Category: Benefits & Retirement
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A surviving spouse can receive up to 100% at Social Security’s survivor retirement age
The age at which a widow or widower claims Social Security can permanently shape the income left after a spouse dies. Payments for a surviving spouse begin at a reduced percentage and can rise to the deceased worker’s full benefit amount at the survivor’s own full retirement age. That ceiling is real, but it is…
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Pensions and investments do not build your Social Security check; only work earnings do
A pension, brokerage account or rental portfolio can support retirement without raising the Social Security benefit formula. Social Security builds retirement checks from work earnings on which covered payroll taxes were paid. In 2026, the formula counts covered earnings only up to $184,500 for the year; income above that ceiling and nonwork income do not…
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Working students under 22 can exclude up to $2,410 monthly from SSI income calculations
A young SSI recipient does not necessarily lose benefits dollar for dollar when taking a school-year or summer job. In 2026, the student earned income exclusion can remove as much as $2,410 of earnings from the monthly SSI calculation, up to $9,730 for the year. The worker must be under 22 and regularly attending school,…
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Could $1,350 monthly income qualify you to have Medicare premiums, deductibles and copays paid?
A monthly income of $1,350 can put a single Medicare beneficiary at the usual 2026 federal limit for the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program. QMB is unusually valuable because it can cover Part A and Part B premiums and the deductibles, coinsurance and copayments attached to Medicare-covered care. The figure is a reason to apply, not…
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Two months of direct-deposited Social Security or VA benefits stay protected from most debt collectors
A court order against a bank account does not automatically make every Social Security or veterans-benefit dollar available to a private collector. When covered federal payments arrive by direct deposit, the bank must review the account and leave two months of those deposits accessible in most private-debt garnishments. The shield is powerful but limited: extra…
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Online-only GI Bill students may get up to $1,261 a month for housing
Studying entirely online changes how the Post-9/11 GI Bill calculates housing help. For the rate year that began August 1, an eligible online-only student who started using benefits in 2018 or later may receive as much as $1,261 a month. The actual deposit can be lower because eligibility percentage, course load and days enrolled all…
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The GI Bill now reimburses up to $2,000 for qualifying license and certification tests
A professional credential can be the last expensive step between training and a better-paying job. The current Post-9/11 GI Bill schedule gives eligible veterans and beneficiaries a way to recover as much as $2,000 of a qualifying licensing or certification test fee, but the reimbursement also uses a portion of the education benefit. That tradeoff…
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Medicare beneficiaries pay $217 a day for covered skilled nursing care after day 20
A covered skilled-nursing stay can feel free during its first weeks and then produce a $217 daily bill almost overnight. In 2026, Medicare Part A charges no coinsurance for days 1 through 20 of a covered stay in a benefit period. Days 21 through 100 carry the $217 daily amount, making the coverage calendar a…
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Social Security disability applicants can now track hearings and appeal decisions online
Waiting for a disability hearing can leave a household with no clear answer about when a decision will arrive or whether a form reached the right office. Social Security expanded its online Claim Status Tracker on July 21 to show hearing and appeal movement, decision milestones and processing-time estimates. The tool does not accelerate a…
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Pending heart-related disability claims face Social Security’s new medical rules October 30
A disability application can spend months moving through medical review, so a rule change scheduled for later in the year can reach claims already in line. Social Security has finalized revised cardiovascular criteria effective October 30, 2026. The agency says the new listings will apply not only to applications filed after that date, but also…
