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The Social Security Administration announced (again) that it was going to step up the fraud protection of online SS accounts. Text Message Verification If you pay attention to Social Security issues, you know that unscrupulous people will sometimes fraudulently access online SS accounts and file claims. The SSA is aware of this issue and wants […]

You may be aware of the Social Security Earnings Test, but you may not know how it will directly affect your Social Security benefit payments. Will SS hold back a portion of your monthly benefit? Will they withhold a lump-sum amount? Or will they not pay you at all? I recently received a question from […]

Did you know you could have a delay in receiving your delayed retirement credits? This week, I’d like to take a look at some of the mechanics of how Social Security pays your benefits and the timing involved. Waiting to Receive Your Delayed Retirement Credits You probably already know that every year you wait to […]

Surviving spouses, and ex-spouses that were married at least 10 years, are eligible to receive 100% of the amount their deceased spouse was collecting, or was eligible to collect, as long as the surviving spouse has reached their full retirement age.  As we have blogged before, the full retirement age for survivor benefits can be […]

This week we describe a situation where had a person followed the recommendation they received at the Social Security office they would have left unclaimed a $69,000 Survivor Benefit.  This story should reinforce what we warn of repeatedly.  The Social Security office is not allowed to provide comprehensive claiming advice or provide you with strategies.  […]

The Social Security Administration releases periodic updates about the benefits paid to beneficiaries.  The following is a statistical snapshot of some of the more significant numbers from the February 2017 report: Total Beneficiaries There are currently 61 million individuals receiving Social Security benefits. Retirement Benefits Of those 61 million individuals, 44.5 million are beneficiaries receiving […]

The Social Security Administration tracks hundreds of millions of records.  Even with a very small error rate, there is a chance a glitch or error in your Social Security earnings record is there.  The most common error is for earnings to not reflect in your earnings record.  This can happen for a variety of reasons, […]

If a person who has earned survivor benefits passes away, the family members they leave behind may be eligible for those survivor benefits.  The basics are as follows:  Who can get survivor benefits based on your work? Your widow or widower at their age 60, or as early as age 50 if they are disabled. […]

People often decide to claim Social Security benefits without fully understanding the ramifications of their decision.  When you file will determine your payments for all your remaining years, so a mistake here can linger with you for the rest of your life.  So what if you file but then later realize you made a mistake?  […]

The following warning was released on March 6th, 2017 by the Acting Inspector General Social Security, and was of such importance I wanted to share it with everyone here on our blog: Social Security Phishing Scheme The Acting Inspector General of Social Security, Gale Stallworth Stone, is warning citizens about a nationwide telephone Social Security […]