Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who went through this exact situation two years ago. I was in a similar boat - had a consulting contract that paid out a large sum in my first benefit month. One thing that really helped me was keeping detailed records of exactly when I performed the work vs when I received payment. The SSA earnings test is based on when you actually EARN the money, not when you receive it. So if you did most of the project work in May but got paid in June, you might be able to argue that the earnings should count toward May instead. Also, don't forget that the monthly limit is $1,950 for 2025, but they deduct $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. So if you earn $3,200 in June, that's $1,250 over the limit, which means they'd reduce your benefit by $625 (not necessarily withhold the entire month's payment unless your benefit amount is less than $625). The whole system is definitely confusing, but understanding these details can help you make better decisions about timing!

I just wanted to chime in as someone who's been collecting SS for a few years now - the earnings test really is one of the most confusing parts of the whole system! One thing I learned the hard way is that it's worth requesting a written confirmation from SSA about how they'll handle your specific situation. When I called about my earnings, the agent gave me verbal guidance that turned out to be slightly wrong, and it caused some headaches later. Getting it in writing (even just an email followup) can save you trouble down the road. Also, if you do end up having benefits withheld, don't panic about the timing of when they'll restart payments. In my experience, once they process your annual earnings report the following year, any adjustments happen pretty quickly. The system may be confusing but it does eventually work itself out. Best of luck with your retirement planning - it sounds like you're being really thoughtful about timing everything!

I want to thank everyone for the helpful responses. I'm going to go ahead with just the regular retirement application since it seems there's no benefit to pursuing disability at my age. It's frustrating that the SSA representatives gave me conflicting information, but I'm grateful for the clear explanations here.

I'm really glad you found this thread helpful! Just wanted to add one more thing - since you mentioned early-onset Alzheimer's, you might want to consider setting up a representative payee arrangement if you haven't already. Even though you're going with retirement benefits instead of disability, having someone you trust designated to help manage your Social Security payments in the future could be really valuable as your condition progresses. You can set this up proactively with SSA, and it doesn't affect your benefit amount at all. Wishing you all the best with your application!

That's a really helpful perspective I hadn't considered. My boyfriend is actually 5 years older than me and has a higher earnings history, so that could potentially benefit me later in life. Not that I'm planning around that, but good to understand all the implications.

Congratulations on your upcoming engagement! Just wanted to add my experience as someone who works at a local SSA field office - your $1867 retirement benefit is completely safe and won't be touched by marriage. I see this confusion all the time, and it's totally understandable why people worry about it. Your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) is calculated solely from your highest 35 years of earnings, indexed for inflation. Marriage status has zero impact on that calculation. The only time marriage affects Social Security payments is with auxiliary benefits like spousal, survivor, or divorced spouse benefits - but never your own earned retirement benefit. One tip though: if you're planning to marry soon and are close to your FRA, you might want to file for your retirement benefit first before the wedding, just to get the paperwork started and avoid any potential processing delays. Best wishes on your marriage!

I'm going through this exact same process right now! Filed in January for a June 1st retirement date and still waiting to hear my actual benefit amount. It's so nerve-wracking trying to plan my post-retirement budget without knowing this crucial piece of information. What I've learned from talking to others is that the mySocialSecurity estimate is often conservative, especially if you've had higher earnings in recent years. The system seems to lag behind on including your most current income data. I'm trying to stay optimistic that the actual amount will be higher than the online estimate, but like you, I really wish they could give us more certainty earlier in the process. Has anyone found it helpful to visit a local SSA office in person rather than just calling? I'm wondering if face-to-face might get better information about timing.

I'm in a very similar situation - filed in February for a July 1st start date and the uncertainty is driving me crazy! What's particularly frustrating is that I've been meticulous about tracking my earnings over the years, but the online estimate seems way too low given my recent salary increases. One thing I discovered that might help - if you have access to your annual Social Security statements from previous years, you can sometimes spot patterns in how they calculate estimates vs. reality. My financial planner suggested keeping those old statements because they show the progression of benefit estimates over time. Also, for what it's worth, my sister went through this last year and said the waiting was the worst part. Once she got her official letter, everything moved smoothly and her first payment was exactly on time. The amount ended up being about $180 higher than her online estimate, largely because her final two years of earnings weren't fully reflected in the system. Hang in there - we're all navigating this frustrating process together!

One more thing to check - make sure your mother is actually receiving her own benefit and not an early widow's benefit. Since she's 83 and your father is 79 and still alive, that's probably not the case, but I've seen situations where the SSA computer system had incorrect death information and automatically converted a spouse to survivor benefits erroneously. Also, if your father had any other marriages that lasted at least 10 years, former spouses might also be drawing benefits on his record (though this wouldn't affect your mother's amount). The most likely explanation remains that your mother claimed her own benefit early, locking in a permanent reduction. The spousal benefit would then be reduced as well. For what it's worth, these benefit amounts do seem plausible given the circumstances you described (your father being the primary earner, your mother working part-time).

I went through something very similar with my grandmother a few years ago. She was getting around $900 while my grandfather got $2,400, and we couldn't understand why the difference was so large. After calling SSA (took forever to get through!), we discovered she had filed at 62 instead of waiting until her full retirement age of 66. This reduced her own benefit by about 25%, and since spousal benefits are also reduced when you file early, she was stuck with the lower amount permanently. The agent also explained that even though spousal benefits can be up to 50% of the higher earner's benefit, that's only if you wait until full retirement age AND if 50% is actually higher than your own reduced benefit. In my grandmother's case, her reduced spousal benefit was only slightly higher than her own reduced benefit, so the total increase was minimal. One thing that helped us was requesting a detailed benefit statement that showed exactly how they calculated her amounts. It made everything much clearer. Definitely worth calling to verify everything is correct - we found out my grandmother was actually eligible for a small additional amount she hadn't been receiving.