I have two questions regarding Social Security that I hope you may be able to clarify:
1. How can I know with certainty that my ultimate Social Security personal benefit amount is correct, after having received an incorrect amount over the past 20 months and having been informed by the SSA on three occasions that my benefit amount was correct? My benefit is now being reviewed for final determination, but I would like to know how I can check the final amount for accuracy. (Please see below for relevant background.)

Hi Larry,
Do you think our legislators will fix the benefit calculation problem for those of us born in 1960?

Hi,

I started taking SSA in Feb 2020 which was one month after my birth month and at age 62. I paid into SSA $102,000 more than my spouse who is 17 years older than me. He started taking SSA at 62 also which means he has been taking it since Aug of 2003. He paid $56,044 into SSA in total. When I got my SSA tax statement this year my benefit total paid to me last year was $21310 for 11 months. My husband's benefit paid to him for 12 months was 21271.20.

I am wondering if I do not start taking my Social Security payment the month I retire, but wait until later--I won't be contributing to Social Security since I won't be working--so my question is, if I am not contributing, but wait to start my payments, will the payments increase? Do they increase according to the projections shown on the website Benefit Estimate Table? I called a Social Security representative who did not understand my question. Thank you.

Hi,

Hi, if I stop work at 62 with FRA of 66 and 10 months (3297 dollars) , but claim SS at 70. How much can I claim at age 70?

Hi,

Larry - I started drawing my Social Security benefit at age 70 in 2019 The maximum benefit for my retirement year was $3770. Factoring in the COLA increases for 2020 and 2021 I am about $40 a month short of the maximum benefit. This is confusing as I made the maximum contribution for 38 years of my 53 years working. I think the issue has something to do with the inflation adjustment factors for years 1972-1977. Even though I made the maximum contribution it appears that the adjusted amount for those years were insufficient to allow me to earn the maximum.

Where can I find this year's publication for calculating Social Security Benefits? Last year, it was published in Social Security Publication 05-10070. It used to list all of the index factors so you could calculate your highest 35 years of wage-indexed earnings. Have they changed the formula for calculating benefits? Or are they just not publishing the Index Factors?