One thing that hasnt been mentioned - you should bring your marriage certificate, his death certificate, and your birth certificate to your SSA appointment. They'll need these to process any survivor benefit claim if you haven't already filed. And get there first thing in the morning when they open - the wait times get crazy after about 10am!

I'm so sorry for your loss. This is such a stressful situation to navigate while you're grieving. Based on what everyone has shared here, it sounds like you're in a much better position than you might have feared! From what I understand reading through all these responses, the key points are: - Your survivor benefits shouldn't be hit with any additional WEP reduction beyond what already affected your husband's benefits - Your own Social Security from your retail work won't be touched by WEP or GPO since you didn't work in government - You have some strategic options about when to claim which benefit I'd definitely recommend getting that appointment with a WEP/GPO specialist at SSA like others suggested. And maybe check if your husband actually had 30+ years of substantial SS earnings total - that could eliminate WEP entirely if he worked other jobs before or after his police career. The fact that you got three different answers from SSA is unfortunately pretty typical with these complex cases. Don't let that discourage you - you deserve accurate information to make the best decisions for your financial future.

I want to thank everyone for all the helpful information! I'm feeling much more confident about my decision to wait until 70 now. The points about the COLA being calculated on the larger amount, the potential tax benefits, and how my current work might further increase my benefit were all things I hadn't considered. I'll make sure to contact SSA a few months before my 70th birthday to make the switch, and I'll keep that Claimyr service in mind when the time comes. This community has been so helpful!

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the impact on Medicare premiums. When you switch to your higher benefit at 70, your Medicare Part B premiums might increase if your income pushes you into a higher IRMAA bracket. The good news is that Medicare looks at your income from 2 years prior, so there's usually a delay before any premium increases kick in. Also, if you're married and file jointly, the combined income thresholds are higher. Just something to factor into your calculations when comparing the net benefit of waiting versus switching earlier. The extra monthly amount usually far outweighs any Medicare premium increases, but it's worth running the numbers with your specific situation.

Great to see so many helpful responses here! As someone who works with seniors on benefit planning, I can confirm everything that's been said - you absolutely get COLAs regardless of when you claim. Just wanted to add one more resource: the SSA's official publication "When to Start Receiving Retirement Benefits" (Publication No. 05-10147) explicitly states this if you want documentation to show your neighbor. You can download it from ssa.gov. Making the decision to claim early is very personal and depends on your financial situation, health, and other factors. Sounds like you've thought it through carefully. Best of luck with your application process!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say how helpful this thread has been! I'm 63 and have been getting conflicting advice from friends and family about Social Security timing. Reading through all these responses has really clarified things for me. It's reassuring to know that COLAs apply to everyone regardless of when they start benefits - that's one less thing to worry about when making this important decision. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences!

Thanks everyone for your helpful responses. I've learned so much! I created my SSA account but couldn't find a way to see my wife's records there. I'm going to try calling again using the specific wording suggested here about requesting a "survivor benefit calculation." Based on everyone's input, I'm now rethinking my strategy. With the earnings test, it might make more sense to wait until closer to my FRA since I plan to continue working. I had no idea that making $72k would essentially wipe out most of the survivor benefit at age 60. I'm going to make an in-person appointment at my local office to get concrete numbers. If the phone waits are as bad as they've been in the past, I might try that Claimyr service someone mentioned. I'll update here once I get more information from SSA!

I'm sorry for your loss. I went through a similar situation after my husband passed away two years ago. One thing that helped me was getting a copy of my deceased spouse's Social Security Statement directly from SSA. You can request this by calling and asking for Form SSA-7050 (Request for Social Security Earnings Information). There's a small fee, but it gives you the complete earnings history you need to calculate benefits. Also, don't give up on the phone calls. I learned that asking to speak with a "claims specialist" rather than a general representative often gets you someone with more knowledge about survivor benefits. They have access to calculators that can give you a pretty accurate estimate. One more tip: if you do decide to wait until FRA to claim, remember that you can still file a "protective filing" at 60 to preserve your claim date, then withdraw it if you change your mind. This gives you more flexibility in your planning.

Thank you all for the incredibly helpful responses. I clearly need to reconsider my plan. The points about survivor benefits for my wife and the tax implications of our combined income are especially eye-opening. It sounds like with our money market interest, we'd definitely be in the 85% taxable range for SS benefits. I'm going to sit down and run some more detailed calculations on the long-term impact of waiting vs. taking benefits early. And thanks to whoever mentioned Claimyr - I've been trying to reach SSA for weeks with no luck, so I'll check that out too.

Great discussion here! As someone who went through this exact decision process last year, I wanted to add a few practical considerations that might help: 1. **Tax planning opportunity**: Since your wife is the higher earner and delaying until 70, you might actually benefit from taking SS at 63 if you can manage the tax burden strategically. Consider doing Roth conversions during the gap years before her benefits kick in - you'll have lower combined income during that window. 2. **Sequence of returns risk**: Your brother-in-law's investment strategy assumes you can consistently beat that 8% guaranteed return from delaying benefits. But what if we hit a bear market right after you start taking benefits? You'd be selling investments at a loss to supplement the reduced SS payments. 3. **Medicare considerations**: Don't forget that you'll be eligible for Medicare at 65 regardless of when you take SS. Factor those premiums into your calculations. 4. **State taxes**: Depending on your state, SS benefits might be tax-free at the state level even if federally taxable. This could affect your overall tax strategy. The survivor benefit impact others mentioned is HUGE - if you pass first, your wife would be stuck with your reduced benefit amount for life. With her being the higher earner, this could significantly impact her financial security. Have you considered splitting the difference and waiting until your FRA at least? That eliminates the permanent reduction while still getting benefits earlier than 70.