A US money question - SS benefits

My mother is 65 in September and has to make a decision about retiring by 8 Feb if she wants to get her benefits starting in June.

Is anyone out there particularly au fait with the Social Security benefits system? She has a lot of questions and the SS site itself isn't cutting it. She can't afford to speak to a financial advisor right now though her accountant will be of some help.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated - I can post some of her queries if I get any responses here...

TIA

My mother is 65 in September and has to make a decision about retiring by 8 Feb if she wants to get her benefits starting in June.

Is anyone out there particularly au fait with the Social Security benefits system? She has a lot of questions and the SS site itself isn't cutting it. She can't afford to speak to a financial advisor right now though her accountant will be of some help.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated - I can post some of her queries if I get any responses here...

TIA

I will try to help. I get mine each month. Very nice.
They will load you down with information if she asks. They will tell her more than she wants know.
My knowledge is only basic I'm sorry to day.

Balmerhon,

SS & Benefits here in the UK? or do you mean back home in the US?

Me Mum works in the DSS here and I do know that although processing times often do vary the workload is distributed between various offices. that said, the offices do serve particular areas and take on overflows from others as well so sometimes if the claim is 'relatively' straightforward, it happens all quite quickly, the more complex, it takes longer.

I think the application forms for claims have all the questions they need in order to process, however, there's always questions and I do suggest making an appointment at your local DSS office and having a chat with them, I'd say pretty much all your questions can be answered by one of their staff (it's what I did when I signed on for a couple months) Out of that, if there is need for doctor certificates, medical reports, employment pension details etc etc they can be discussed and understood of what to do for later stages.

Hope your mum's case isn't too complex and the benefits arrive soon after. I'd have thought the above would apply with the USA system too if she's there, and more knowledge of course can be gained from others you may already know claiming etc.

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

PS- I just saw the topic as being 'US money question ss benefits' DOH!

I can try to answer some of the questions. I've helped others with their SS stuff in the past. Post your/her questions and I'll see what I can do.

She may want to call their Toll Free Number and ask her questions direct to the SS Department.  In the very least it'll be free & confidential.  Otherwise, on the same page is a link to finding the local Social Security office where she may feel more comfortable going in person and having a word...  In the very least she'll be getting the info straight from them.   

Thanks, she's been for one meeting already with the local office. But my understanding is that at her next meeting, she has to give them a decision. I'll ask if she knows about the toll free number.

The problem is there is a lot up in the air now. Her house is on the market and while her area doesn't seem to be suffering too much from the housing slump, her condo needs work so she doesn't know how much she'll get for it. This means she doesn't know how much she can spend on her next place so she can't really budget for her mortgage yet.

The BIG question is this: DH and I (and our - by then - 2 kids) will be living with her - possibly for a while while we get on our feet over there. My cousin may live with her prior to us. None of us will be claiming any sort of benefits and likely won't be paying rent to her. Any money we do give her will be to help renovate whatever property she buys. So, this money we give her, would it be considered income?

That's a weird grey area. I think it would really depend on how much money is involved. I can't remember what the cut-off is for when it starts mattering to the SSA.