As someone who's about to turn 62 and has been researching this exact topic, this thread has been absolutely invaluable! Like so many others here, I was completely unaware of the potential hours rule - I thought it was just about staying under the $23,400 annual earnings limit. What's really encouraging is seeing the consistent success pattern from people like @Alicia Stern who've navigated this in real life. The key takeaway seems to be that SSA distinguishes between genuine retirement transitions (limited consulting work with reduced business involvement) versus people trying to game the system while still running substantial operations. I'm definitely planning to follow the conservative approach that's worked for everyone: track both earnings and hours even if hours aren't strictly required, schedule an in-person SSA appointment for reliable guidance (the "phone rep roulette" stories are pretty concerning!), and focus on authentically scaling back my marketing consulting business rather than just manipulating income numbers. The documentation strategy makes perfect sense too - having that paper trail ready could prevent major headaches if SSA ever questions my situation. Starting proper tracking from day one seems like such a small effort for the peace of mind it provides. Thank you all for sharing these detailed real-world experiences! This discussion has provided more practical guidance than any official SSA publication. It's reassuring to know there's a clear roadmap for success as long as you approach it thoughtfully and conservatively.

As someone who just turned 63 and is planning to file for benefits next month while continuing some freelance consulting work, this entire discussion has been absolutely enlightening! Like so many others here, I had no idea there were potentially two different tests to navigate - I was only aware of the annual earnings limit. What gives me tremendous confidence is seeing @Alicia Stern's real-world success story of navigating this for over a year, along with all the other positive experiences shared here. The pattern is so clear: stay under the earnings limit, genuinely reduce your business involvement (not just manipulate income), document everything, and get guidance through in-person appointments rather than phone calls. The distinction everyone's highlighted between limited consulting work versus substantial business operations makes perfect sense. SSA seems to care about authentic retirement transitions rather than people trying to game the system while continuing full operations. After reading about all the conflicting phone rep advice, I'm definitely scheduling an in-person appointment at my local SSA office like @Ravi Kapoor and @Diego Vargas recommended. The difference in knowledge between phone staff and field office representatives is concerning but really important to know. I'm implementing the conservative documentation approach that's worked for everyone: tracking both earnings and hours in a simple spreadsheet, staying well under $23,400, and authentically scaling back my IT consulting practice. Better safe than sorry with something this crucial to my financial security! Thank you all for sharing such detailed, practical experiences - this thread should be required reading for anyone considering early retirement with continued self-employment. The real-world insights here are worth their weight in gold!

I'm new to this community but unfortunately dealing with this exact same situation! I made an error in my Social Security direct deposit account number and I'm really anxious about my upcoming payment. Reading through all these detailed experiences has been incredibly helpful - thank you everyone for sharing your stories and practical advice. I'm planning to follow the strategies I've learned here: calling right at 8 AM using the "direct deposit problems" menu option, keeping detailed notes, and having my bank statements ready. The tip about asking agents to confirm they can actually see any returned payment in their system before hanging up seems crucial to avoid getting the runaround. One thing I'm wondering - has anyone had luck getting help from their bank's customer service to facilitate contact with SSA? I noticed Abby mentioned her bank had a special line they could use. I'm thinking of stopping by my local branch today to see if they offer any assistance with government payment issues. Also, for those who've been through this recently, did you find that mentioning financial hardship helped expedite the process at all? I'm really counting on this payment and want to make sure I communicate the urgency appropriately. I'll definitely report back on how my experience goes. This thread has been such a lifesaver for understanding what to expect!

I'm new to this community but unfortunately dealing with this exact same issue! I made an error in my bank account number when setting up direct deposit for my Social Security retirement benefits and I'm absolutely terrified about my first payment that's supposed to arrive next week. Reading through everyone's detailed experiences here has been both incredibly helpful and somewhat overwhelming - it's clear this is a much more common problem than I realized, but the resolution timelines vary so dramatically from person to person. Thank you all for being so generous with sharing your stories and practical advice. I'm planning to implement all the strategies I've learned from this thread: calling right at 8 AM sharp tomorrow using the "direct deposit problems" menu option specifically, keeping meticulous notes of every call with dates and agent names, having my bank statements ready to prove no deposit was received, and most importantly - asking the agent to confirm they can actually see any returned payment in their system before ending the call. I'm also going to stop by my credit union this afternoon to ask if they have any special lines or procedures for helping with SSA payment issues, based on Abby's suggestion. It sounds like some banks can actually expedite this process significantly. Has anyone noticed if there are certain times during the month when SSA's phone lines are less busy? I'm wondering if calling right after typical payment dates might be worse timing due to increased call volume. I'll definitely check back here and share my experience. This thread has been such a lifeline for understanding what to expect and feeling less alone in this stressful situation!

I'm new to this community but going through a very similar situation right now. My disability benefits claim has been stuck at the Payment Center for about 3 weeks for what they called "additional review" - not sure if it's the same as pension offset calculations, but the waiting is just as stressful! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both comforting and nerve-wracking. It's reassuring to see that 3-6 weeks seems pretty normal for complex cases, but some of those longer wait times are definitely scary when you're depending on that income. I had no idea about options like case status inquiries or the Claimyr service - this community has so much more practical advice than anything I could find on the SSA website. The original poster's success story gives me hope that persistence really does pay off. I'm definitely going to try calling my local office next week if I don't see any movement. Thanks to everyone for sharing your real experiences - knowing I'm not alone in this frustrating waiting game makes it so much more bearable!

Welcome to the community, StarSeeker! I'm also relatively new here but have been following this incredibly helpful discussion as I navigate my own Social Security journey. Three weeks for "additional review" on disability benefits sounds like it could be similar processing delays to what everyone else is experiencing with pension calculations - the Payment Center seems to handle various types of complex cases that need manual review. While disability processing might have some different factors than retirement benefits, the timeline patterns and backup strategies people have shared here seem applicable regardless of the specific type of claim. The case status inquiry option and Claimyr service could definitely be worth trying for disability cases too. I've found this community discussion so much more informative than anything on the official SSA resources. The waiting really is nerve-wracking when you're counting on that income, but seeing all the success stories here gives me confidence that these delays, while frustrating, do eventually get resolved. Please keep us updated on how your disability claim progresses!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact situation last year! I was torn between filing for benefits and potentially taking a consulting gig. Here's what I learned: even if you file for January 1st benefits, you can still work as long as you stay under that earnings limit Kirsuktow mentioned ($22,750 for 2025 if you're under FRA). The key is being honest about your work plans when you apply - don't try to hide employment from SSA. Also, if you do end up earning too much, they'll just withhold benefits temporarily, not penalize you permanently. My advice? File by mid-September for January benefits, then see what happens with the job. You can always adjust your work schedule or income to stay under the limit if the opportunity works out. Better to have the safety net of benefits starting than to risk missing the deadline entirely!

As someone who just went through this process myself, I can't stress enough how important it is to file early! I waited until November to file for January benefits and it was incredibly stressful. The SSA website kept timing out, and when I finally got through, there were multiple verification steps that took weeks to complete. One thing I wish someone had told me - even after you submit your online application, you might get a follow-up request for additional documentation. In my case, they needed clarification on some of my work history from 15 years ago! This added another 3 weeks to the process. My recommendation: Set yourself a deadline of September 15th to file, and stick to it. That gives you a solid buffer for any unexpected delays or document requests. The peace of mind is worth it, especially when you're already dealing with health issues. You can always withdraw your application later if the job situation changes dramatically, but you can't go back in time to file earlier if you miss the processing window. Also, definitely take advantage of that my Social Security account setup - it makes the whole process much smoother than trying to do everything over the phone!

I'm new to this community and facing the exact same confusion! I'm 58 with about 29 years of work history, and when I first read about needing 35 years for Social Security, I honestly panicked thinking I had completely messed up my retirement planning. This thread has been absolutely invaluable - thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences and broke down the actual numbers. The key points that really helped me understand this better are: (1) yes, it's 35 years for the calculation, but having fewer years isn't catastrophic, (2) the reduction is typically 10-15% which is significant but manageable, and (3) if your current earnings are much higher than early career years, working additional years can replace those low years rather than just filling zeros. What really struck me was how many people mentioned that their early career earnings (even after inflation adjustment) were still their lowest years, so continuing to work at higher current salaries could actually optimize the calculation beyond just avoiding the "penalty" of missing years. I'm definitely going to create that mySocialSecurity account and look into scheduling an SSA office appointment. It's clear that getting personalized numbers for my specific situation will be much more helpful than worrying about general rules. Thanks for being such a welcoming community for those of us trying to figure this out!

As someone who recently went through this exact same confusion, I completely understand your stress! I'm 61 and had 32 years of work history when I started planning my retirement, and that article about needing 35 years had me in a panic too. Here's what I learned after extensive research and talking to SSA: Yes, they use your highest 35 years for the calculation, and yes, missing years count as zeros. But with 31 years of work, you're actually in a pretty decent position - those 4 missing years will likely reduce your benefit by around 10-12%, which is noticeable but not devastating. The game-changer for me was realizing that my current earnings were so much higher than my early career years that working additional years would actually REPLACE some of those low-earning years from the 1980s and 1990s, not just fill in zeros. This provides much more benefit increase per additional year worked. My advice: Don't panic about not hitting exactly 35 years. Instead, look at your earnings history in your mySocialSecurity account and see if your current salary is significantly higher than your early career years. If so, working 1-2 more years might be worth it for the optimization, but if not, accepting that 10-12% reduction to start retirement sooner could be the right choice for your quality of life. Either way, you're going to be fine with 31 years of solid work history!