Update: I should have mentioned that for self-employment income specifically, there's a lag time because the SSA doesn't receive your earnings information until after you file your tax return. If you filed extensions, this could delay the AERO process. For complicated cases like yours with both WEP and ongoing self-employment, it's best to speak directly with a Technical Expert (TE) at SSA, not just a regular claims representative. When you call, specifically request to speak with a TE who specializes in WEP calculations.

IMPORTANT QUESTION: Are you also subject to GPO (Government Pension Offset)? That's different from WEP and applies to spouse/survivor benefits. The combination of WEP and GPO can be really complex. Just making sure you're aware of both if they apply to your situation.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned that you should make an appointment at your local SSA office. While getting someone on the phone is difficult, in-person appointments can be scheduled online. I found it much more helpful to sit down with someone who could look at all my options. For survivor benefits, they often prefer to handle these cases in person anyway. When my sister was widowed, she tried doing everything by phone and ended up with incorrect information.

Thank you all for the helpful information. I think my best strategy is to take the reduced survivor benefits now since I need the additional income, and then switch to my own retirement benefit when I reach FRA. I'll try to get an appointment at the local office and also check out that Claimyr service to speak with someone sooner. I definitely want to make sure I understand exactly how much I'll receive and how my part-time work will affect things before making any decisions. This community has been so helpful!

@casual_commenter - Yes, Claimyr absolutely works. My call was connected to SSA in under 15 minutes after trying for days on my own. Saved my sanity during my disability application process.

@OP - Regarding your question about your Quebec marriage certificate being in French and English: The English portion should be sufficient for SSA purposes. However, if the certificate is predominantly in French with just some English elements, having a certified translation ready might save time. SSA may accept it as is, but they could request a translation if they have difficulty verifying details. Also, since your wife worked in a non-covered position (teacher's aide in a district not participating in Social Security), she may be subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government Pension Offset (GPO) if she receives a pension from that employment. This could affect both her own benefits and any spousal benefits. Be sure to mention this when applying.

I'm just here to say DON'T TRUST the breakeven calculators out there!!! They're all based on a bunch of assumptions that probably don't apply to YOUR specific situation! They don't account for investment returns if you took early benefits and invested them, they don't account for inflation properly, and they COMPLETELY IGNORE the emotional value of reducing your stress NOW rather than later!!! If your job is making you miserable and you have other income sources, claiming early might be the right choice FOR YOU regardless of what the math says about some theoretical future that might never happen!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I've decided to set up an appointment with SSA to get exact benefit estimates for both my own record and ex-spousal benefits at different ages. I'm also going to talk with my employer about possibly reducing to part-time hours - that might be the perfect compromise to reduce stress while still maximizing my SS benefits. I appreciate all the different perspectives here. This is exactly the kind of thoughtful discussion I was hoping for when I posted my question.

Just want to point out that SSDI conversion to survivor benefits is also important here. When a person is receiving SSDI and passes away, the survivor benefit calculation is a bit different than standard survivor benefits. The benefit is based on the SSDI payment amount, but there can be adjustments for the deceased's early claiming. Make sure the SSA rep understands your wife was on SSDI when calculating your survivor amount.

IMPORTANT!!!! Did either of those SSA reps actually RUN THE NUMBERS for your specific situation???? Or were they just telling you general rules? Because without running your actual earnings record through their system, they might be GUESSING about which strategy is better for you!!!