Since you're turning 63 and plan to wait until 67 (your FRA), here are the key points to consider: 1. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) will likely apply since your husband's pension comes from a state government job that didn't pay into Social Security. 2. The GPO reduction is 2/3 of your gross pension amount, so approximately $1,433 will be deducted from your survivor benefit. 3. Your earnings won't affect your survivor benefits once you reach FRA (67), but they would reduce benefits if you claimed earlier. 4. To make an informed decision, you need to know what your survivor benefit amount would be before the GPO reduction. This amount is based on what your husband would receive if he were alive at your FRA. 5. Request a detailed calculation from SSA showing both your survivor benefit amount and the GPO reduction. This will help you determine if you'll receive any benefit after the reduction. The optimal claiming strategy depends on these numbers. If the GPO would eliminate most or all of your survivor benefit, it might make sense to claim earlier and accept the earnings reduction.

Sending hugs. Its so hard dealing with all this paperwork when youre grieving.

Update: We submitted the SSA-521 form yesterday! Thank you everyone for your advice. The rep we spoke with initially tried to tell us we couldn't withdraw after FRA, but we politely asked to speak with a technical expert and showed them the regulation numbers that were mentioned here. The technical expert confirmed we're within our rights to withdraw within the 12-month window regardless of FRA status. Now we're just waiting for the repayment letter so we know exactly how much to send back. I'll update again once everything is processed!

Good job being persistent! That's exactly the right approach - politely escalate when you know the rules. Please do update us on how it goes. Make sure to keep copies of EVERYTHING, including certified mail receipts if you mail the payment.

Something important to remember about Social Security benefits - they're recalculated annually for COLA (Cost of Living Adjustments). For 2025, the COLA will likely be around 2.5-3.0% based on current inflation trends. This means both of your benefits will increase automatically each year. While your benefit structure is already optimized based on what everyone has explained, you'll still see those yearly increases that help (somewhat) with rising costs.

My parents had similar ages to you guys! Dad was much older than mom too. When he passed at 92, mom did get his higher benefit as a survivor. But in your case it sounds like you'd just keep your own since it's higher anyway. The SS rules are so confusing sometimes! Glad you asked about this.

One important correction to my earlier response: When I mentioned that you'd likely receive about $3,200 in survivor benefits based on your husband's record, that assumes he would have reached his full retirement age. If he passes before reaching his FRA, the survivor benefit would be reduced. Also, regarding returning to work: The 2025 SGA limit is $1,550/month for non-blind individuals as another commenter mentioned. However, there are work incentives like Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE) that might help you deduct certain costs related to your disability from your earnings calculation. Given your specific situation with rheumatoid arthritis and potential return to work, I would strongly recommend scheduling an appointment with an SSA Claims Specialist to discuss your options in detail. These consultations are free and can help you make the best decisions for your situation.

btw when u do get thru to SSA make sure u ask for an APPOINTMENT with a claims specialist dont just talk to whoever answers, the regular phone ppl just read from scripts and give wrong info half the time

Great question. If you're approved for ex-spousal benefits when applying for retirement, any additional amount would start from your entitlement date - usually the month after you apply for benefits. However, if you're already receiving your own retirement benefits and later apply for ex-spousal benefits, SSA can provide up to 6 months of retroactive benefits (but not going back further than your full retirement age).In the original poster's case, since she's applying for both at roughly the same time at age 70, the benefits would start together from her application date with no significant retroactive payment likely.

Thanks! That makes sense. I've been on disability for years but I'm approaching retirement age so trying to figure out how all this works.