Odds are some of you contacted the Social Security Administration through either its website or a local office since What you should know about Social Security benefits appeared online at IndianaPrairieFarmer.com. If so, you may have discovered that since COVID-19, many Social Security offices are operating differently.

Instead of visiting in person when you are ready to investigate and/or start drawing Social Security, you will likely be asked to set up a virtual appointment. And you may still wait several weeks even for this virtual appointment.

Roger Berry, a vocational agriculture instructor and farm business management consultant based in Howard County, Ind., helps many people learn about Social Security. He notes that you can also create a Social Security account and sign up for Social Security online at ssa.gov.

“Personally, I prefer to make an appointment by calling the local office, but signing up online is an option,” Berry says. He encourages anyone, whether you are near retirement age or not, to create an account now with Social Security to establish access to information that pertains to your personal situation.

When you’re near retirement age and thinking about when to draw Social Security, also consider tax liability implications, Berry advises. A large portion of Social Security income may be taxable. One option is to have taxes deducted from your monthly Social Security check. This is explained online. If signing up through an appointment and no one mentions the option, be sure to ask.

Social Security and taxes

Here is key information about Social Security and tax liability. Berry provides the answers to these questions. Where indicated, he copied answers from the Social Security website.

What are tax implications when you begin taking Social Security? Here is what the Social Security website says at ssa.gov: “You will pay tax on only 85% of your Social Security benefits, based on Internal Revenue Service rules. If you file a federal tax return as an ‘individual’ and your combined income is between $25,000 and $34,000, you may have to pay income tax on up to 50% of your benefits. If it is more than $34,000, up to 85% of your benefits may be taxable.

If you file a joint return, and you and your spouse have a combined income that is between $32,000 and $44,000, you may have to pay income tax on up to 50% of your benefits. If it is more than $44,000, up to 85% of your benefits may be taxable.”

Can you have taxes deducted from your Social Security check? When you sign up to take Social Security, you have the option of having the government withhold federal tax. It does not withhold state or local taxes. At the present, the state of Indiana does not have any tax on Social Security benefits. Some people prefer to pay estimated taxes every quarter instead of having taxes deducted from monthly Social Security checks.