Thank you all for the helpful responses! I'm feeling much more clear about how this works now. To summarize what I've learned: 1. Taking my own retirement benefits at 65 has no impact on my future widow benefit percentage 2. If my husband passes away, the widow benefit I'd receive is based solely on my age at the time I apply for widow benefits 3. At my FRA (67) I'd get 100% of his benefit, at 65 I'd get about 92% 4. I can switch from my own benefit to widow benefits at any time if my husband passes away I'll definitely document my conversations with SSA from now on and might try that Claimyr service if I need to call them again. This has been so helpful - the SSA website just doesn't explain these nuances clearly!

I'm glad I found this thread! I'm in a similar situation but with a twist - my husband is also considering filing for his own retirement benefits early while staying on SSDI. Does anyone know if him switching from SSDI to regular retirement benefits would affect my potential widow benefits? I assume my widow benefit would be based on whatever he's receiving at the time he passes away, whether that's SSDI or retirement benefits. But I want to make sure before we make any decisions about his filing strategy.

Just to add one more important detail: The "deemed filing" rules changed in 2015. For anyone born after January 1, 1954, when you file for either your retirement or spousal benefit, you are "deemed" to have filed for both. This eliminated some filing strategies that older retirees could use. In your case, when you file, the SSA will automatically give you the higher of either your own benefit or the spousal benefit. But since your own benefit is less than 50% of your husband's, you'll receive your own benefit plus the difference to reach that 50% threshold (assuming you both file at FRA).

One thing I wanted to add that might be helpful - you mentioned you're both turning 62 next year. Even though you CAN start claiming at 62, the reduction is pretty significant. For someone with a full retirement age of 67 (which applies to people born in 1960 or later), claiming at 62 means your benefit is reduced to about 75% of what you'd get at FRA. So in your case, instead of getting your $1,250 plus the $450 spousal supplement (total $1,700), you'd get about 75% of that if you claim at 62. That's a permanent reduction that doesn't go away later. I'd strongly recommend running the numbers on waiting even just a year or two if you can swing it financially. The SSA's retirement estimator tool can show you exactly how much more you'd get by waiting. Sometimes even working part-time for a couple more years while delaying Social Security can make a big difference in your monthly income for the rest of your life.

This is a common mistake I see people make - they don't realize that with self-employment what counts is what you TAKE HOME after business expenses. My sister-in-law was selling on Amazon and worried about going over the limit but after we sat down and calculated her actual NET income (after all the fees, supplies, shipping, etc) she was way under the limit. Just make sure you can document all your expenses if they ever ask!

Just wanted to add one more important point that might help you - make sure you're reporting your self-employment earnings to SSA promptly when they happen, not just at tax time. They have a form (SSA-1099) you can use to report monthly earnings if needed. I learned this the hard way when I had a really good month on my craft business and didn't report it right away. SSA ended up overpaying me and I had to pay it back later. It's much easier to stay on top of it month by month, especially with something like Etsy where sales can be unpredictable. Also, keep in mind that the $22,320 limit applies to your tax year, so if you started your business partway through 2024, you still get the full annual limit amount.

Here's a technical point that hasn't been mentioned: There's something called the "Retirement Insurance Benefit Limitation" (RIB-LIM) that specifically addresses survivor benefits when someone claims early. This is what protects your wife's survivor benefits from your early claiming decision. Specifically, the RIB-LIM ensures that if you claim early and pass away, your widow(er) will receive the HIGHER of: 1. Your reduced benefit amount you were receiving 2. 82.5% of your unreduced PIA And if your widow(er) waits until their FRA to claim, they get 100% of your PIA regardless of when you claimed. This is why your early claiming decision won't hurt your wife's survivor benefits as long as she waits until her FRA to claim them.

As someone who recently went through this exact decision-making process, I want to add that it's worth considering getting a personalized benefit estimate from SSA that shows your specific numbers. You can create a my Social Security account online and run scenarios for different claiming ages. When I did this, I discovered that even though my early claiming at 62 wouldn't hurt my spouse's survivor benefits (thanks to the RIB-LIM protection everyone mentioned), the reduction in my own monthly income was more significant than I initially calculated. The break-even analysis showed I'd need to live past age 78 for waiting until FRA to be worthwhile. But knowing my wife would still get my full PIA as a survivor benefit gave me peace of mind about claiming early due to health concerns. The online calculator tools really help visualize these trade-offs with your actual earnings record.

UPDATE: I finally spoke with someone at SSA! You all were right - they still had me classified as receiving disability benefits even though I've been on retirement benefits since February. The representative was actually very helpful once I explained the situation and showed that I had documentation of my retirement application approval. They're expediting the correction and said my benefits should resume with the next payment. They're also processing the back payment for this month. Thank you all SO MUCH for your help in figuring this out! I would have been completely lost without your advice.

So glad you got this resolved! This is such a perfect example of why it's so important to understand the difference between disability and retirement benefits - the rules are completely different. Your story will definitely help others who might run into this same system mix-up. It's crazy how often SSA's records don't get properly updated when people transition between programs. Thanks for posting the update!