Can I stop widow benefits to earn more without repaying SS already received?

You don't have to repay benefits you've already received if you voluntarily stop your survivor benefits to take a job with higher earnings. What would happen is SSA would simply stop your payments going forward when you report your expected earnings will exceed the annual earnings limit. However, there are some important things to know: 1. You should contact SSA right away to report your expected change in earnings 2. There may be a grace period in the month you start working where the earnings limit doesn't apply 3. If you're approaching your Full Retirement Age (FRA), the earnings limit is much higher 4. Once you reach FRA, there is no earnings limit at all Even if you stop survivor benefits now, you can always apply to restart them later if your situation changes again. Many widow(er)s switch between their own retirement and survivor benefits at different points.

I was in a similar situation last year. Lost my husband in 2023 and was on his SS until I got offered a management position. I called SSA and informed them about my new job's salary, and they just stopped my payments going forward - no repayment request for what I'd already received. Just make sure you give them advance notice! When I called, I waited 3 HOURS before talking to someone. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that gets you through to SSA quickly instead of waiting forever. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me so much time when I had to call back with an additional question!

wait so your saying u can just stop SS anytime u want and then restart it? that doesnt sound right to me. my uncle tried something like that and SS made him pay back a bunch of money. i think it depends on how much u already got paid this year

I think there's some confusion here about how the earnings limit works for survivor benefits. Here's what happens: 1. The 2025 earnings limit for survivors under FRA is $23,400 (not $22,000) 2. For every $2 you earn above that limit, SSA reduces your annual benefit by $1 3. If you EXPECT to earn over the limit, you should report this to SSA so they can adjust your payments properly 4. You don't need to pay back benefits already received if you properly report your earnings change Also, keep in mind that the year you reach FRA, the earnings limit jumps to $62,080 (for 2025), and they only deduct $1 for every $3 over the limit. And once you reach your FRA month, there's NO earnings limit whatsoever. I'd suggest asking SSA about your "grace year" - the first year you exceed the earnings limit, they have special rules that might help you avoid any benefit reduction.

SSA WILL MAKE YOU PAY EVERYTHING BACK!!! My sister got hit with a $5,600 overpayment notice because she didn't tell them about her part-time job. They take this stuff VERY seriously! The earnings limit is a TRAP - they don't tell you about it clearly when you sign up and then BAM, you owe thousands. And good luck trying to get through to anyone on the phone to fix it. The whole system is BROKEN.

So glad you asked this! I was wondering the same thing. My husband passed last summer and I'm on his SS too but thinking about going back to work full-time.

I went through this exact situation in 2023. Here's what happened: I was receiving widow's benefits with the earnings limit, then got offered a great job that put me way over the limit. I called SSA and told them my expected earnings for the year, and they calculated exactly how many more months of benefits I could receive before they needed to stop. They didn't ask for ANY money back from what I had already received. However, they did tell me that if I had waited until after I exceeded the limit to report it, I would have had an overpayment to deal with. The most important thing is TIMING. Report BEFORE you exceed the limit and you should be fine. Also, keep in mind that if you're under FRA now but will reach it within a few years, you might want to run the numbers to see if it makes more sense to: 1. Take the job now and stop widow benefits 2. Wait until FRA when there's no earnings limit and then take the job You can always restart widow benefits later if needed.

Just wanted to add another perspective here - I work for a nonprofit that helps people navigate Social Security benefits, and this is a really common question. The key distinction is between VOLUNTARY suspension (what you're planning to do) versus INVOLUNTARY overpayment (what happens when SSA discovers unreported earnings). When you proactively contact SSA to report expected earnings that will exceed the limit, they'll typically: 1. Calculate how many more benefit payments you can receive before hitting the annual limit 2. Stop payments at that point 3. NOT request repayment of benefits already received However, I'd strongly recommend getting this in writing after you call. Ask them to send you a letter confirming the suspension and the reason for it. This protects you if there are any questions later. Also worth noting - if your new job offers health insurance, make sure you understand how stopping widow benefits might affect any Medicare premiums or other benefits you're receiving. Sometimes people forget about these connected benefits when making earnings decisions.