As someone who works in retirement planning, I want to emphasize a few key points that haven't been fully covered yet: 1. **Timing matters for maximizing benefits**: If your husband is still working or has other income, he might benefit from delaying his Social Security until age 70 to get delayed retirement credits (8% per year). This would increase the survivor benefit you'd eventually receive. 2. **Consider your filing strategy now**: Since you're both already receiving benefits, this ship has sailed, but for others reading - sometimes it makes sense for the higher earner to delay benefits to maximize the eventual survivor benefit. 3. **Medicare implications**: When you become a widow, you'll need to evaluate your Medicare coverage. If you're on your husband's employer plan as a retiree, you may lose that coverage and need to make decisions about Medicare supplements. 4. **Document everything**: Keep copies of your marriage certificate, both of your Social Security cards, and any military service records if applicable. Having these ready will make the process smoother when the time comes. The survivor benefit is really one of Social Security's most important protections for older Americans - it helps ensure the surviving spouse doesn't face financial hardship on top of grief.

I'm in a similar situation and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! My husband and I are 71 and 68, and I honestly had no idea about most of these details. A few things I'm taking away: 1. Report the death IMMEDIATELY to avoid overpayment issues 2. You have to actually APPLY for survivor benefits - they don't automatically switch you 3. Keep all important documents organized and ready 4. Expect long wait times when calling SSA (that Claimyr service sounds like a lifesaver) One question I haven't seen addressed - if the surviving spouse remarries, does that affect the survivor benefits? I'm happily married and not planning anything, but I'm curious about the rules since I have a widowed friend who's been hesitant to remarry partly because of benefit concerns. Also, thank you to everyone who shared their personal experiences. It really helps to hear real stories rather than just the official policy explanations.

Since you started your benefits early at 62 rather than waiting until your FRA, you're receiving a permanently reduced benefit (probably around 70-75% of your full benefit amount). While this isn't related to your earnings limit question, it's worth knowing that any benefits withheld due to exceeding earnings limits don't count toward recovering that reduction. The early claiming reduction is separate from earnings test withholding. When you reach FRA, SSA will adjust your benefit to give you credit for months benefits were completely withheld due to work, but the early claiming reduction remains for life.

I went through something very similar when I reached my FRA a few years ago! The good news is you're getting solid advice here. Just wanted to add that I found it helpful to contact my local SSA office directly rather than calling the main number - the wait times were much shorter and the staff seemed more knowledgeable about these specific situations. One thing that really put my mind at ease was asking them to send me a written confirmation of my earnings limit for 2025. That way I had documentation showing exactly what I could earn before my FRA month. It saved me so much stress! Also, since you're in healthcare, you might want to check if any of your earnings come from tips or other sources that could be treated differently for SSA purposes. Most hospital jobs are straightforward W-2 income, but it's worth double-checking. You're so close to September - hang in there! Once you hit FRA, all this earnings limit stress just disappears completely.

Another thing to consider with your phased retirement timing - if you start the reduced hours in January 2025 instead of July, your total annual earnings would be much lower. Working 3 days a week for the full year would put you around $43,200 annually, but starting mid-year means you'd earn your full salary for 6 months PLUS the reduced amount for 6 months. I'd calculate it like this: $72,000/2 (Jan-June) + $21,600 (July-Dec at 3 days/week) = roughly $57,600 total for 2025. At that income level, you'd still be about $33,600 over the limit, meaning they'd withhold around $16,800 in benefits. Starting the phased retirement in January would save you over $7,000 in withheld benefits! Definitely worth asking HR if you can move up that timeline. The monthly test still probably wouldn't apply since you're staying with the same employer, but the lower annual earnings would make a huge difference.

Just wanted to add one more consideration that hasn't been mentioned yet - don't forget about the tax implications of your timing decision! If you file for Social Security in 2025 while still earning $72k (or even the reduced amount from phased retirement), you'll likely have to pay taxes on a portion of your Social Security benefits too. With your income level, up to 85% of your Social Security benefits could be subject to federal income tax. So even after dealing with the earnings test withholding, you'll still owe taxes on whatever benefits you do receive. This double-hit (withholding + taxes) makes the financial case for waiting until FRA even stronger. I'd definitely recommend running the numbers with a tax professional before making your final decision. Sometimes the "tax strategy" financial advisors suggest for claiming early doesn't work out as well in practice when you factor in both the earnings test AND the tax burden on benefits.

One important thing no one's mentioned yet - when your husband does eventually file (whether at 62 or 70), if your SSDI converts to retirement benefits by then, the SSA will automatically check if he's eligible for the higher of either his own benefit or a spousal benefit. If 50% of your primary insurance amount (PIA) is higher than his own benefit would be, he'll automatically get the higher spousal amount. But with your husband's FRA benefit estimated at $2,700, it's unlikely the spousal benefit would be higher unless your SSDI benefit is over $5,400/month, which would be unusual.

I understand your frustration with getting through to SSA - it's incredibly difficult right now. Just to add one more perspective: even though the restricted application strategy is gone, there might still be some value in having your husband speak with a Social Security representative or a fee-only financial planner who specializes in Social Security optimization. While he can't collect spousal benefits separately, there could be other considerations like survivor benefits planning that might influence timing decisions. With your SSDI situation and his higher expected benefit, maximizing his benefit by waiting until 70 is likely the right move, but getting a personalized analysis could give you both peace of mind that you're making the optimal decision for your specific circumstances. The earnings test issue that Keisha mentioned is also huge - at $85k annually, he'd lose most early benefits anyway due to the earnings limit.

Update: I finally got through to SSA after trying that Claimyr service someone mentioned. The rep explained that since I reported my expected earnings now, they'll reduce my monthly checks for the rest of 2025 instead of stopping them completely. Each check will be about $600 less than normal. Not great, but at least now I can budget for it! She also confirmed I need to submit the SSA-795 form right away. Thanks for all the advice everyone!

That's such great news that you got through and have a plan now! It really shows how important it is to be proactive about reporting expected earnings. I'm dealing with a similar situation myself - went back to work part-time after starting benefits at 62. The uncertainty of not knowing when or how they'll adjust your payments is the worst part. For anyone else reading this, I'd definitely recommend getting that SSA-795 form submitted ASAP if you think you'll exceed the earnings limit. Having $600 less per month is definitely manageable compared to suddenly having NO check for two months like some people experienced. Thanks for updating us on how it worked out!