Among Friends

[hyacinth003]

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@millieshops wrote:

I understand why the SSA wanted money returned because all of us on SS know there are limits as to how much we can earn until we're 70.  That's made clear to begin with.

What I didn't remember, being so far along I could earn a billion and still collect, was that some income was exempt.  Nor do I know how we had to prove it was exempt.  It's undoubtedly there on the website although maybe it's so hard to find, OP and her DH didn't see it.. 

Should the SSA administration automatically take the documents OP provided.  Employers lie, too.  Somehow there needs to be serious checking.  I'm not implying there was cheating - it sounds frustratingly legitimate to me, just that there can be.  We all know there are millions and millions of our money going to liars and cheaters.  What would you do to limit it in this kind of potential theft? 

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I really don't mind them asking.  However, penalizing you before you've even had a chance to explain it doesn't seem right.  Sending you a bill for $12,000 and telling you they are going to cut your benefits in half is like going to jail without a trial even.

The average person cannot be expected to know all this.  We were also hit with choosing his Medicare coverage at the same time.  There is NO WAY people can know all the information you need to process.

Gee, if employers lie too, why should they believe them?  We provided the employer's documents as to WHAT his income was from.  He has not earned any salary since January, 2015.  That should be easy to check with SS records.

Anyway, we thought we were done after at least a month of torture.  Now there is more.

Hyacinth

[DiAnne]

I don't quite understand this because I started receiving SS at full retirement age and kept working.  They never reduced my SS checks.  I just had to pay extra taxes on the additional income.  

[BalletBabe]

SS is so messed up!  My hubby passed on March 6th.  It took me till Jume to get his Feb pay.  Everytime I called , I was told to do something different.   I finally took all the paperwork to the office to be asked weren't you told that yu had to make an appointment?   I said "No because I would have made it".  THen they could not give me an appointemnt for 6 weeks.   I am telling you they are a mess.   That is only one of several problems I had with them.  It is bad enough when you are trying to deal with the loss and have all this stuff on top of it.   GRRRRRRRRRRRRR   Sorry I needed to vent!

[corita]

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@151949 wrote:

OMG - I think I would consult a SS attorney - this is too important to fuss with yourself.

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     Totally agree!!  I had a friend that had issues with SS.  She hired a well known SS attorney and everything was cleared up!!

[gailcoco]

I'm assuming your husband took Social Security benefits before his full retirement age (for most boomers it's 66).  That's why there is a limit to how much he could earn before getting his benefits cut.

If you take your SS benefits at the full retirement age (66) then there is no limit on how much you earn - you just have to pay taxes on the additional money.

[IamMrsG]

This happened to us, too, to the tune of over $25,000 with thirty days to pay.

As in your case, it turned out to be exempt income (DH had banked vacation time.)

Hang in there, I know it's a pain right now, but it will be resolved.

[Maudelynn]

Frankly, I'm glad the government has checks and balances in place to prevent overpaying SS recipients. The program is tax payer funded, so I'm surprised there aren't more posters who are relieved that SS is controlling who gets what.

Although it's a pain, the OP did not have benefits cut, nor did the OP lose any money.  Her paper work is in place and legitimate, so problem solved.  No different than being question by the IRS- a pain for the taxpayer, but that's how fraud is uncovered.