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I'm really sorry for your loss and can completely understand the anxiety around navigating survivor benefits during such a difficult time. The community has given you excellent advice - ESOP dividends absolutely will NOT count toward your Social Security earnings limit! I work as a financial advisor and deal with these questions regularly. The $22,560 earnings limit for 2025 only applies to wages from active employment and self-employment income - never to investment income like dividends, interest, or distributions from retirement accounts. Your ESOP dividends are classified as investment returns, not compensation for current services. When you apply next month, I'd suggest bringing copies of your ESOP statements that clearly show these are dividend distributions from your late husband's employer stock plan - this will help SSA process your application smoothly and avoid any potential confusion. Also, consider calling ahead to your local SSA office to schedule an appointment rather than just walking in - the wait times are usually much shorter with appointments. You're being very thorough by researching this beforehand, which will definitely pay off during the application process. Best of luck!
Thank you so much for the professional perspective! It's incredibly helpful to hear from a financial advisor who deals with these situations regularly. Your advice about scheduling an appointment ahead of time is really smart - I hadn't thought about calling to set up a specific time rather than just walking in and potentially waiting for hours. I'll definitely do that and bring all my ESOP statements as documentation. It's such a relief to have so many knowledgeable people confirm that these dividends won't affect my survivor benefits. After months of worrying about this, I finally feel confident moving forward with my application. Thank you for taking the time to share your expertise!
I'm so sorry for your loss and completely understand your concerns about navigating this process. As someone who went through a similar situation with my late spouse's retirement accounts, I can confirm what everyone else has said - ESOP dividends absolutely DO NOT count toward the Social Security earnings limit! The key distinction is that the $22,560 limit for 2025 only applies to "earned income" - meaning wages from active work or self-employment income. Your ESOP dividends are considered investment income, just like any other dividend or interest payment. When I applied for survivor benefits, the SSA representative specifically told me that pension distributions, 401k withdrawals, dividends, and other investment income don't count toward the earnings test at all. Just make sure when you apply that you clearly state these are ESOP dividend distributions from your late husband's employer plan (not wages or current employment income) and bring your monthly statements as documentation. This will help avoid any confusion during processing. You're being very smart to research this thoroughly beforehand - it will make the application process much smoother!
Thank you so much for sharing your personal experience with this exact situation! It's incredibly comforting to hear from someone who actually went through the survivor benefits application process with similar investment income. Your point about the SSA representative specifically mentioning that pension distributions, 401k withdrawals, and dividends don't count toward the earnings test is exactly what I needed to hear. I've been so anxious about potentially getting hit with an overpayment notice later if I misunderstood the rules. I really appreciate your advice about being very clear that these are ESOP dividend distributions rather than employment income - that distinction seems really important for avoiding confusion. Having all these real experiences from people who've actually navigated this process successfully gives me so much more confidence about applying next month. Thank you for taking the time to help!
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I'm new to this community but have been following this thread closely as I'm dealing with a very similar Medicare premium double-payment situation. I started Medicare in December 2024 and began Social Security benefits in February 2025, so I've been double-charged for February and March - about $580 so far. This discussion has been incredibly valuable - I was also told by a Medicare representative that the refund would happen automatically within 6-8 weeks, but it's now been about 6 weeks with no sign of any refund on my credit card statement. Reading everyone's experiences makes it clear that waiting for the "automatic" system is not a reliable approach. I'm planning to call this week using the specific language from @Aisha Abdullah about requesting a "Medicare Part B premium refund for duplicate payment during benefit transition." The advice about calling early in the morning, getting a case number, and having all documentation ready seems crucial based on everyone's shared experiences. What really stands out to me is how this coordination problem between Medicare and SSA affects so many people during what should be a routine transition. It's clearly a systemic issue that needs better processes, but at least this community has provided an excellent roadmap for getting individual cases resolved. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed timelines and advice. This thread is going to help so many people avoid the frustrating waiting game that clearly doesn't work. I'll definitely update here once I make progress on my case!
Welcome to the community @Nina Chan! Your timing is actually pretty good - at 6 weeks you're right at the point where it's becoming clear the "automatic" system isn't going to work, but you haven't been waiting as long as some of us here who went months before taking action. I'm also relatively new to this community and have been amazed at how helpful everyone's shared experiences have been. The consistency in the advice about being proactive rather than waiting is really striking across all these cases. Your situation with just 2 months of duplicate charges should be pretty straightforward to resolve once you get to the right person. The specific language from @Aisha Abdullah about Medicare "Part B premium refund for duplicate payment during benefit transition really" does seem to be the key to getting routed to the right department quickly. And calling early in the morning to avoid those long hold times that several people mentioned is definitely smart. It would be great to hear how your call goes this week! With so many of us planning to call using this advice, sharing our experiences will help build an even better roadmap for others facing this same coordination failure between Medicare and SSA systems. Good luck!
I'm new to this community and unfortunately dealing with this exact same Medicare premium double-payment issue. I started Medicare in August 2024 and began Social Security benefits in October 2024, so I've been double-charged for October, November, December, January, February, and March - that's about $1,740 I'm owed back over 6 months now! Reading through this incredibly detailed thread has been both eye-opening and reassuring. Like so many others here, I was initially told by a Medicare representative that the refund would process automatically within 30-45 days, but it's been over 5 months with absolutely nothing appearing on my credit card. The consistency across everyone's experiences really drives home how broken the coordination is between Medicare and SSA systems during these transitions. The "automatic" refund timeline that representatives give out is clearly not accurate in practice, and being proactive with calling is essential. I'm definitely calling this week using the excellent advice from @Aisha Abdullah about requesting a "Medicare Part B premium refund for duplicate payment during benefit transition." The tips about calling early morning, getting a case number, and having all documentation ready are invaluable. Given the substantial amount involved in my case, I'll also keep @Andre Dupont's suggestions about SHIP programs and Congressional inquiry as backup options if needed. This thread has been an incredible resource - thank you to everyone who shared their timelines and experiences. It's clear this affects far more people than it should, and having this community roadmap makes navigating the bureaucratic process much less daunting. I'll definitely update here once I make progress on my case!
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After reading through this whole discussion, I think you're in a good position to make an informed choice now. It's not a massive financial difference either way given that it's only 4 months. The earnings test complicates things slightly, but only for those 4 months. One last thing to consider: if you're truly miserable at work, what's the value of your happiness and mental health for those 4 months? Sometimes that's worth more than the financial calculation. Best of luck with your decision!
Thank you! You're right that the mental health aspect is important too. I think I'm going to call SSA (using that service someone mentioned to avoid the wait) to get exact numbers, then make my final decision. I appreciate all the helpful advice from everyone!
One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the "break-even" analysis. With a $58/month reduction on a $2,650 benefit, you'd collect about $2,592/month starting now versus $0 for 4 months then $2,650. It would take roughly 18-19 years for the higher benefit to make up for those 4 months of missed payments ($2,592 x 4 = $10,368). Given your good health and family longevity, this might actually favor waiting, especially with the part-time work earnings test issue. Have you considered gradually reducing your work hours over these 4 months to make the wait more bearable?
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5 tries? You're LUCKY! I called 17 TIMES last month trying to fix my address change!!! And then they mailed my new card to the WRONG ADDRESS anyway!!! The whole system is BROKEN!!!!
I completely feel your frustration! I've been dealing with SSA for years helping my elderly parents navigate their benefits, and you're absolutely right - the MySocialSecurity portal is basically read-only. It's mind-boggling that in 2025 we can do almost everything online except communicate with one of the most important government agencies. For what it's worth, I've had better luck calling around 2-3 PM on weekdays - seems like there's a sweet spot after lunch when wait times are shorter. Also, if you're dealing with a benefit estimate discrepancy, sometimes it helps to have your most recent tax return handy when you call since they might need to verify earnings data. The whole system definitely needs a major overhaul!
That 2-3 PM tip is really helpful - I've been trying to call first thing in the morning but maybe the afternoon timing works better! I'm definitely going to have my tax return ready when I call about this benefit estimate issue. It's so reassuring to hear from someone who's dealt with SSA for years. Do you happen to know if there's any way to get email notifications when they update something in your account, or is it all just mail-based still?
Ava Rodriguez
As a newcomer to Social Security benefits, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly detailed discussion! I was completely unaware of the W-4V form until reading this thread, and Dana's discovery about the online calculation error is genuinely alarming. The fact that SSA's online system might be calculating withholding on net benefits instead of gross could be costing people hundreds of dollars in incorrect tax planning over the course of a year. Based on all the experiences shared here, I'm definitely going to use the paper W-4V form rather than risk the online system's calculation errors. It's also really helpful to have clear confirmation from multiple sources (including the SSA employee) that withholding is taken from the gross benefit before Medicare deductions. This community's willingness to share real experiences and catch important issues like this makes navigating Social Security so much less intimidating for those of us just starting out. Thank you all for being so generous with your knowledge!
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Theodore Nelson
•Welcome to the community, Ava! I'm also new to Social Security benefits and this thread has been such an incredible learning experience. Dana's discovery about the online calculation error is really eye-opening - it's shocking that such a fundamental mistake could exist in SSA's automated system. That kind of error could seriously mess up people's tax planning without them even knowing it! I was initially drawn to the convenience of the online system, but after seeing the math discrepancy ($297.22 vs $256.50), I'm definitely sticking with the paper W-4V form. It's frustrating that we have to worry about whether government systems are calculating things correctly, but I'm so grateful this community caught and shared this issue. The confirmation from the SSA employee about withholding being calculated on gross benefits has also been really helpful for planning purposes. This is exactly why communities like this are so valuable - real people sharing real experiences and looking out for each other!
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Zoe Christodoulou
As someone who just became eligible for Social Security benefits, this entire discussion has been absolutely invaluable! I had no idea about the W-4V form or how the withholding calculations worked until I found this thread. Dana's discovery about the online system potentially calculating withholding incorrectly is really concerning - that $40+ monthly difference could add up to nearly $500 over a year, which is significant for anyone trying to plan their taxes properly. Based on all the experiences shared here, I'm definitely going to stick with the paper W-4V form rather than risk the online system's calculation errors. It's also really reassuring to have multiple confirmations (especially from the SSA employee) that withholding is calculated on the gross benefit amount before Medicare deductions. Thank you to everyone for being so generous in sharing your real-world experiences and looking out for fellow community members. This is exactly the kind of practical knowledge that makes navigating Social Security benefits so much less overwhelming for newcomers like me!
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