Can I collect Social Security survivor benefits at 63 while still working? Earnings limit questions

I'm so sorry for your loss. Yes, you can claim survivor benefits as early as age 60 (50 if disabled), but there are definitely earnings limit considerations. For 2025, if you're under full retirement age (FRA) for the entire year, SSA will deduct $1 from your benefits for every $2 you earn above $22,320 (estimated 2025 limit). With your $48,000 income, that's about $25,680 over the limit, so they'd withhold around $12,840 from your annual survivor benefits. Depending on what your survivor benefit amount would be, this could mean you receive very little or nothing until you retire or reduce your hours. Once you reach FRA (67 for you), there's no earnings limit. At that point, you can claim either your own retirement or continue with survivor benefits, whichever is higher.

I went through this 2 years ago when my husband passed. The SSA ppl kept giving me wrong info!!! I was 61 and working, and they NEVER explained the earnings limit right. I got hit with a $9,000 overpayment notice because of it!!!! Be SUPER careful and get everything in WRITING!

Based on the numbers you shared with the previous commenter, let me do some quick math for you: - Potential monthly survivor benefit at your age: $1,440 - Annual benefit: $17,280 - Your earnings over the limit: $25,680 - Reduction ($1 for every $2): $12,840 - Remaining annual benefit: $4,440 (or about $370/month) So you would still receive some benefits, but significantly reduced. When you reach full retirement age (FRA), you'd have an important decision: take your own retirement benefit (if higher) or continue with the survivor benefit at 100% of what your wife would have received at her FRA. This is what makes survivor benefits unique - you can actually switch between benefits, unlike with spousal benefits. Some widows/widowers take reduced survivor benefits early, then switch to their own retirement at 70 to maximize that amount.

For survivor benefits, the deceased worker needs at minimum 6 credits (1.5 years of work) and up to 40 credits (10 years) depending on their age when they died. Since the original poster's wife was 54, she would have needed about 32 credits (8 years of work) for him to be eligible for survivor benefits based on her record.

my condolences for your loss. went thru similar situation 3 yrs ago. the funeral home actually helped me apply for the $255 death benefit but had to figure out the survivor stuff myself

I see everyone focusing on the earnings limit, which is important, but don't forget about taxation too. If you continue working at $48k and add survivor benefits on top, up to 85% of your SS benefits might be taxable. Just something to consider in your overall financial planning. Have you tried calling SSA to get specific numbers for your situation? I spent weeks trying to get through to someone who could actually help with my survivor benefit questions. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was truly helpful when I needed to sort out my late wife's survivor benefit paperwork after spending days getting disconnected from SSA's phone lines.

sry about your wife man. but one thing - did she have any kids under 16? cuz they get benefits too, no earnings limit for them

One more important thing to consider: At age 63, you'll receive approximately 81.2% of your wife's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) as a survivor benefit. Each month you wait to claim (until FRA), this percentage increases. At your full retirement age (67), you'd receive 100% of her PIA. Given your current earnings and the reduction from the earnings test, you might consider waiting until closer to your retirement at 65 to apply for survivor benefits. By then you'll get a higher percentage of her benefit (around 91.9% at age 65), and if you're earning less, the earnings test reduction would be smaller. When you apply, you'll need her death certificate, your marriage certificate, both your Social Security numbers, and possibly her W-2s or tax returns from the previous year.

i found out after my wife died that if you apply for survivors after FRA you can get up to 6 months of retroactive benefits, might be useful info for ur planning

Has anyone mentioned the RIB-LIM rule yet?? That caught me by surprise with survivor benefits. If you take your OWN retirement early before applying for survivor benefits, they limit your survivor amount later! The SSA website doesn't explain this clearly AT ALL!!