Social Security question...

Hi just a quickie here, my Grandfather received a letter from SS this week which states he will no longer be receiving SS checks because he makes or has too much money.

This floored him as he has worked and paid in since day one of SS. He is by no means a wealthy man, he did however work everyday of his life from the CCC camps as a young man to his job working until he retired at age 93 after breaking his leg.

He has asked me to find out what I can about this and let him know what it is all about. can anyone tell me what is going on?

Thank you in advance for Grandpa.

reply to post by antar


Is it Social Security (SS) being stopped? Or is it Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)? All three are administered by the Social Security Administration, but are entirely different programs and we can't help you unless we know which.

reply to post by NoArmsJames


Oh thankyou so much for your reply, he is on Social security, not disability. The one which he paid into all of his life practically, the one which was meant as a supplement to his retirement and any savings.

You should definitely contact the Social Security office. As far as I understand, SS benefits are reduced for retirees if they earn over a certain amount each year. Something like they'll reduce the monthly SS checks by $1 for every $2 over a certain yearly income (somewhere around $14,000 or so and then they start reducing the person's benefit checks).

BUT, they only do this for the people who have taken an early retirement. So, if your grandfather didn't retire until age 93, he definitely didn't retire early.

Anyone who waits until their full retirement age (or after) shouldn't be getting their benefits reduced at all, no matter how much money they make each year and no matter how much money they do or don't have in the bank. The SSA should only be doing that for people who decided to retire early.

At least this is my understanding of how it works when it was explained to me by a tax accountant.

I agree with Sapient. I've never heard of regular SS being stopped like that.

Ok I am calling Grandpa right now and will double check what he is on. I need to take a look at the notice3 next time I go over and that will tomorrow. If I need to help him contact SS I can do that tomorrow as well. It is usually a drag as the wait time can be terrible especially at the first part of the month, but this is important and if he read it correctly a very bad sign of things to come.

I have assured him that no matter what may come to this country, I will always stand by him and Grandma and if need be move him in with me and feed them, clothe them and take care of them from the 5 acres I have been blessed with.

I will be back in a minute to verify which form he is on.

Yeah it's my understanding that if Bill Gates wanted to receive SS he could since he paid taxes into it, haha

Oop's my bad, seems he re-read the info and it was the notification of his benefits not going up for the cost of living. he misinterpreted it but has now gotten it straight.

Sorry for any trouble I may have caused.

Originally posted by antar
what I can about this and let him know what it is all about. can anyone tell me what is going on? .

Maybe this article will help him clue him in. (hint .. hint)

Originally posted by antar
Oop's my bad, seems he re-read the info and it was the notification of his benefits not going up for the cost of living. he misinterpreted it but has now gotten it straight.

Sorry for any trouble I may have caused.

You have no reason to be sorry. I'm glad that he mis-read the letter though, and is not losing his benefits

reply to post by antar


I agree, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry about. The GOOD news is that your Grandpa isn't going to be losing any of his benefits!

The SSA is definitely not easy to deal with. I know a couple of people dealing with them right now and they seem to be getting nothing but a lot of stall tactics ( as in "oops, sorry, it is THIS stack of forms that you need to fill out, not those other ones that we gave you before"). One of them actually went in to their local SSA office and had the SS people help them fill out all of the forms for them and guess what? They got a letter in the mail about a month or so later stating that forms had been filled out wrong.

The SSA sure likes to take in the money during our working years, but when it comes to paying anything back out, they sure seem to try to make it as hard as possible.