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If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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my neighbor works for our state pension system and she said they've been swamped with questions about this! apparently the state retirement systems don't have any more info than we do right now lol
Typical government bureaucracy! Left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. And meanwhile WE have to figure out how to plan our retirements with incomplete information!
One important update: Based on the information shared, I ran a quick calculation using what we know about the new proportional formula. With 18 years of substantial earnings under Social Security out of a 48-year career, approximately 37.5% of your career was in covered employment. The new formula will likely result in you keeping about 37.5% of the difference between your WEP-reduced benefit ($675) and your non-WEP benefit ($1,850). So: $675 + (0.375 × ($1,850 - $675)) = approximately $1,116 per month. This is just an estimate based on the general formula, but it gives you a better idea of what to expect. The actual calculation will be more complex and depend on your specific earnings history.
That's incredibly helpful - thank you! A potential increase to $1,116 would make a significant difference in my retirement planning. I really appreciate you taking the time to calculate that estimate.
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btw when u apply make sure u list EVERY single thing wrong with u not just the main problem. my claim was denied when i only talked about my back but got approved when i listed everything (diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, etc). they look at the COMBINED effect of all ur health problems!
yes!! this is so important!! my cousin only put her main disability and got denied twice but then her lawyer made her list EVERYTHING and she got approved
I hadn't thought about listing everything. I've been focusing on my severe arthritis and back problems, but I also have high blood pressure, early stage COPD from years around the shop, and some vision problems. I'll make sure to document all of these. Thank you!
One more thing to consider about your situation: If your husband's SSDI benefit is very low, it might be because not all of your business income was properly credited to his earnings record during those years you filed jointly. Self-employment income is reported on Schedule SE, and sometimes small business owners don't complete this correctly. It might be worth having a Social Security representative review his earnings record to ensure all income was properly credited. If there are errors, you can request corrections with proof of tax filings. The same goes for your own record during the 6 years you've been filing - make sure you're completing Schedule SE correctly so your self-employment earnings count toward your Social Security credits.
That's an excellent point. We've always used a tax preparer from H&R Block, but I've never specifically checked if the Schedule SE was done correctly. I'm going to pull all our tax returns from the last 10 years and review them. Thank you for this tip!
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I tried calling SSA to ask about something similar and couldn't get through after 3 DAYS of trying!!! Their phone system is USELESS!!! Kept saying "high call volume" and disconnecting me. WHAT A JOKE! If you're really considering this strategy you NEED to talk to an actual SSA rep to understand all the implications, not just random internet strangers!
I had the same problem trying to call about my disability review last month! Found out about this service called Claimyr from another thread here that gets you through the phone system. Costs money but it worked - they got me an agent in 20 minutes when I had been trying for days. Their website (claimyr.com) has a video showing how it works. For something this important, might be worth it.
has anyone done the math on this? like actually calculated if you come out ahead? I mean, if you take $2,450 x 12 = $29,400 for the year then have to pay back based on the formula ($110,000 - $22,320) / 2 = $43,840 you'd owe more than you received? am i missing something?
Your math is correct. With the numbers provided, they would withhold approximately $43,840, which exceeds the annual benefit amount of $29,400. This means SSA would recover the full year's benefits and continue withholding from the following year's payments until they've recouped the full amount. This is why this strategy doesn't work mathematically at higher income levels - you end up owing more than you receive, creating a deficit rather than any advantage.
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Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I'll definitely check my earnings record and make sure all my substantial earnings years are counted correctly. I did have some summer jobs and a few years of part-time work while teaching that might help. I'll also request the detailed WEP calculation and see if there are any errors. It's still frustrating to lose so much of my Social Security after paying into it for years, but at least I understand the rules better now.
anyone know if WEP applies if you switch to disability??? my teacher friend got SSDI and thinks she avoided WEP somehow?
WEP does apply to SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) just like it applies to retirement benefits. However, there's a disability freeze provision that sometimes results in a different calculation. Also, if someone receives a disability pension from teaching instead of a regular pension, different rules might apply. Your friend should double-check her specific situation with SSA.
Miguel Ramos
One thing to keep in mind - if your ex hasn't claimed yet but does so in the future, they might get a higher benefit from their own record depending on their earnings history. The SSA will pay whichever is higher: their own retirement benefit or the spousal benefit (which maxes out at 50% of your PIA). So don't assume they'll automatically claim on your record even if eligible.
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Ava Martinez
•That's a good point I hadn't considered. My ex earned quite a bit less than me during our marriage (lots of career transitions), so I'm guessing the spousal benefit would be higher, but who knows what happened after our divorce. Thanks for pointing that out!
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Yara Sayegh
Does your ex know that you're delaying until 70? Because if they're collecting on your record while you're delaying, they're only getting the benefit calculated on your PIA at your full retirement age, not the increased amount you'll get at 70. Just FYI.
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Miguel Ramos
•This is an excellent point that often gets overlooked. Ex-spouse benefits are based on the worker's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) at FRA (Full Retirement Age), not the enhanced amount from delayed credits. So your decision to wait until 70 doesn't increase what your ex might receive.
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