Just to clarify one thing I didn't see mentioned - if your sister is considering claiming both her own retirement benefit and the survivor benefit from her ex, she needs to understand that there are different rules for each. She can claim survivor benefits as early as 60 (or 50 if disabled), but her own retirement she can't claim until 62. If she's dealing with cancer, the disability route might make more sense as others have suggested. Wishing her all the best with her health and benefits situation.

tell ur sister to be careful about when she files!!! if she's still getting short term disability and then gets SSDI and survivor benefits she might end up owing money back to somebody. my friend got a huge overpayment notice from SS because her disability insurance didn't tell her they were offsetting for SSDI

wait i'm confused about something... you said you're making $17k through mid-april but then you said $22,500? which is it? the amount matters for the earnings test right?

One more important detail: make sure you apply for benefits 2-3 months before you want them to begin. While you can apply up to 4 months in advance, I recommend applying no later than February if you want April benefits. This gives SSA enough processing time to ensure your May payment arrives on schedule. And regarding the earnings limit - keep very careful records of all your work income after retirement. If you do pick up part-time work, report any changes to SSA promptly to avoid overpayment issues later. The monthly earnings test is actually designed to help people in your exact situation who have high earnings before retirement and limited earnings after.

they never tell u about WEP until its to late!! i worked 18 years government and 22 years private and still got hit with WEP!! the whole thing is a SCAM!!!

To summarize for your father's situation: 1. Yes, he must earn $31,275 in 2025 for it to count as a year of substantial earnings 2. Working part-time at $25,000 won't help reduce the WEP penalty 3. Each year of substantial earnings over 20 reduces the WEP penalty by 5% 4. Age doesn't matter - substantial earnings count the same whether you're 25 or 75 5. Check his earnings record carefully - he might have more years of substantial earnings than he realizes 6. Look into the WEP guarantee provision if his government pension is small If he can increase his hours to reach $31,275 this year, it would definitely help reduce the WEP impact on his benefits.

Also remember they'll probably ask for proof of the marriage ending (divorce decree for first marriage) and proof of subsequent marriage (marriage certificate for second husband). My sister got caught in a loop where they kept asking for more documents.

Something nobody has mentioned yet - when your first husband does pass away (which I'm sorry to hear about), make sure you check if there are any children who might be eligible for benefits on his record too. My neighbor didn't realize her adult disabled son qualified for benefits on her deceased husband's record for almost a year after he died. There might be other family members eligible besides just you.

Quick additional note on your question about the early claiming: When you claimed survivor benefits at 64, you took a reduction from your full benefit amount. If your new husband passes away, the survivor benefit calculation from his record would be based on your age at THAT time. So if you're past your FRA when he passes away, you would get the full survivor benefit from his record (assuming it's higher than your current one).

I went through something similar last year. Remarried at 68 after being on survivor benefits for years. The SSA representative told me that each survivor benefit is calculated separately, and they'll pay you whichever one is higher. In my case, I'm still getting my first husband's benefit because it was higher than what I'd get from my second husband who passed away recently. Make sure you bring your marriage certificate when you report the marriage to SSA - they required that documentation.