Social Security Supplemental Income 2022 — Deadline to claim $841 monthly checks fast approaching – are you eligible?

How to apply for survivors benefits, part three

To apply for mother’s or father’s benefits, the Social Security Administration states that you need to prove your eligibility by providing the following documents:

• Evidence of worker’s death
• Your birth certificate or other documents that verify your birth
• Evidence of your US citizenship or lawful alien status
• Proof of US military discharge papers
• Your W-2 forms and/or self-employment tax returns for the previous year
• Marriage certificate
• Final divorce decree (if you are applying as a surviving divorced father or mother)
• Birth certificate of the child

How to apply for survivors benefits, part two

According to the Social Security Administration, to apply for widows/widowers or surviving divorced spouse’s benefits, you need to prove your eligibility by providing the following documents:

• Evidence of the worker’s death
• Your birth certificate or other documents that verify your birth
• Evidence of your US citizenship or lawful alien status
• Proof of US military discharge papers (if you had military service before 1968)
• Your W-2 forms and/or self-employment tax returns for the previous year
• Final divorce decree (if you are applying as a surviving divorced partner)
• Marriage certificate

How to apply for survivors benefits, part one

According to the Social Security Administration, to apply for a child’s benefits, you need to prove that the child is eligible for benefits by providing these documents:

• Proof of the worker’s marriage to the child’s natural or adoptive parent if the child is the worker’s stepchild
• The child’s birth certificate or other proof of birth or adoption
• Proof of the child’s US citizenship or lawful alien status if the child was not born in the US
• W-2 forms and/or self-employment tax returns if the child had earnings the previous year
• If the worker is deceased, proof of the worker’s death and US military discharge papers

Survivor benefits

When you die, members of your family could be eligible for benefits based on your earnings.

You and your children also may be able to get benefits if your deceased spouse or former spouse worked long enough under Social Security.

A widow or widower can receive benefits if they are age 60 or older.

They can start receiving your benefits if they are age 50 or older and disabled.

They can also receive your benefits at any age if they are caring for a child of the deceased who is younger than 16 and disabled.

Also, a one-time payment of $255 can be made only to a spouse or child if they meet certain requirements.

Survivors must apply for this payment within two years of the date of death.

Social Security won’t replace income after retirement

When you plan for retirement, it’s important to remember that Social Security is only meant to cover about 40 percent of pre-retirement income.

The maximum benefit is $3,345 a month for someone who files for Social Security in 2022 at full retirement age (FRA).

FRA is the age at which you qualify for 100 percent of the benefit calculated from your earnings history.

This is $40,140 annually. However, the average rent in the US is about $1,100 to $1,200.

This leaves a retiree with $25,740 annually, which is just above the poverty line.

Should you wait to claim?

If you haven’t earned a lot in your working history, and you just got a better-paying job, it would make sense to continue to build up your benefits.

Currently, the maximum taxable wage is $142,800 in 2021, but that will be boosted to $147,000 next year. 

Once your earnings exceed that wage cap, you don’t get taxed on it for Social Security.

Waiting to claim social security might be a good opportunity to improve your earnings history.

Who qualifies for Social Security retirement benefits?

To qualify, seniors must have worked for a certain number of years and paid into the Social Security system for a certain amount of time.

The amount received depends upon when you were born, your earnings history, and when you begin to claim benefits.

Retirement benefits

The age you begin receiving retirement benefits affects how much your monthly benefits will be.

You can begin getting Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, but claiming them that early will reduce your benefits by as much as 30 percent.

If you wait until your full retirement age (66 for most people), you will get full benefits.

You also can wait until age 70 to start your benefits. The SSA will increase your benefit because you earned “delayed retirement credits.”

The retirement benefits are then paid out until you die.

Types of Social Security benefits

Social Security benefits are yearly payments made to elderly Americans as well as individuals with disabilities.

However, there are three different types of Social Security benefits:

• Retirement benefits
• Surviors benefits
• Disability benefits

More change beneficiaries need to report to the SSA

Other life changes that need to be reported to the Social Security Administration include:

• change in citizenship or immigration status
• change in help with living expenses from friends or relatives
• eligibility for other benefits or payments
• admission to or discharge from an institution
• change in school attendance, if you are under age 22
• change in legal alien status
• sponsor (or sponsor’s spouse) changes of income, resources, or living arrangement for aliens
• leaving the US for a full calendar month or for 30 consecutive days or more
• an unsatisfied felony or arrest warrant for escape from custody, flight to avoid prosecution or confinement, or flight-escape

What changes do recipients need to notify SSA about?

The federal government requires recipients to report the following changes to the Social Security Administration because they could affect eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and benefit amount:

• change of address
• change in living arrangements
• change in earned and unearned income, including a change in wages or net earnings from self-employment, including your spouse’s income if you are married and living together, and parents’ income if applying for a child
• change in resources including your spouse’s resources, if you are married and living together, and parents’ resources if applying for a child
• death of spouse or anyone in your household
• change in marital status

The Social Security Administration’s automated services

Automated telephone services include:

• Requesting a benefit verification letter or replacement tax summary
• Requesting a replacement Medicare Card or applying for help with Medicare prescription drug costs
• Getting claim status
• Finding addresses for local Social Security offices
• Requesting a form to apply for Social Security cards or make changes
• Hearing information about SSI, COLA, taxes, payment delivery dates, direct deposit, fraud, and other Social Security services
• Updating addresses or phone numbers for Social Security benefits

If you’re deaf or hard of hearing and use TTY equipment, you can call the TTY number at 1-800-325-0778.

How to contact the SSA

Many Social Security offices have been open only for in-person appointments for critical situations during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Social Security Administration said the best way to reach a representative for help is online at SSA.gov, or by calling 1-800-772-1213 between 8am and 7pm, Monday through Friday.

Wait times are typically shorter Wednesday through Friday or later in the day, according to the administration.

Automated telephone services are also available 24 hours a day.

Social Security rules for divorcees, part four

If your ex was born before January 2, 1954, and has reached full retirement age, they can choose to receive only the divorced spouse’s benefits, delaying their own retirement benefit until a later time.

If your ex’s birthday is January 2, 1954, or later, the option to take only one benefit at full retirement age expires.

If your ex-spouse files for one benefit, they’ll in fact be filing for all retirement or spousal benefits.

Social Security rules for divorcees, part three

According to the SSA, if you have been divorced for at least two continuous years, your ex-spouse is eligible to receive retirement benefits on your record even if you have not applied yet. 

However, if they are eligible for their own retirement benefits, Social Security will pay for that amount first.

If your benefits are higher, your ex will also get an additional amount from your record, ensuring that the combination of benefits equals that higher amount.

Social Security rules for divorcees, part two

The maximum spousal benefit is 50 percent of whatever your ex-spouse will collect at their full retirement age (FRA).

If you retire at your FRA in 2022, your maximum monthly benefit is $3,345.

This means that your ex-partner would be able to get up to $1,672.50 per month.

It’s important to note that an ex-spouse claiming benefits on your record will not reduce the amount you receive yourself.

Social Security rules for divorcees

Ex-spouses are eligible to receive benefits on your record if they fall under a set number of categories.

These include:

• Your marriage lasted 10 years or longer.
• Your ex-spouse is unmarried.
• Your ex-spouse is 62 or older.
• The benefit that your ex-spouse is entitled to receive based on their own work is less than the benefit they would receive based on your work.
• You are entitled to Social Security retirement or disability benefits.

Redetermination notice types

For an over-the-phone redetermination, the SSA will send the beneficiary a letter designating the time and date to expect a call.

If you are asked to do an in-person interview, you will be requested to appear at your local Social Security office for a redetermination meeting.  

Your redetermination may also be conducted by mail.

Once you have received one of these notices, you will have 30 days to respond.

Failing to reply on time could result in your benefits being stopped.

Redetermination, explained

The Social Security Administration conducts redetermination about every one to six years.

Redetermination is conducted in three different ways: telephone, mail, or in-person.

During redetermination, the SSA will review your income, resources, and living arrangements to be sure you are still eligible for SSI and to ensure you are getting the correct monetary support.

If you are married or you are a disabled child under age 18 living with your parents, the SSA will also review the income, resources and living arrangements of your spouse or parents.

Is there a limit to SSI back pay?

The SSA makes payments for SSI back pay in installments under certain circumstances.

According to AARP, if your SSI back pay is more than three times the program’s maximum monthly payment ($841 in 2022), you will not get it in a lump sum.

Instead, it will come in three installments at six-month intervals.

How much back pay can you get?

To figure out the amount of back pay you can get, the SSA looks at two things – when you applied for benefits and when your SSA benefits were approved.

The calculation it uses is fairly simple. The SSA takes the months between your application date and your approval date and multiplies this number by your monthly payment.

For example, if you were approved for the maximum individual payment of $841, and the SSA took six months to approve your claim, you would get $5,046 in back pay.

How SSI back pay works

In general, it takes three to five months to get approval, according to the SSA, meaning most applicants can get back pay.

Back payments are different than retroactive payments.

Retroactive payments cover the months before your application date and are not offered for SSI.

What is SSI back pay?

Getting approval for SSI can take months.

In some cases, you may qualify for payments for the period of time between your application date and the date you were approved.

If your initial application was denied, and you appealed and were approved, you may have even more incentive to apply for back pay.

Old-Age, survivors, and disability insurance program, continued

Those who qualify for student benefits must meet the following requirements:

• Must attend an educational institution full-time (at least 20 hours per week)
• Must be 19 years old and two months or younger
• Student benefits will end either the month after the student stops attending school full-time or when the student is over the age requirement – whichever is sooner

To apply, complete and sign Form SSA-1372-BK.

Applicants will need to provide the following: the child’s school attendance, the school year beginning and end dates and the number of school hours scheduled per week.

A school official must then certify the form and inform the SSA if the student ceases attending school full-time.

Old-Age, survivors, and disability insurance program

The SSA provides financial aid to those in retirement, have a disability, and also offers financial relief to widowers.

However, children may also receive benefits through the Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance program.

The program provides monthly benefits to qualified retired and disabled workers, including their dependents or survivors of the insured workers.

Eligibility and benefit amounts are determined by the worker’s contributions to Social Security.

The children of beneficiaries may qualify for benefits if they’re 18 and older and a student at an elementary or secondary school.