This is my first day that I can say I'm retired. Even though the first day that I did not go into work was... what do ya know?: The First Day of Spring!
So, I saw a couple of my good friends here- TriciaJ and Daisy4RN- and thought I'd come hang out in this forum a bit, relate, stir things up, cause some trouble, and whatnot.
So: When did you really feel like you were retired? Nursing has been a very big part of our lives for decades and now we have to kind of let it go; a transition, a grieving process, if you will.
I haven't received my first SS check yet and I've still got a paycheck coming from Wrongway of time worked, accrued vacation, and PTO. I'm thinking when I receive my first SS check, I'll feel retired.
Probably an oft asked question on this forum, but: When did you finally feel truly retired from the nursing profession?
There are also no deduction penalties for making outside income so no worries there.
Yes there are BIG taxes if your earn above a certain $$ level. It may help to get a booklet from the Social Security office before stated untrue facts.
Everyone, be aware that the SS office is not always accurate. I retired with an early retirement that included a financial reimbursement (non taxable) in 1917. On Christmas Eve I received a bill from the SS office that in 2018 I was liable for a substantial payment from 2018. Of course I had all my documents stated which it was not to taxed. Sent them 2022 December.
They replied that my SS payments were stopped until the SS collected the $6,000. Never heard anything about my mailed rebuttal from SS office; called my federal congressman (who said our office is just getting set up, no governmental phones, etc )
Went to the SS office in my capital city. The office was locked up, sign on the door said "closed for water main break." No repair trucks or other needed restoration services there.
I kept calling my US congressman, after 3 months I got the answer that the amount was not taxable.
Specializes in Physiology, CM, consulting, nsg edu, LNC, COB.
londonflo said:
Yes there are BIG taxes if your earn above a certain $$ level. It may help to get a booklet from the Social Security office before stated untrue facts.
There is a difference between paying taxes on earned income and a benefit penalty. I believe it used to be that if you were collecting Social Security and had side gigs paying you money, there was a cap on how much you could earn outside of SS without having your SS benefit decreased. That is not the case now.
You still pay taxes on *any* income. If all you have is SS, that's taxed. If you have additional income, you are taxed on SS + whatever else you took in, as your total income; if you bring in enough, you may find yourself in a higher tax bracket based on that total. But your SS benefit itself is not decreased.
If you are delinquent in your taxes they can withhold your SS, of course. The money you must pay INTO SS as withholding from your paycheck is a tax; if for some reason that wasn't credited to your account by whoever paid you, that would have to be cleared up before SS could resume. It's not clear by your description what your situation was and I'm not a taxation attorney, but you ought to have eventually rec'd correspondence clearing it all up after resolution.
As a self-employed person I had to make quarterly payments for SS withholding; once I had a bookkeeper who told me she was making them ... but she wasn't. It took me a damn long time to clear that up plus I had to pay a humongous penalty on top of taxes owed. I got another bookkeeper, natch, and never had another problem. But that wasn't SS's error.
You're welcome. MySocialSecurity.gov.
I retired with an early retirement that included a financial reimbursement (non taxable) in 1917
Hannahbanana said:
t's not clear by your description what your situation was
Very clear,,,,
Hannahbanana said:
If you are delinquent in your taxes they can withhold your SS, of course.
With crystal clear paperwork, I was made whole. I am just reminding those who fight the good fight. ,,,I spent many hours on the phone with my State Representative, letters to the responsible agencies do not help.
Specializes in taking a break from inpatient psychiatric nursing.
I learned that after full retirement age (FRA), which is 67 for me, there is no penalty on earned income. But, if at age 62-67 I earned over $21,240 annually, there is a penalty.
I "retired" Dec 22, 2023. I worked in healthcare since 1991. I'm in my early 50s and I was an LVN. I plan on keeping my license current though just in case until I can fully retire. Had enough of the BS at work. Had to "retire" prematurely because of stupid people and childish drama at "work". But hooray for me, no more waking up at 3am in the morning Monday to Friday ( sometimes weekends) to walk 30-45 minutes to work avoiding psychos in my path to get to my former clinic in a dangerous part of the city. Somebody got shot there a few months ago and the police raid that area frequently. ✌️?.
Specializes in Physiology, CM, consulting, nsg edu, LNC, COB.
Hi all, somehow this popped up on my radar again, the question that caught my eye being, "When did you really feel retired?” Well ...
Having had a mild case of COVID in March 2020 I thought I was home free, and for awhile, I was. Then a shredded cartilage meant I needed a TKR , delayed for ages because of the ban on elective surg. It was dreadful experience; I won't bore you with the lousy nursing care and very prolonged rehab. During which my PT asked be if I would mind if he gave me the name of another ortho, since my contralateral knee got good and p***ED ? off about taking up the slack and I had to have that one replaced too.
Meanwhile, I thought I was just deconditioned but when I developed a DVT, trifascicular block, dense brain fog, crushing fatigue (sleeping 15-18h/day), and POTS, I realized I was in real trouble. I lost my jobs as an editor bec my board thought I was slacking off; it wasn't for almost another year that post-COVID was getting defined as a thing. I couldn't sit at my desk for 15 minutes at a time, or focus, or stand up long enough to fry a hamburger. It was a hard coupla years.
I hadn't been doing any traveling and all my LNC cases were done remote, which was good; the last one just settled in Dec 2023!! but all the rest were done in 2022.
So now, finally, I can climb a flight of stairs without almost blacking out. I can feel the PVCs but according to my Apple Watch their unifocal so I don't care much. I can walk 1/4 mile without syncope. And I'm enjoying reading the bazillion books that have been waiting for me, seeing a few quilts on demand for children and grandchild, sitting by the wood stove (it's snowing today), and volunteering on a town advisory board.
My certs in rehab, case mgmt, legal nurse consulting, and nurse life care planning all fell due this past Summer... I let them go. My RN is up for renewal in March. I'll be 73 then, licensed for >50 years, and I think I might just let it go to inactive. Wow. I think I'll really feel retired then.
It's been a trip. I feel like an old pine tree in the storm, looking forward to Summer again. Evergreen.
londonflo
3,002 Posts
Yes there are BIG taxes if your earn above a certain $$ level. It may help to get a booklet from the Social Security office before stated untrue facts.
Everyone, be aware that the SS office is not always accurate. I retired with an early retirement that included a financial reimbursement (non taxable) in 1917. On Christmas Eve I received a bill from the SS office that in 2018 I was liable for a substantial payment from 2018. Of course I had all my documents stated which it was not to taxed. Sent them 2022 December.
They replied that my SS payments were stopped until the SS collected the $6,000. Never heard anything about my mailed rebuttal from SS office; called my federal congressman (who said our office is just getting set up, no governmental phones, etc )
Went to the SS office in my capital city. The office was locked up, sign on the door said "closed for water main break." No repair trucks or other needed restoration services there.
I kept calling my US congressman, after 3 months I got the answer that the amount was not taxable.