Ask Larry: Questions and Answers

Displaying 2761 - 2770 of 10063 questions.

How Will My Wife's Spousal Benefit Rate Be Calculated?

My wife and I were each born in 1955. My wife is 7 months older than me. My wife’s will draw social security in may 2021at full retirement of $1150.00 per month on her own account. I will take my social security at age 70 estimated to be approximately $3700 per month. My estimated social security at my full retirement is estimated to be $2780. What will be my wife’s spousal benefit ( or full benefit ) amount when I draw ss at 70.

Will it be for example , half of my then previous full retirement benefit of Of $1390. Will it be half of $3,700. Will it be half of my . . . Read More

Category: Spousal Benefits
Posted: Mar 5 2021 - 7:53am

Why Did Social Security Take Away The Amount Of My Swedish Pension From My Social Security Benefit Here?

I am from Sweden and got to this country December 1979,i had never been in the us before. I worked In Sweden for 7 years before I got to US I worked for a small Swedish with no contact with us.. I started to work in us after I got married in September of 1980 and I worked of and on till I retired in 2019 at age of 67 I worked about 23 years in us. When I applied for my SOC I told that I got a small SOC. From Sweden for the 7 years I worked. Before coming to us and because of that they took of that amount on my us social security and called it windfall, how come?? I never double . . . Read More

Category: Non-Covered Pension - WEP / GPO
Posted: Mar 5 2021 - 7:37am

Can I Pick My Medicare Part B Start Date?

I turned 65 in July 2020 and signed up for part A medicare and postponed Part B because I have health
insurance through work. I want to retire January 31st 2022, and would like Medicare Part B to start January 1st.
Is this possible, or do I have to sign up in some signup period(January to March for example)?

Basically, Can I pick my Part B start date?

Thanks

Hi. Yes, if you've had employer group health (EGHP) coverage as an active employee since turning 65 you can pretty much pick when to start Part B coverage as long as you sign . . . Read More

Category: Medicare
Posted: Mar 5 2021 - 7:22am

How Will WEP & GPO Apply In Our Case?

Hi Larry,
As of the writing of this question, I am 52 and my wife is 50. On December 31, 2013 I retired from a Career with the State Police with a full pension. My current pension is roughly $101,000 and increases by $360 per year. When I left the State Police, I took employment in the federal government and remain employed by the federal government. I now have enough quarters for social security benefits and when I go to the mysocialsecurity website it says:
You have earned enough credits to qualify for retirement benefits. At your current earnings rate, your . . . Read More

Category: Non-Covered Pension - WEP / GPO
Posted: Mar 4 2021 - 11:02am

Why Did My Wife Get A Bigger Medicare Premium Refund Than I Did?

I was collecting spousal benefits since age 66 until I turned 70 in June 2020 and began collecting my full Social Security benefit. My wife continued to work after age 66, retired at 68 and deferred her full benefit until she turned 70 in August 2019. We had been paying Medicare IRMAA surcharges due to our higher 2018 income. However, that income declined sharply in 2019 and after we filed our 2019 tax return in July 2020, we immediately sent a copy to Social Security with the appropriate form to have these IRMAA surcharges eliminated. Social Security sent my wife a refund of $ . . . Read More

Category: Medicare
Posted: Mar 3 2021 - 4:25pm

Why Wasn't I Awarded Reduced SS Disability Benefits?

My late spouses passed away unexpectedly 08/07/2018??I am disabled and was approved for disability, however from 1 month after his passing when I filed for Disability any other programs I was eligible for. My SS checks came one month following me reporting his death. I was 60 when he passed. I am receiving his “REDUCED RETIREMENT INSURANCE rather than husbands REDUCED SS DISABILITY. I NEVER RECEIVED AN AWSRD LETTER Z(was told my claim was approved by the local field office.
I CANNOT GET A REASON AS TO WHY I’m receiving reduced retirement BENEFITS, RATHER THAN REDUCED . . . Read More

Category: Disabled Widow(er) Benefits
Posted: Mar 3 2021 - 3:59pm

Is My Friend Entitled To Her Ex-Husband's Benefits?

I,M WRITING FOR MY FRIEND WHO,S EX- HUSBAND HAS DIED.THEY WERE MARRIED FOR OVER 12 YEARS.NEITHER REMARRIED, IS SHE ENTITLED TO HIS SS BENEFITS?

Hi. No one can claim another person's actual Social Security benefits, but your friend may qualify for survivor benefits on her ex-husband's record if a) she is at least age 60, or age 50 and disabled, b) she is either unmarried or her current marriage took place after she reached age 60, and c) she's not already drawing her own Social Security benefits that are higher than the amount of her potential survivor benefit rate ( . . . Read More

Category: Divorced Widow(er) Benefits
Posted: Mar 3 2021 - 11:30am

Is There Any Way I Could Qualify For Benefits On My Deceased Wife's Record?

My wife was 69 and passed away after only married three and a half months.social security said I can’t clam her benefits, that we had to be married for one year.is there any way this could be changed.thank you for your assistance.

Hi. I'm sorry for your loss. The duration of marriage requirement for widow(er) benefits is actually 9 months, not a full year. There are also some exceptions that can allow a person to qualify for widow(er) benefits based on a marriage lasting less than 9 months. The most common exceptions involve having a child in common ( . . . Read More

Category: Widow(er) Benefits
Posted: Mar 3 2021 - 11:07am

How Do I Handle This Situation?

I am a dual citizen American/Cdn and moved to the U.S. in 2006 when I married my American husband. My husband started receiving his social security when he turned 70 last year. I receive CPP and have never worked in the U.S. I had planned to collect social security (on my husband's work record) upon my full retirement age (66 and 4 months) next year. Thank you for answering these questions:

1. I recently applied for Medicare on-line and was required to apply for Social Security as well (or the system would not accept my Medicare application). On my on-line application I . . . Read More

Category: Miscellaneous
Posted: Mar 3 2021 - 10:39am

Am I Eligible For Social Security Benefits?

I am a Canadian and USA citizen married and living in Canada for 30 years. I did not file USA tax return because I didn’t think I had to. I worked in USA before moving to Canada. Am I eligible for Social Security benefits? Thanks

Hi. I don't have enough information about your age or your work history to know what benefits you may qualify for. You can qualify for U.S. Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62 as long as you have at least 40 quarters of coverage (QC). That's the equivalent of roughly 10 years worth of credits. However, the U.S . . . Read More

Category: Miscellaneous
Posted: Mar 3 2021 - 10:29am
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