I'm so sorry for your loss. I went through this exact situation when my husband passed away last year. From my experience applying at my local SSA office, it took about 8 weeks from application to seeing the increased payment in my account. The waiting was definitely stressful, especially with ongoing expenses, but I did receive full back pay to the date of entitlement once it finally processed. One thing that helped me was calling SSA about 4 weeks after applying just to verify they had all my documents and to get a status update. Since you're already receiving benefits on your own record, the transition should be smoother than starting from scratch. Your Medicare should continue without interruption since you're not stopping benefits, just getting an increase. I'd recommend checking your mySocialSecurity account online regularly for any updates on your case status. The system is frustratingly slow, but hang in there - you will eventually get everything you're entitled to, including the retroactive payments. Take care of yourself during this difficult time.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I just went through this process myself about 4 months ago when my husband passed away. It took approximately 6 weeks from when I submitted my application at the local SSA office to receiving my first increased payment. What really helped me during the wait was understanding that since you're already receiving benefits on your own record, SSA will process this as a "survivor top-up" rather than switching you to an entirely new benefit. This means your existing $2,150 payment should continue uninterrupted while they calculate the additional amount to bring you up to your husband's benefit level. I'd recommend calling SSA around the 3-4 week mark just to confirm they have all your documentation. Also, definitely keep monitoring your online SSA account for status updates. The good news is that once it processes, you'll receive back pay for the entire waiting period, so you won't lose any money you're entitled to. The Medicare aspect should be seamless since you're already enrolled and this isn't technically a new benefit enrollment. I know the waiting is incredibly stressful when you're dealing with grief and ongoing expenses, but the system does eventually come through. Hang in there!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Micah. Going through this while grieving is incredibly overwhelming. I wanted to add one more important detail that hasn't been mentioned yet: if you're receiving spousal child-in-care benefits, there are earnings limits you need to be aware of. For 2025, if you're under full retirement age, you can earn up to $23,400 before your benefits start getting reduced. They reduce your benefits by $1 for every $2 you earn over that limit. This is different from your children's benefits - their benefits aren't affected by your earnings, only yours are. It's worth factoring this into your work planning, especially since everyone's emphasizing how important it is to keep working. The SSA website has a calculator that can help you figure out how much you can earn without affecting your benefits. Just another layer of complexity in an already confusing system, but important to know about.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Micah. I went through this same confusion when my husband passed 3 years ago, leaving me with two kids. The terminology is absolutely maddening! Here's the simplest way I can explain it: Think of it as two separate benefit "buckets." Bucket 1: Your CHILDREN each get their own individual benefit (Child's Insurance Benefit) - this lasts until they're 18/19. Bucket 2: YOU get a benefit (Mother's/Father's Insurance Benefit) for taking care of kids under 16 - yours stops when your youngest hits 16. The reason SSA calls them both "child-in-care" benefits is because they're both triggered by having eligible children, but they're completely separate payments with different rules. What really helped me was getting a written breakdown from SSA showing exactly what each person in my family was getting and when each benefit would end. Don't be afraid to ask for this in writing - it makes planning so much easier than trying to remember verbal explanations. You're doing great navigating this impossible system while dealing with such a huge loss.

Another factor to consider that hasn't been mentioned much here is inflation protection. Social Security benefits have built-in cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) that help protect against inflation over time. If you take benefits early at a reduced amount, those COLA increases are applied to that smaller base for the rest of your life. For example, if your FRA benefit would be $2,000 but you take $1,400 at 62, and there's a 3% COLA increase, you get 3% of $1,400 ($42) rather than 3% of $2,000 ($60). Over decades, this compounds significantly. Also, @Giovanni Ricci, since you mentioned you're still working part-time, make sure you understand the earnings test. In 2025, if you're under FRA and earn more than $21,240, Social Security reduces your benefits by $1 for every $2 you earn above that limit. This could effectively make your early benefits even smaller if you continue working. The decision really depends on your complete financial picture, health, and family longevity. But mathematically, most people benefit from waiting at least until FRA, especially if they're married and the higher earner.

I'm in a similar situation and found that the key is looking at multiple calculators to get a complete picture. Besides the ones mentioned here, I also used the calculator on FidSafe.com and the one from T. Rowe Price - they each show slightly different perspectives. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track the cumulative benefits over time. I put in my estimated benefit amounts at different claiming ages (62, FRA, and 70) and calculated the running totals year by year. It makes it really visual to see when the lines cross. For what it's worth, I decided to wait until my FRA after doing this analysis, even though it was tempting to take the money at 62. The peace of mind knowing I'll have a higher monthly payment for life (and that my spouse will too if I go first) was worth more to me than having the money a few years earlier. Good luck with your decision - it sounds like you're doing your homework, which is the most important thing!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I'll go ahead and apply in October for my January start date. It's a relief to know that SSA will automatically recalculate and make adjustments once my 2024 earnings are processed. I appreciate everyone sharing their personal experiences too - it makes navigating this whole process much less stressful!

Just wanted to add one more consideration - make sure you understand the timing of when your benefits actually start vs when you apply. Since your FRA is November 2024, you can start receiving full benefits then if you want, or delay until January 2025 as you mentioned. But remember that each month you delay past your FRA (up until age 70), you earn delayed retirement credits that increase your benefit by about 0.67% per month. So if you delay from November 2024 to January 2025, that's 2 months of delayed credits which would permanently increase your monthly benefit by about 1.33%. Just something to factor into your decision along with the automatic recomputation for your 2024 earnings!

Just to summarize everything for others who might have similar questions: Your pension absolutely does NOT count toward the Social Security earnings limit - only wages and self-employment income count. At $16,000/year from part-time work, you're well under the 2025 limit of $22,680. However, do keep in mind a few things: 1) Your pension WILL count toward determining if your SS benefits are taxable (up to 85% can be taxed), 2) Check if WEP/GPO applies to your state pension as that could reduce your SS benefit amount, and 3) Consider the tax withholding options when you apply. Sounds like you're in good shape to start collecting in June!

Great question! I'm approaching 65 myself and had similar concerns. Just wanted to add that it's worth double-checking with SSA about your specific state pension to make sure WEP doesn't apply. Some state employees paid into Social Security for part of their career and some didn't, which affects whether WEP reduces your benefits. You can use the WEP calculator on the SSA website to get an estimate. Also, since you mentioned your FRA is 66 and 10 months, you might want to run the numbers on waiting vs. taking benefits early - the monthly reduction for taking at 65 instead of FRA could be significant over your lifetime. But sounds like you've got the earnings limit part figured out thanks to everyone's great advice!