Can I stop Social Security survivor benefits later without penalties? Late wife's benefits question

You can't really "quit" Social Security benefits once you've started them. What you can do is: 1. If you're within 12 months of first receiving benefits, you can withdraw your application completely, but you'd have to repay ALL benefits received. This is called a withdrawal of application. 2. If you're working while receiving survivor benefits before your Full Retirement Age, your benefits may be reduced or stopped temporarily due to the earnings test if you make over certain limits ($21,240 in 2025). There's no penalty for stopping benefits due to the earnings test - it actually increases your benefit amount later. And claiming survivor benefits doesn't affect your own retirement benefits. At your FRA, you can switch from survivors to your own retirement if your own benefit would be higher.

my mom did survivor benifits when my dad died. they WILL reduce them if your working but its still free $$ basically and doesnt effect your own SS later. thats what the guy told us at SSA when we went

You're in a good position strategically. At 65, you can claim survivor benefits now (though they'll be reduced due to your earnings), then switch to your own retirement benefits at your FRA if they're higher. This is one of the few remaining claiming strategies that allows you to receive different benefit types at different times. There's really no concept of "quitting" benefits in the Social Security system except for the 12-month withdrawal window mentioned above. Instead, benefits are either paid or withheld based on your eligibility and earnings. If your work income decreases or stops, SSA will automatically adjust and pay you more of your survivor benefit. They review your earnings annually through tax returns.

not sure if this helps but when i took early retirement at 63 i was shocked at how much they reduce benefits for working!! i was only able to get about 30% of my monthly check because i was still working part time. just be prepared for that. but in your case as others said it wont affect your own benefits later so probably worth doing

I was in almost the exact same situation last year! I started taking survivor benefits at 64 after my wife passed. The biggest headache was actually trying to get someone at Social Security on the phone to answer my questions. After weeks of trying, I finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I got through, the agent explained everything about how the survivor benefits work with the earnings test. Turns out I was overthinking it - you don't need to worry about "quitting" benefits. When your income is high, they just withhold some or all of your payment automatically.

Everybody talks about these complicated claiming strategies but NOBODY mentions how incredibly DIFFICULT it is to actually get your benefits started correctly!! I've been trying to sort out my survivors benefits for 3 MONTHS and keep getting different answers from every SSA person I talk to. One says I can do this, another says I can't! And good luck trying to reach anyone by phone - I was on hold for TWO HOURS yesterday before being disconnected!!! The whole system is designed to make you give up!!!!

To clarify a few points about your specific situation: 1. At 65, you're under your FRA of 66+10 months, so the earnings test applies to your survivor benefits. 2. With earnings of $55,000, approximately $16,880 would be withheld from your annual survivor benefit (($55,000 - $21,240) ÷ 2). 3. If your monthly survivor benefit would be $2,000, for example, that's $24,000 annually. After the reduction, you'd still receive about $7,120 per year or roughly $593 per month. 4. Once you reach your FRA, the earnings test disappears completely. You can earn any amount without reduction. 5. At FRA, you can then decide whether to keep the survivor benefit or switch to your own retirement benefit, whichever is higher. There's no downside to applying for survivors now, even with the reduction. Any amount you receive is money you wouldn't otherwise get, and it doesn't impact your future retirement benefit.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned: if your late wife's benefit at her FRA would have been HIGHER than your own benefit at your FRA, you might want to consider a different strategy! You could: 1. Take your OWN reduced retirement benefit now at 65 2. Then at your FRA, switch to the FULL survivor benefit This works if her benefit > your benefit. The calculations get complicated, so you really should discuss with an SSA representative who can run the numbers for your specific situation.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your wife, Jamal. I went through something similar when my husband passed away two years ago. Based on my experience and what others have shared here, I'd definitely encourage you to go ahead and apply for the survivor benefits now. Even though your benefits will be reduced due to your earnings, you'll still receive some money each month that can help with those medical bills. The key thing to remember is that this isn't really about "stopping" benefits - it's about how the system automatically adjusts based on your income. One practical tip: when you do get connected with SSA again (and I second the recommendation about trying Claimyr if you need to call), ask them to calculate exactly how much you'd receive monthly with your current income. That way you can budget accordingly and know what to expect. The peace of mind knowing you're getting some financial help while preserving your full retirement benefit for later is really valuable. I wish I had understood these options better when I was first navigating this process.