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Martha Shedden is RSSA’s President and Co-Founder. Read Martha’s responses to questions regarding Social Security. View all questions or browse by category. Submit your own question to Martha here.

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Can my husband collect Social Security from his deceased first wife?

Full question: This question is for my husband. His first wife died 7 years ago at age 55 and made more money than my husband. We got married 4 years ago. He is ready to retire. Can he get her Social Security benefits? Hello, Individuals who have lost a spouse may still be eligible to…

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Is there any adjustment on a tax return for Social Security?

Full question: If a taxpayer went over their income limit for Social Security because they are under retirement age and they have to pay it back, is there any adjustment on their tax return because they already paid on 85% of their benefits. Hi there, This is largely a tax and IRS issue. The taxpayer…

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I haven’t got my Social Security check yet. What should I do?

Hi there, Social Security applications can take several weeks to be reviewed. You should then have received a letter describing the amount of your benefit and the date benefits will be paid. Contact your local SSA office for an update. You can find your local office here. Best of luck, Martha

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Can my minor daughter and my wife collect Social Security based on my record? If so, how?

Full question: Hi Martha, I am 62 years old and recently applied for retirement. My daughter is 9 y.o. and my wife is 47 y.o. I understand that both can collect social security benefits. Question is, do they need to apply separately? Can you please advise how to proceed? Thanks. Hi there, Thank you for…

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Does WEP apply to my foreign pension?

Full question: Is my social security benefit wrongly reduced for WEP? I am retired and my benefit subjected for WEP, but there is no totalization agreement with Turkey where I worked before moving to USA. Does WEP still apply? Hi, Thank you for the question. Yes, the WEP rule still applies to if you are…

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What happens if I am collecting Social Security and still working before my FRA?

Full question: I would like to file at 66 and 1 month for a birthday of 02/20/1957 but I’m still working. Is there a different tax rate if I’m not on my full age of 66 and 6 months? I’m going to continue working even longer but I need the money. Hi, Thank you for…

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