Social Security Guides
- Apr 29, 2025
Navigating Social Security During Administrative Changes
If you've tried to access Social Security services recently, you may have encountered longer wait times, website outages, or difficulty reaching representatives. These challenges are not coincidental but stem from significant administrative changes implemented by the Trump administration in 2025.
- Feb 26, 2023
Social Security Work Credits
How do work credits work and how many do I need to qualify for Social Security benefits?
- Sep 12, 2023
Possible causes of Parsing Errors
SSA.tools accepts a copy and pasted earnings record from the Social Security Administration's website. This guide explains If your earnings record is not being parsed correctly, this guide may help you understand why and how to fix it.
- Sep 6, 2023
Deep look at Spousal Benefits and Filing Dates
Spousal Benefits are sometimes commonly misunderstood to be equal to half of the other spouse's benefit. This guide takes a deep dive into how spousal benefits are calculated and how different filing dates can affect the final benefit calculation in confusing ways.
- Aug 18, 2023
Navigate the Filing Date Chart
This site's calculator shows a information dense chart of how filing dates affect your benefits. The chart can be a little confusing at first, so here's a guide to help you understand it.
- Aug 11, 2023
Will Social Security Run Out?
And what happens if it does? Learn more about the Social Security Trust Fund, how it's slowly running out, and how what happens next could affect your benefits.
- Apr 29, 2023
Bump in delayed benefits after January
For those starting benefits after Normal Retirement Age, there is a small delay in some of the delayed credits until the following January.
- Dec 4, 2022
Federal Taxation of Social Security Benefits
A Comprehensive Guide to Calculating the Taxability of Social Security Benefits Based on AGI.
- Jun 26, 2022
International Agreements
How does working abroad affect social security?
- Jun 5, 2022
Rules for those born on the 1st or 2nd of the month
Learn more about how Social Security law is affected by the day of the month one was born in.
- Dec 28, 2020
Why does ssa.tools use the current year's indexing factors for someone younger than 62?
SSA.gov publishes estimated future indexing factors based on economic projections. Should ssa.tools use these factors and why?
- Dec 1, 2020
The effect of AWI declining in 2020 due to Covid
For earners who were born in 1960, the effect of a potentially much lower average wage in 2020 may have an outsized impact on their lifetime benefit.
- Nov 28, 2020
Earnings Caps
How do Social Security annual earnings caps work?
- Aug 3, 2019
Maximum Benefits
What is the maximum possible Social Security benefit that someone can receive?
- Nov 23, 2018
Social Security and Inflation
Learn how two different types of inflation, wage increase and consumer price index, each interact to affect your social security benefit.