I frequently hear from readers who tell me that they contacted the Social Security Administration with the intention of filing for Social Security benefits of one kind or another and then were either told they were not eligible for any benefits or were just otherwise talked out of filing.
Of course, sometimes that is good advice. For example, if you are 62 years old and still working full time and making $75,000 per year, and you call the SSA to file for retirement benefits, the rep would be correct in telling you that you simply are not eligible for benefits until you retire or reach your full retirement age, whichever comes first.
Or if you are a 58-year-old woman whose husband has died and you call the SSA to file for widows benefits, they should tell you that you must be at least 60 years old before you can get such benefits.
But sometimes, the circumstances are not so cut and dried.
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