Ask Martha

Your Social Security Questions Answered

Read answers to reader-submitted Social Security questions from Martha Shedden, NARSSA’s Co-Founder and Chief Learning Officer, and her team of experts.

401k Abroad Adult Disabled Child Applying for Benefits Caring for children Child Benefits Child Support Child-in-care benefits Claiming Strategies COLA Death Dependents Disability Disability Disabled Children Divorce Earned Income Earnings Earnings Test Eligibility for Benefits Ex-spousal benefits Family Benefits Family Maximum Foreign Pensions FRA Future of Social Security Garnishment General GPO Green Card Income Limits Loans Marriage Medicaid Medicare Minor children Multiple benefits My Social Security Account News & Legislation Overpayment Pensions Railroad Retirement Remarriage Representative Payee Retroactive benefits Roadmap Software Self-Employed Social Security Administration Social Security Benefits Social Security Fairness Act (HR 82) Social Security Terminology Spousal Benefits SSDI SSI Substantial Gainful Activity Survivor Benefits Switching benefits Taxation Teaching Pension Totalization Agreements Underpayment Veterans WEP Withdrawing Application Withholding benefits Work Credits Working Working with an RSSA

Can my wife switch from her benefit to a spousal benefit once I start collecting?

Full question: Hi I’m 68 and not collecting Social Security yet. My wife 66 started collecting on her record a year ago. When I start to collecting can my wife step up to spousal benefit if it’s higher? Hi there, Yes, when you start collecting your Social Security benefits, your wife may be eligible to…

Read More

Can I collect survivor benefits now and claim my own benefits later?

Full question: Hello. My husband was collecting disability through social security and he passed away. I was planning to retire in August. Would it be possible to claim survivor benefits until I am old enough to claim my own benefits? Hi there, Yes, you can claim survivor benefits based on your late husband’s Social Security…

Read More

Do I owe the Social Security Administration money?

Full question: I got a letter from Social Security saying that they previously sent a letter that I may not require to pay back some or all of my SSI overpayments from March 2020 through September 2020 as part of a settlement agreement for the campos, et al. v. kijakazi class action lawsuit. In the…

Read More

How can my family maximize our Social Security benefits?

Full question: Our daughter is 36 years old and disabled since birth. She receives SSI and I heard about child-in-care benefits. I am 66 and turn 67 this December and my wife is 64 turning 65 next month and neither of us are retired. How can we maximize our social security benefits immediately? Hi there,…

Read More

Am I eligible for divorced spousal benefits?

Full question: This individual is 70 years old, still working and is claiming Social Security income and has been divorced over 10 years and not remarried. The individual would like to know if they can still claim the divorced spousal benefits and can she go back to retroactively claim? Hi there, Based on the information…

Read More

When can my wife begin collecting spousal benefits?

Full question: Hi Martha. I just turned 59 yeas old and have been collecting SSDI and a private disability benefit for the past 3-4 years. My wife of 36 years will be 60 years old in early July. She is retired from New York State and collecting her retirement benefit from NYS. Unfortunately, due to…

Read More