Can I collect my deceased ex-spouse's Social Security at 65 while still working?

Yes, you can collect survivor benefits based on your ex-spouse's record at 65, but there are some important things to understand: 1. Since you're under your Full Retirement Age (FRA) which is likely 66 and 10 months or 67 depending on your birth year, working while collecting will subject you to the earnings test. 2. For 2025, if you earn over $22,780 (the annual limit), SSA will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. 3. These survivor benefits would be reduced because you're taking them before your FRA. At 65, you'd get approximately 93% of what you would receive at your FRA. 4. Even if some benefits are withheld due to working, you can still switch to your own retirement benefit later if it would be higher, and that amount wouldn't be reduced due to having taken survivor benefits early.

I went thru this EXACT situation last year!! The SSA makes this so complicated!! I was 63 when my ex passed and we'd been divorced for 10 yrs (married 19). I tried working and collecting but they took SO MUCH back because of the earnings limit it barely seemed worth it. The local office gave me WRONG info too and I had to pay back $$$. So frustrating!!!!

my sister tried getting her dead ex husband's ss benefits and they kept telling her different things everytime she called. so annoying. she finally just decided to keep working full time til 67 cause it was too complicated.

To address your follow-up question: Yes, there can be advantages to waiting until your FRA to claim survivor benefits. If you wait until your FRA (66+), you'd receive 100% of your ex's benefit amount instead of the reduced amount at 65. Plus, you wouldn't face any earnings test at FRA, so you could earn any amount without reduction. Another strategy to consider: If your own retirement benefit will eventually be higher than the survivor benefit, you might take the survivor benefit at FRA and then switch to your own benefit at age 70 when it reaches its maximum value (after growing 8% per year from your FRA to 70). Or if your survivor benefit will be higher, you could take your own reduced retirement benefit now and switch to the unreduced survivor benefit at your FRA.

You should really talk to someone at SSA directly about this. Every case is different and they can give you exact numbers based on both your work record and your ex's. Good luck getting through though - I spent 3 days trying last month!

I had the SAME PROBLEM reaching SSA! After wasting 2 weeks trying to get through on their 800 number, I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an agent in under 20 minutes. You might want to check them out at claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU I needed specific calculations about my survivor benefits too, and the agent was able to pull up both records and give me exact figures. Made decision-making so much easier when I could actually compare numbers instead of guessing!

I think everyone's missing something important here - if you were married for 22 years, you should be eligible for a higher percentage of his benefits than if you were only married for 10. Also, Don't you have to have been married at least 10 yrs to claim on an ex spouse? I'm pretty sure you get more the longer you were married, my cousin got extra because she was married for 28 years to her ex.

Thank you all for the helpful information! I've made an appointment at my local SSA office for next month (earliest they had), but I might try that Claimyr service to get some preliminary information sooner. From what I'm understanding, it seems like I have several options to consider: 1. Claim reduced survivor benefits now while working (and accept the earnings test reduction) 2. Wait until FRA for full survivor benefits with no earnings limit 3. Take my own reduced retirement at 65 and switch to survivor benefits at FRA 4. Take survivor benefits at FRA and switch to my own at 70 I think I need to find out exactly what both benefit amounts would be before I can decide which path makes the most financial sense. Thanks again for all your help!

That's a perfect summary of your options! Getting those exact benefit amounts is crucial for making an informed decision. One additional tip: when you speak with SSA, ask them to calculate the approximate lifetime total you'd receive under each scenario assuming you live to age 85. Sometimes the long-term difference between strategies can be substantial, even if the monthly difference seems small initially.

ALSO make sure to ask them about Medicare!! I found out that if you take ANY SS benefit before 65, they automatically enroll you in Medicare Part B when you turn 65 and start deducting the premium from your SS payment. I wasn't expecting that and it messed up my health insurance situation with my employer. So many weird rules!!