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When you say I would be entitled to 76% of 50% of my husband's PIA, what do you mean by that? What is the PIA you are talking about?
PIA is Primary Insurance Amount, and it's what your husband would receive at his FRA (Full Retirement Age). If you started collecting Spousal benefits at FRA you'd get 50% of that. Because you started early, you got 76% of that 50%, which is about the 35% you mentioned.
You said that you could get more on your own record; maybe that's the extra $100 they were telling you about? Right now I'm collecting Survivor benefits on may late husband's record, which I started at 61, but will apply based on my own record at age 70 and that will give me a nice increase.
You mentioned that your husband has a good retirement plan; you should take a look at what your situation would be if he predeceases you. Yes, you'll get the amount he's getting from SS but you won't get Spousal or Survivor benefits so household SS income will decrease. Also, the Survivor Benefit on his pension may be less than 100% of what he gets. These are good things to know now; I've seen widows blindsided by these changes on top of the shock of losing their husband.
I had assumed for years that my money was the right amount until I asked a rep about the amount. She told me I could get about $100 more, but did not specify on what basis, she just said I qualify to get about $100 more each month. When you say I would be entitled to 76% of 50% of my husband's PIA, what do you mean by that? What is the PIA you are talking about? I'm just glad my husband got a pretty good retirement deal from the job he had for many years.
you always keep your own benefit .... if you filed early , that reduced benefit follows you forever .
there is a spousal adder that gets added to your own benefit if you qualify .
how to tell ? take 1/2 his full retirement amount , subtract your full retirement amount had you waited , and add it to your early benefit ...
that is the amount you would get.
so hypothetically lets say your fra amount is 1200 , you filed at 62 and only get 800 ...
his fra amount is 3000 so half is 1500 ...
1500 minus your 1200 is 300 dollars . so three hundred dollars gets added to your early benefit of 800 ...so you would get 1100 .... had you waited until you were fra to file it would have been 1500 .
ss reductions for filing early have been like that for a long long time .. you can't blame ss because you failed to learn enough basics about how it works .
Last edited by mathjak107; 12-07-2019 at 06:39 AM..
I think you will find that not all employees in the government know everything and getting conflicting answers is rather common. As for the $100, your follow up questions are can you give me a link on the internet to review, what is the statute, please send me a application etc and be sure you know how to get back in touch with the person you are talking too.
You keep saying you assumed. It sounds like you didn't properly educate yourself and now you're implying that the SSA somehow did you wrong. Reduced benefits for early filing is well known and well publicized.
exactly .
people do more research and learning about their toaster oven or refrigerator then they do the really important financial things in our lives ..then it is everyone else's fault they were financially ignorant on the subject
Don't let these financial experts get you down, OP. You went to the source (SSA) and they gave you conflicting answers. Other sources will be shot down.
Getting info about a toaster is hardly on a par with SSA. Some of it is obvious, but much is a maze for us non-Mensa types.
I don't understand the mockery of someone asking a genuine question. After research.
Not many people know about SS because in every social security thread people keep mentioning they take it at 62. Only if they know, they would delay it. Honestly, I didn’t know much about SS either, I know more know that I have been retired for a few years. My husband knows squat about it. So in short, don’t feel bad, you are not alone.
Don't let these financial experts get you down, OP. You went to the source (SSA) and they gave you conflicting answers. Other sources will be shot down.
Getting info about a toaster is hardly on a par with SSA. Some of it is obvious, but much is a maze for us non-Mensa types.
I don't understand the mockery of someone asking a genuine question. After research.
I couldn't agree more. One thing I've learned about this forum and SS questions. If you ask an honest question, get a response from 20 different people, you'll probably get 10 different answers all insisting they are correct. Then others chime in and take sides trying to be the smartest of the group.
It is confusing. I had to check a book out of the library when it came time to be thinking about social security and medicare. I also got a lot of great information from people on this forum. I knew vaguely that delaying would probably be a good idea for me and my husband (although for others who don't expect to live long or who absolutely need the money immediately, then filing early could be the best option), but I didn't really understand all the calculations for how to get the best monthly combined benefit suited to our particular situation. On top of that, there's been changes for how married people might file to maximize their benefits. As my husband and I were born in 1954, turns out we're just dealing with the "new rules" but of course in any printed matter or informed conversation I encountered as I really studied our options, there were all kinds of different calculations and strategies being discussed for married retirees born just a *little bit* before us. It was all very, very confusing. As confusing as it can be though, it's still the job of every individual to really examine all this before they make those un-changeable decisions. Unfortunately for the OP, she's only finding out all this long after making those initial filing choices.
Good luck OP I hope you get this sorted to your advantage but do go to SS in person and ask all your questions.
To me the problem comes that the SS person answers the questions asked the SS person may not answer questions unasked or follow on questions hence the applicant may receive conflicting messages if he/she asks a second person.
So my recommendation for future SS applicants is to think about what you need to know, given your situation, before you go so that you can have a conversation with the SS person, not a download. Never never ever use the phone to call in questions. That is where you get different people who answer different parts of the questions asked. Just human nature. Use the phone to make an appointment.
You can also read the regulations and Q&A on line then do your application on line. but some may not be comfortable with that. so an in person face to face works best for those.
Talking from experience here. I tried everyway possible to get my sister in to talk with the SS persons but no, she had to do it her way and is to this day still complaining about the deal she made. Sigh
Last edited by theoldnorthstate; 12-07-2019 at 11:36 AM..
It seems like common sense to research the life-changing decision when to collect SS. There is plenty of information online so you can make the right decision for your situation. We are all responsible for our own financial future in retirement.
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