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Can I collect Social Security spousal benefits at FRA while delaying my own retirement benefits?
My wife turns 62 in 2026 and plans to start collecting her Social Security retirement benefits then. She worked part-time through most of our marriage, so her benefit will be substantially lower than mine. I'm thinking about waiting until my Full Retirement Age (67) before claiming my own benefits to maximize what she'd get as a survivor benefit if I pass away before her. What I'm confused about is whether I can collect spousal benefits (50% of her amount) while delaying my own retirement benefits until later. Everything I read online seems contradictory. Do I need to be collecting my own benefits to get spousal benefits on her record? Or can I claim just the spousal benefit at my FRA and let my own benefit continue to grow? I've heard some people used to be able to do this with a "restricted application" but I'm not sure if that's still possible.
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Will SS penalize me for February earnings paid in March after retirement? Worried about FRA earnings test
I'm finally retiring next month (May 1st), which is about a year before my full retirement age. I've got a slightly complicated situation with my last paycheck that's making me nervous about the earnings test. My company pays us for the previous month's work, so my April earnings won't actually hit my bank account until May 5th. Since I'm claiming SS before FRA, I know there's that earnings limit (around $21,240 for 2025 I think?). Will Social Security count that final paycheck toward May's earnings even though I earned it in April? I've already made about $16,800 this year so I'm under the limit, but I don't want that last $4,500 paycheck to cause problems if they count it in the wrong month. Has anyone dealt with this before? Do I need to get documentation from my employer?
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wat about if u work part time after retiring? My neighbor works 2 days a week at walmart and still gets ss but shes over 67 i think
That's a different situation. Once you reach your Full Retirement Age (currently 67 for people born in 1960 or later), there's NO earnings limit. You can work and earn as much as you want without any reduction in benefits. The earnings test only applies to people who claim before their FRA. The original poster is claiming about a year before FRA, so they need to stay under the annual limit (about $21,240 for 2025).
I just called my HR department and they actually weren't sure how this would be reported! They're checking with payroll. This is making me really nervous now. Should I just delay my SS application by a month to avoid this issue completely?
Delaying by a month would certainly eliminate this particular issue, though it would mean one less month of benefits. Another option is to proceed with your application but include a detailed explanation letter with your supporting documentation regarding the final paycheck. Either approach is valid - it depends on your risk tolerance versus your immediate need for benefits. If you don't urgently need that first month's payment, delaying might save you potential headaches.
Social Security earnings limit confusion - reduced benefits despite staying under monthly threshold after retirement
I retired from my job as a retail manager at the end of March 2025 (5 months before my FRA). Started collecting Social Security in April while working a part-time gig at a local bookstore. I've been SUPER careful to stay under the monthly earnings limit ($2,340) since starting benefits. Haven't gone over once! But just got this letter saying my monthly SS payment is being reduced! I know I made like $28,000 in the first quarter of the year before retiring, which obviously exceeds the annual limit. But I thought if I stayed under the MONTHLY limit after I start collecting, I'd be ok? Does SSA look at the whole year's income even if I properly stayed under the limit once I started collecting? This seems so unfair - I deliberately cut my hours to avoid going over! Can someone explain what's happening here?
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Update: I FINALLY got through to someone at SSA after trying for days. The agent explained that I misunderstood how the monthly earnings test works. She said that in the first year of retirement, they look at any month where I earned under the limit AND didn't perform "substantial services" as a month I should receive benefits, regardless of my annual total. But here's the catch - they're saying my part-time work still counts as "substantial services" even though I'm earning under the monthly limit! Apparently because I'm working more than 15 hours weekly at the bookstore (I work about 22 hours), they're considering it substantial work. This feels like a complete gotcha - stay under the earnings limit but still get penalized because of hours? I'm going to request a formal review. This just doesn't seem right.
The "substantial services" rule primarily applies to self-employment, not wage employment. For regular employment, they should only be looking at your earnings, not your hours. It sounds like the representative may have confused the two tests or incorrectly applied self-employment rules to your wage employment situation. Definitely request a formal review and bring documentation showing: 1. When you reduced your work from full-time to part-time 2. Your monthly earnings after starting benefits 3. That you're a wage earner, not self-employed The "substantial services" hour limit should not apply to your bookstore job if you're a regular employee (W-2, not 1099).
Reading through all this, I'm seriously considering just waiting until I hit my FRA to avoid this mess altogether. The rules are way more complicated than they initially appear, and it sounds like even the SSA reps give conflicting information. Losing a few months of benefits might be worth avoiding the headache!
That's often the simplest solution if you're close to your FRA and still working. Once you reach FRA, you can earn unlimited amounts without any reduction to your benefits. If you're only a few months away, it might be worth waiting just for the peace of mind.
Can I receive Social Security survivor benefits at 60 from late husband under FERS pension?
I lost my husband 3 years ago when he was 62. We'd been married just under 5 years when he passed (he was divorced from his first wife for about 8 years before we met). He worked for the federal government and was receiving his FERS pension when he died. I'm turning 60 next month and haven't remarried. I'm completely confused about what survivor benefits I might qualify for. Do I get anything from Social Security even though he was a federal employee? Does the fact that our marriage was relatively short affect my eligibility? I know nothing about how FERS works with Social Security benefits or if I'd get reduced amounts because of his pension. I'm on a pretty tight budget and need to plan ahead. Anyone familiar with federal employee benefits and survivor situations like mine? Would appreciate any information before I try tackling the SSA phone lines.
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my uncle worked for govt and when he died my aunt got like half his pension. she said the paperwork was a mess though. good luck
One thing nobody mentioned - if you're planning to work while collecting survivor benefits, be aware of the earnings limit! In 2025 if you earn over $24,000 (I think that's the new amount), they'll deduct $1 from benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. The limit goes away when you reach full retirement age though.
That's really good to know! I do work part-time and was planning to continue. Does that earnings limit apply to all types of income or just wages from a job?
The earnings limit only applies to wages from employment or net earnings from self-employment. It doesn't count investment income, interest, pensions, annuities, capital gains, or other government benefits. Also, if your benefits are reduced because of the earnings limit, you'll get credit for those months when you reach full retirement age, resulting in a higher benefit amount later.
Can my adopted child get survivor benefits if my wife died before adoption was finalized? SS says I need a lawyer
My situation is complicated and I'm hoping someone here can help. I'm 63 and became guardian of my niece (who was 2 at the time) after she was removed from her parents due to drug issues. My wife and I started the adoption process together, and we got custody on 10/14/2014. Tragically, my wife received her first cancer treatment on April 16, 2014 and fell into a coma shortly after. On April 21, 2015, I was granted permanent custody at a review hearing, and that same day I had to make the heartbreaking decision to remove my wife from life support. She passed away that evening at 10pm. I continued with the adoption as a single parent, which was finalized on 12/31/2015. My question: Is my daughter eligible for survivor benefits from my wife even though she died before the adoption was legally finalized? When I called the SSA a few years ago, they told me I'd need to hire an attorney to fight for these benefits and that the date of my call would be the cutoff for any retroactive benefits if she were awarded them. I'm wondering if anyone has been through something similar or knows if there's a clear rule about this.
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Just curious - did you or your wife pay into Social Security? If your wife didn't have enough work credits that could be another issue. For survivor benefits the deceased needs 40 credits (10 years work) OR if they died young sometimes fewer credits. But SOMEONE needs to have paid in for benefits to be available.
Yes, my wife worked full-time for over 20 years and had more than enough credits. She was 58 when she passed away and had been contributing to Social Security her entire working life.
Based on everything you've shared, I believe you have a case worth pursuing. The fact that: 1. You both had legal custody before your wife passed 2. You were actively in the adoption process 3. You were providing support and care for the child 4. Your wife had sufficient work credits All point to a potential approval with proper representation. I'd suggest: 1. Contact the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR) to find a qualified attorney 2. Gather ALL documentation showing the timeline of custody, adoption process, and your wife's involvement 3. Request a formal reconsideration rather than just calling again 4. Reference your previous inquiry to maintain the retroactive date I've seen cases like yours succeed, but they typically require persistence and proper legal representation.
Thank you so much for this detailed action plan. I hadn't heard of NOSSCR before, but I'll definitely contact them to find a qualified attorney. I feel more confident now about pursuing this with the right approach and representation.
Carmen Lopez
One additional point that hasn't been mentioned yet: Your wife's decision to claim at 62 will permanently reduce her own benefit by about 30% compared to her FRA amount. This won't affect your potential spousal benefit on her record (since you're waiting until your FRA), but it will reduce her monthly income for the rest of her life. If she can afford to wait even a year or two beyond 62, she could significantly increase her lifetime benefits. Each year she delays between 62 and her FRA adds about 6-8% to her monthly benefit amount.
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Yuki Ito
AuthorThat's a good point I hadn't considered fully. We assumed she should just take it early since her benefit is lower anyway, but maybe we should reconsider if she waits at least until 63 or 64. I'll talk with her about this and run some calculations on the total impact.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
When I was trying to figure all this out last year I actually downloaded the 2025 SSA calculator from their website and put in all our numbers. It was super helpful to see the actual dollar amounts we'd get under different scenarios! Highly recommend doing that.
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