SSA website is useless for explaining this stuff clearly. And good luck getting someone on the phone who actually understands the rules. The whole system is designed to confuse people IMO.

Just wanted to add one more important detail that might help you: When you apply in December 2024, make sure you have your W-2s or earnings records ready from your current employer. SSA will want to verify your projected earnings for 2025, especially since you mentioned earning $8,000/month for those first three months. Having documentation ready can help speed up the processing and avoid any delays in getting your benefits started on time in March. Also, if your employer offers any flexibility with your January-March schedule, you might consider whether there are any tax advantages to timing your final paychecks, but that's more of a question for a tax professional.

DONT FORGET ABOUT MEDICARE!!!! If you're not working at 65, you HAVE to sign up for Medicare even if you haven't started Social Security yet!!!! They don't automatically enroll you if you haven't started benefits. My friend missed her enrollment period and had to pay penalties for YEARS!!!

Just want to add one more thing that might be helpful - you mentioned your husband is already 76 and collecting $2,350/month. Since he's past his Full Retirement Age, he's not subject to any earnings test, so if he's still working that won't affect his benefits at all. Also, given the 18-year age gap, you might want to consider life insurance planning alongside your Social Security strategy. If your husband passes away and you're relying on survivor benefits, having some life insurance could help bridge any financial gaps, especially if you claim your own benefits early at 62. The good news is that with your own benefit being relatively high compared to the spousal benefit, you have some flexibility in your timing. Just make sure you run the actual numbers with SSA before making your final decision!

Based on your follow-up questions, I think it's important to clarify that Canadian pensions do interact with US Social Security under the US-Canada totalization agreement, but the exact impact depends on several factors: 1. If you're receiving the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), this is based on your earnings in Canada and can trigger GPO. 2. If you're receiving Old Age Security (OAS), which is residence-based rather than work-based, the GPO calculation may differ. 3. The agreement may allow periods of coverage to be combined to meet eligibility requirements, but benefits are generally calculated proportionally based on the periods of coverage in each country. The planning software I mentioned can handle the basics of WEP/GPO, but for international complications, you really need personalized guidance. This is exactly why speaking with someone at SSA who specializes in international benefits is so important for your case.

I went through something very similar with my late husband - we had a 12-year age gap and he delayed to 70. A few practical tips from someone who's been there: First, regarding your Canadian pension and GPO - since it's CPP based on work, yes it will likely trigger GPO on your survivor benefits. BUT here's what saved me thousands: keep detailed records of EXACTLY how much your CPP is when you start receiving it. SSA sometimes estimates foreign pension amounts incorrectly, and you can appeal their GPO calculation if you have proper documentation. Second, that age gap is actually working in your favor! Your husband delaying to 70 means your future survivor benefit will be his full delayed retirement credit amount. That's a substantial increase over what it would have been at his FRA. One thing I wish I'd known: when your husband does pass away (hopefully many years from now), you'll need to notify both SSA AND Service Canada to coordinate benefits properly under the totalization agreement. Don't assume they communicate with each other - they don't. The spousal-to-survivor strategy you're considering is solid. Taking spousal at 62 won't hurt your survivor benefits, and given your age gap, you'll likely be receiving survivor benefits for many years. Make sure you understand exactly when you can switch from spousal to survivor benefits to maximize your total lifetime benefits.

To add one more helpful bit of information - if you're wondering exactly how much your benefit will be after the COLA, you can calculate it yourself. Just take your current benefit amount and multiply it by 1.032 (for the 3.2% COLA for 2025). It won't be exact to the penny due to rounding rules SSA uses, but it'll be very close and can help with your budget planning while you wait for the official update.

Just wanted to add that you can also sign up for text alerts through your MySocialSecurity account! I set this up last year and got a text notification when my COLA update was processed. It's under the "Message Center" settings - you can choose to get alerts for benefit changes, payment updates, etc. Really helpful so you don't have to keep checking manually every day. The setup only takes a few minutes and gives you peace of mind.