SOCIAL SECURITY PRIMARY PROGRAMS
Applying for Social Security benefits can be a complex process for many people, especially when they’re trying to plan which benefits to apply for and when. Don’t try to navigate this complicated process alone. An experienced analyst, one who looks at your unique personal circumstances, is much better than making guesses or using an online software solution.
SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS
Did you know that you can receive retirement benefits while still working? Many people don’t realize that they can receive (Remove “SSI”) benefits and still work. When you start getting Social Security benefits, you’re considered “retired” by the SSA. However, depending on your current age, your Full Retirement Age(FRA) and how much money your making there can be both positive and negative impacts if you are still working.
The Social Security Administration will deduct $1 from the benefit payments for every $2 you earn over the annual limit, which in 2022 was $19,560. Being able to work part-time and still receive their benefits may help many seniors with limited means. If your earnings will be over the limit for the full retirement amount, there’s a special benefit for any whole month the SSA considers you retired. Learning more about this program is part of the services from Social Benefit Advisors.
Some people may receive Social Security survivors benefits and still work. In these cases, the SSA uses your full retirement age when determining your retirement benefits. We apply the Annual Earnings Test (AET) for retirement or survivor benefits. This rule applies even for beneficiaries who aren’t entitled to retirement benefits.
SOCIAL SECURITY SURVIVOR BENEFITS
If you’re eligible for SSI benefits on retirement, then your spouse or dependents may also be eligible for those benefits upon your death. These are called survivor benefits. However, the rules about who may receive them and how much they will get can be complicated, so having an advisor on your side is incredibly helpful. We work with you to navigate this process!
In order to qualify for survivor benefits, the SSA says you must be one of the following:
The amount you can receive depends on how old the person is and their relationship to the deceased. Surviving spouses may even be able to collect benefits as early as 60 years of age.
IF YOU THINK YOU MAY NOT BE GETTING ALL THE BENEFITS YOU ARE ENTITLED TO, WE CAN HELP!
Joshua Maggi and the team at Social Benefit Advisors can help you do it early and do it the right way. Don’t miss out on all the benefits that you are entitled to. Get in touch with us for more information about current Social Security benefits regulations and how a Social Security benefits analyst can help you.
We can help! Submit a callback request to speak with our professional analysts and review your situation. Let’s maximize your personal and family social security benefits.
In order for children to receive Social Security Disability benefits, a child, stepchild, or grandchild must rely on you financially. The dependent must be unmarried, at least 18 years old, and must have had the disability or special needs that started or were diagnosed before age 22. In addition, you, as the parent, must be collecting either Social Security retirement benefits or SSDI yourself.
You can see that these cases can get complicated quickly. You need an advisor that understands not just the regulations of the Social Security Administration, but also how to show that your dependent qualifies for child benefits.
For example, suppose a worker begins collecting her Social Security retirement at 62, and has a child who is 30 with cerebral palsy since birth. The child will collect a disabled child benefit based on his mother’s Social Security earnings record.
SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY INCOME BENEFITS (SSDI)
If you’re disabled and can’t work, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance(SSDI) benefits depending on your conditions and the severity. In order to be eligible you have to meet “currently insured status”. All this means is that you have paid a certain amount of Social Security taxes from your work within the appropriate time frame from becoming disabled. At Social Benefit Advisors we don’t just assist in obtaining benefits, we also inform you of rules, restrictions or obligations you might have once receiving disability benefits. knowing this information is critical when preventing to an overpayment for failure to comply or reporting changes timely.
We will ensure that you know all the steps needed if approved that will allow you utilize the program as it should be during your time of rehabilitation and if possible return to the work force and end the period of disability without any adverse repercussions, avoid hardships. Knowing how to get off of disability appropriately, is just as important as knowing how you go on it.
The SSA determines eligibility based on work credits, and you must have worked long enough and recently enough to qualify. Or, if you suddenly become disabled, such as through a workplace accident, and can no longer perform your job or any other work due to your medical condition, then you may be eligible for SSDI.
The SSA has a Listing of Impairments that qualifies people for disability benefits. If you have one of the following, you may be covered:
Even if your claim for SSDI benefits is denied, you may still be able to file for Social Security Income (SSI). You must meet certain income and asset thresholds and disability standards.
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME (SSI)
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a need-based disability program administered by Social Security intended to help adults who have little to no work history, or whose work history isn’t recent enough to qualify for SSDI. It also applies to children with disabilities. In addition, you must meet specific income and resource thresholds or have no income at all. Because these benefits are based on your income and resources your payment can vary from to month should your financial situation change.
However, SSI is one of the hardest benefits to receive. Applicants have to meet very strict thresholds for the level of disability and their income. Navigating the process can be difficult, especially if you’ve had the claim denied before. If your income changes or your medical condition worsens, like if your vision deteriorates, then your eligibility may change.
However, you may receive both SSI and Social Security, which may help people who otherwise have no income. Effective January 1, 2022 the Federal benefit rate is $841 for an individual and $1,261 for a couple.
SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS FAQs
While every claim is different, here are some common questions about Social Security benefits and claim analysis:
Social Security’s main function is to keep seniors, the disabled and widows out of poverty. It’s meant to be a piece of your income during those periods, but shouldn’t be a significant percentage.
The easiest way to think of Social Security is they are just an insurance company, like your car insurance. The way you pay your premiums is through your tax contributions from your work. If you are a W-2 employee you pay half the tax burden, and your employer pays the other half. If you are self-employed or a 1099 worker the total tax burden is on the worker to pay.
When you file your taxes with the IRS, they will eventually send your wage information to the Social Security. It’s for this reason that, depending on when you were born, Social Security would send you an earnings statement. The purpose of the statement is your you to verify the wages were recorded correctly so that if/when the time came to utilize Social Security you know you are being paid correctly
Believe it or not, there is more than just one Social Security calculator available online! Different companies may offer these free tools, but be careful. They may not have the depth of knowledge and expertise that a representative from Social Benefit Advisors does.
We use the calculators provided by the Social Security Administration itself to help determine our estimates for your benefits. This ensures that we’re using the most accurate tools. However, if you feel like you aren’t getting enough, one of our representatives will be happy to review your claim, and help you appeal if necessary.
To keep it simplified, your retirement benefits are calculated using your highest 35 years of work. If you have worked more than that, then anything outside of your highest 35 years will not be counted in the computation of your benefits.
For disability purposes, it works in a similar way but depending on your age, how many years of Social Security contributions you have, as well as how much you’ve contributed would determine your benefit. As an example if you are a much younger person, say in your late 20’s or early 30’s there basically a curve on your record to account for missed wages because of your disability.
If you are receiving survivors benefits from someone else’s record like a spouse, there are a number of things that can come into play but the benefit is based on the deceased workers wage history, their age, if they filed for benefits before they passed, what type of benefit they filed for and maybe how old they were at that time, as well as your age and a few other details. Survivors benefits are arguably one of the most complex benefits Social Security has.
Getting started is easy! Call us (803) 526-7951 or schedule an appointment online to request additional information and speak directly with one of our professionals. Because Social Security is a federal agency we can provide assistance anywhere in the country, so it doesn’t matter where you are located.
We often get asked “is there anything I haven’t asked?”. Basically, what clients are trying to ask with this is “have I told you everything you need to know about myself, to understand what I am eligible for?” Yes, that’s exactly what we try to do. During the initial free consultation our representative will ask you all the key questions they need to provide you with the correct assessment of benefits.
We will contact Social Security and complete our comprehensive processing questionnaire with the agency, from there we will compare the information gathered and provide you with our recommendations based on your scenario
Retirement
For retirement benefits that can vary depending on your financial situation, your retirement plan and mainly if you are still working. If let’s say you met all the criteria needed to be able to file, you could do everything about a month before you’d like to start getting a payment. Social Security Administration – Retirement Benefits
Survivors
Survivors benefits are more complexed and you may have more options if you qualify for these benefits. In some cases you could be widowed more than once, which would give you even more options. There are thousands of different scenarios and everyone’s can be different. It’s very important you understand the options you have before initiating an application. Social Security Administration – Survivors
Disability
If you have no other disability policies that prevent you from doing so, I would recommend filing for disability as soon as you have a diagnosis for a condition that is expected to be greater than 12 months and keep you from working. If you do have another disability insurance, whether short-term or long-term, you should consult with them in regards to Social Security Disability and if it could affect anything. Social Security Administration – Disability
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