Congrats!
I retired in January 2024 and started collecting full retirement age SS in April that year. Then that August my old company made me an offer I could not refuse so I'm collecting full SS and a fat full time paycheck. Plus the Mrs. collects a pension from the CA school system and is working full time for CCSD here. And no state income tax in NV. My work is easy work that I do from my home office. I figure I'll retire again for good when I hit 70 in late '27. Mrs. turns 62 in Dec. but plans to work until her full retirement age of 67.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: P220forever, April 11, 2025 10:04 PM

Congratulations on making it this far.

Now all you need to do is join the ROMEO Club.
.

Congratulations and welcome to the club.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

I am officially on the gubbermint teat…

You switched from local gov't teat to federal gov't teat

In all seriousness, congrats and enjoy getting back some of what you paid into

Yeah, the “teat” comment was tongue in cheek. I did 30 years for the county, majority of it on swing and graves shifts. Probably enough OT over the years to (conservatively) add another 4-6 years worth of hours to that total.

One thing I learned early on is there are very few folks who retire out of the dispatch center. It’s a job that chews you up. Doesn’t have the dangers of carrying a badge but all the stress (maybe more), hours, and exposure to the evil that people do to each other. PTSD from the 911 thing is real and it is truly a job that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.


Before that I did 10 years in the Marines, again mostly swings/graves and lots of extra hours.


I’ve been continuously employed since I was 14 with the exception of a 21 month “trial retirement/exile” after the County fired me in 2021. A favorable Arbitration decision brought that to an end and I returned to work Oct 23 for nine months to hit my 30 years service and the increased state retirement for 30 years service vs less than 30. Also have “retiree” status with the county now instead of “terminated” and that allows me the option of retiree medical coverage until Medicare age.

I was demoted on my return and assigned to Records. M-F dayshift, all holidays off, and no OT. Pretty sure they thought I would refuse it, but I loved it. No stress at all compared to the communications center, and only responsible for myself instead of having to supervise others.

The comm center folks are averaging about 15-20 hr OT/week due to understaffing. Going back as call receiver/dispatcher with those hours would have been difficult to say the least. After the stress and energy level in the comm center, the relaxed nothing is urgent atmosphere of the Records gig was like a refreshing coasting/cool down period after a long and (mostly) stellar career.


Best part was due to restored sick leave accrued and lost at my termination along state FMLA benefits when I had my knee replacement last March, as well as top scale vacation accrual (20 hrs/month) I ended up working only 54% of scheduled work days during that 9 month period.



Between my state pension and the SS, I am bringing in almost 70% of what my FT pay was as a Supervisor and a little more than my final Records pay was. Just seemed silly to keep working when I could get the same money without it. On top of that I have a 401K that gives me some flexibility and such. Retired living is definitely cheaper, so everything considered I can live with that.

quote:

Originally posted by ftttu:
I’ll file for SS here in about 3 months since I want it when I turn 62 in October. How long does it take to receive first check?

You can file 3 months before you turn 62, you tell them when you want it to start. You don’t get paid for the month you turn 62, it starts the first full month after. If you want it to start as early as possible (Nov), you should see first check (direct deposit) in Dec as it is paid in arrears (after the month it is for).

I applied online first week of Nov last year, got my acceptance/approval the 3rd week of Dec and first deposit hit in April just as expected.

Helpful hint, if you want the info on your SS contribution/work history, screenshot or download it BEFORE submitting your application. Once application is submitted you cannot access the info again until the process is completed.

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
Congratulation Boss.

All Of my 70 years in which I was old enough to remember…
I have heard…

“There won't be any money left in SS by the time I retire…
I’ll never see a dime”

Yet here we are!

Enjoy!

Yup, I’ve heard the same. Honestly, that worked into deciding to start collecting as soon as possible to a certain degree. Once the applications was all done and figured I ended up getting about $400/month more than I was expecting when I first started calculations and planning about 5 years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:
Congratulations and welcome to the club.

It's nice when every day is Saturday.

It’s a running joke between me and my wife, I tell her almost every Friday morning “It’s Friday, I just need to get through today and then we have the weekend” she laughs and then gives me my assignments for the day…

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Congratulations on making it this far.

Now all you need to do is join the ROMEO Club.
.

Thanks, I’m already in one (sort of). We have a weekly retired men’s breakfast and bible study at my church I started going to during my exile (see above). Had to give it up when I returned to work, but my last day of work was Fri 7/12 and I was back at it on Wed 7/17. Most of the old codgers are retired/former military as well and I’m the youngest in the group.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:
You paid into the SS all your working life so I don't consider you being on "gubberment teat".

Yeah, the fucking .gov stole from us. It ain't their money.

Enjoy retirement!!! I'm about 10.5 months away from mine! I'll be 65 when I start SS. If I wasn't going to keep working for the next 10 months, I'd be hitting up that SS!!!!

Congratulations!
I went at 62 and have loved every minute of it!
Not sure how it's already been 5 years ago!

I know retired folks that have started to use their cell phone calenders for the very first time since ever.

Between grand kids, kids and an ever present "honey do" list
They can't keep track of who needs what done , when.

Then half of them have doctor appts ,dentist appts, testing and follow up appts.


Best wishes for lots of resting and relaxing.

( Four people I know attend the grand kids soccer, baseball , football and bowling matches ,

Adds up to an extra five hundred miles a year on their vehicles, )

Retirees approaching 65 should be aware of IRMAA: if your MAGI is above a certain amount (currently $212K for a married couple filing jointly) your Medicare Part B (currently $185/mo) payment will DOUBLE for two years.

https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/f...iums-and-deductibles

Yes, $212K is a LOT of retirement income, but withdrawals from a traditional IRA are added to your MAGI.

Congratulations, 911! Smart move taking SS asap, imho.

Retiring is a process which takes about a year to settle into. For me, I had a nagging feeling that I was going to work in a few days. Like being on day 3 of a week vacation, there is nothing today that must be done but in the back of your mind you know the job is hanging over your head in a few more days. Also, being comfortable with spending rather than saving is a nearly universal stressor at first. Have a plan, e.g. pulling X% out of your savings each month, and then execute that plan! It takes a while to relax into realizing the plan means you really can spend that X% without running out of money.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
Retirees approaching 65 should be aware of IRMAA: if your MAGI is above a certain amount (currently $212K for a married couple filing jointly) your Medicare Part B (currently $185/mo) payment will DOUBLE for two years.

Yes! ROTH conversions might be better off done a couple of years earlier to avoid triggering IRMAA, or possibly done in smaller chunks after age 64. If one's 401k, IRA, and other similar retirement account values are significant (which they probably are for most who have saved for retirement), then the Required Minimum Distributions starting at age 73 can also trigger IRMAA, thus affecting decisions on ROTH conversion timing. Tax rates make it a bit complicated, and a good financial advisor might be worth paying to help figure it out.

If you plan to sell your home and may have a taxable gain, it can trigger IRMAA and also additional taxes on your Social security. Timing that sale can save a lot of taxes.

An important consideration for everyone is that NONE of your Social Security is taxable in the first calendar year you take it. After that, up to 85% of it can subject to taxation. If you wait until January, you get that entire year untaxed, whereas if you took it the month sooner in December you only get that one month without it being taxed. I forget if it is based on the first month you receive a check or the first month that the check is for. Iirc, the check comes the month after, e.g. December's check arrives in January.

Approaching eight years the end of June.

I took it at 65, no retirement insurance from my company so Medicare was the deciding factor there. All in and done, I went seven months before my full eligible date, cost me $48.00 a month. Well worth it.

Congratulations, especially on the maneuver to get over the 30yrs hump!

I don't see any way I could work until 63, 65, or 67. I don't think I will work past 55, but who knows what I'll decide then, especially if I can't find hobby business.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
An important consideration for everyone is that NONE of your Social Security is taxable in the first calendar year you take it.

You might want to research this some more. I googled up "are Social Security benefits taxable in the first calendar year you take it". I received this response:

"Social Security benefits are taxable in the first calendar year you take them. However, there is a special rule that applies to earnings for one year, usually the first year of retirement, allowing you to get a full Social Security benefit for any whole month you are retired, regardless of your yearly earnings."

Maybe Fed161 will chime in on this.

If your statement is true, then someone in the IRS forgot to tell TurboTax when I filed my tax return a few years ago.

A couple of additional considerations to think about if you are paying any amount of IRMAA:
- With IRMAA starting at $212,000, there is a good chance you may also be over $250,000 (MFJ), especially if you are required to take RMDs. Once your modified AGI exceeds $250,000, you will begin paying Uncle Sam's 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax. Link
- For those with traditional IRAs and the like, you can (significantly, if moved) reduce your RMD by taking out Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs). Just ensure you take out the QCD prior to the RMD. The QCD amount you can take out changes year-to-year. Info Link
- When taking your RMD, ensure you take out enough to cover your Federal and state (if required) taxes. You may need to pay that as a quarterly estimated tax payment to ensure you're not going to be required to file Form 2210 and pay a penalty.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:
You paid into the SS all your working life so I don't consider you being on "gubberment teat".
If you were on welfare then yes, you be on the gubberment teat.

EXACTLY this. I paid in for 40 years now. When I take it I'll be getting back MY money.

Congrats 911Boss and welcome to the club. I started to take SS after my 62 birthday a couple of years ago and never regretted it.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
I know you're kidding about the government teat and congratulations. But you're sucking back some of the milk that they've been taking from you all your working years. Social Security is certainly an entitlement that you earned.

That is truth, especially for guys like me that owned small businesses who paid the full SS tax instead of a split between employer/employee (6.2% + 6.2% = 12.4%).

Congrats Boss. I'm at 15 years since the "62" start date.

I'll provide a few links that discuss this issue that hopefully will explain things. A couple of items of general explanation:

When you see normal retirement age (NRA) in the links, it's the same thing as full retirement age (FRA). I wish they would just stick to calling it FRA, but anywhere you see NRA, they mean FRA.

I'm sure there is no doubt, but just to be clear whenever I refer to taxes here I am referring to income taxes, not FICA taxes which are due on all earned income up to the limit. For the 2025 tax year, the wage base limit is $176,100 (which is up from $168,600 in 2024). Once an employee's salary reaches that limit, they are no longer required to pay this tax.

There appears to be some confusion here between the annual earnings test (which is solely a social security issue, not an IRS tax issue) and when Social Security benefits are taxable (an IRS tax issue).

There is no tax rule or law that exempts you from having to pay income taxes on Social Security benefits the first year you collect. You are thinking of the annual earnings test.
The Social Security Administration's annual earnings test impacts benefits for individuals receiving Social Security retirement benefits before their full retirement age (FRA) if they continue to work and earn income. It temporarily withholds a portion of benefits based on earnings exceeding certain limits.


How the Earnings Test Works:

Before FRA:
If you claim Social Security benefits before your FRA and continue working, the earnings test applies. For 2025, the annual limit is $23,400. If you earn more than $23,400, $1 of your monthly benefit is reduced for every $2 you earn above that limit.
In the year of FRA:
In the year you reach FRA, the test is slightly more generous. The limit for earnings in the months before you reach FRA is $62,160. For earnings above this limit, $1 of your monthly benefit is reduced for every $3 you earn.
Once you reach FRA:
Once you reach FRA, the earnings test no longer applies, and the Social Security Administration will recalculate your monthly benefit to account for the withheld amounts, resulting in an increased monthly benefit.

Key Points:

The earnings test applies to Social Security retirement, spousal, and widow(er)'s benefits.

These withheld benefits are not lost. Once you reach FRA, they are added back into your monthly benefit.

I worked for Social Security, not IRS. So we generally referred people to IRS whenever a tax question came up. So I will do the same. But this confusion between the annual earnings test and income taxation is common. I did take a look at the IRS site that covered taxation of SS benefits. It was quite thorough. There was no reference at all to any exemption from taxation on SS benefits the first year of SS eligibility. So I am confident that no such exemption exists.

https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/rtea.html

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/i...efits-may-be-taxable

https://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/nra.html

Please forgive the following, but based on a recent case an attorney friend of mine was involved in, I have been advised to post the following.

I have taken reasonable care to ensure the accuracy of the information provided here. However, I do not make any representations about the completeness, suitability, or accuracy of the information provided. Hence, no duty of care is owed and I do not accept any liability for omissions or inaccuracies. It is therefore important that you exercise your judgment and seek appropriate professional advice before acting on any information provided.

quote:

Originally posted by Fed161:

There appears to be some confusion here between the annual earnings test (which is solely a social security issue, not an IRS tax issue) and when Social Security benefits are taxable (an IRS tax issue).

There is no tax rule or law that exempts you from having to pay income taxes on Social Security benefits the first year you collect. You are thinking of the annual earnings test.
The Social Security Administration's annual earnings test impacts benefits for individuals receiving Social Security retirement benefits before their full retirement age (FRA) if they continue to work and earn income. It temporarily withholds a portion of benefits based on earnings exceeding certain limits.
.
.
.
If you claim Social Security benefits before your FRA and continue working, the earnings test applies. For 2025, the annual limit is $23,400. If you earn more than $23,400, $1 of your monthly benefit is reduced for every $2 you earn above that limit.

Ooops, yeah thanks for the correction!

I had to go back to the reference I mis-remembered from. According to that book, the limit of $23,400 only starts to apply once you are collecting SS. That is, there is no limit for the months of that year prior to taking SS. e.g. If I earn more than $23,400 in the first part of the year with my job, and then quit my job and start taking SS, there is no reduction in my SS.

Reductions in SS during the first year it is taken are based only on income in the months when SS is taken.

@911Boss, thanks for information. We will be in the market for a house shortly, and I need that information for my lender.