Can I work part-time after claiming my late husband's Social Security survivor benefits at 58?

Yes, you can work part-time after claiming survivor benefits, but be aware of the earnings limit. In 2025, if you're under full retirement age and receive survivor benefits, Social Security will deduct $1 from your benefits for every $2 you earn above $22,320 (estimated 2025 limit). This earnings test applies to ALL Social Security benefits - retirement, survivor, and disability - until you reach your full retirement age. After reaching FRA, there's no limit on your earnings. Regarding switching to your own retirement benefits - it depends on which would be higher. At age 62, both your retirement and survivor benefits would be reduced for claiming early. You might want to consider taking reduced survivor benefits now, working part-time while being mindful of the earnings limit, then switching to your own retirement benefit at your FRA if it would be higher than your reduced survivor benefit.

my husband died when i was 56 and i started getting his benefits right away. nobody told me about any earnings limit!!! ive been working this whole time making about $30,000 a year. am i in trouble with social security now??? will they make me pay everything back??

I went through something similar last year at 59. I decided to take survivor benefits early and tried calling Social Security for months to get everything set up correctly. It was IMPOSSIBLE to get through! I'd wait on hold for hours only to get disconnected, or the offices were closed when I could actually go in person. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real SSA agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. It saved me so much stress during an already difficult time. As for your actual question - yes, there's definitely an earnings limit until you reach full retirement age that applies to survivor benefits too. The agent I spoke with helped me calculate exactly what I could earn without affecting my benefits.

You can definitely work part time when your collecting WIDOW BENEFITS!! I do it right now. I'm 61 and I've been collecting my husbands checks since I was 59. But just don't make too much$$ or they take some of your check away. But I think its good to work some because the survivor checks are not that big usually.

I'd recommend being very strategic about this. The earnings limit for 2025 is estimated to be around $22,320 for those under FRA (it adjusts annually with inflation). Anything you earn over that amount will reduce your survivor benefits by $1 for every $2 earned. One important distinction: When you turn 62, you have a CHOICE about which benefit to take - your own retirement or your survivor benefit. You don't automatically have to switch to your own. In fact, one common strategy is to: 1. Take reduced survivor benefits early (as you're planning) 2. Work part-time while staying under the earnings limit 3. Let your OWN retirement benefit grow until your FRA or even age 70 4. Then switch to your own retirement benefit if it would be higher The key is comparing the two potential benefits. If your own retirement benefit at FRA would be higher than your survivor benefit, this strategy might make sense. The Social Security office can provide estimates of both benefits to help you decide.

To clarify what others have mentioned: When working while receiving survivor benefits before your Full Retirement Age (FRA), the 2025 earnings limit is estimated at $22,320. If you earn more, SSA will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 over the limit. For self-employment (answering your question above), they count net earnings, not gross income. So your business expenses would reduce your countable income. And no, you're NOT required to switch to your own retirement benefits at 62. You have options: 1. Start survivor benefits early (reduced) and switch to your own retirement later if it would be higher 2. Start your own retirement early (reduced) and switch to survivor benefits at your FRA Which option is best depends on the relative amounts of each benefit. I'd recommend scheduling an appointment with SSA to get benefit estimates for both scenarios before deciding.

my situation was kinda similar, i started my deceased husbands SS at 60 and im 63 now. honestly the earnings limit is a pain because i need to work but they take so much of my check if i go over!! but FYI they adjust the earnings limit every year with inflation so its going up all the time. my neighbor who worked at social security told me its better to just work enough to stay under the limit until your FRA then you can work all you want. good luck!!

Has anyone on here actually switched from survivor benefits to their own retirement? I see people talking about this strategy but does it really work? And how do you know which one will be higher?

EVERYBODY ON HERE IS GIVING DIFFERENT INFORMATION!!! Some say take survivors now and switch later, others say take your own first?!?! THIS IS WHY SOCIAL SECURITY IS SO FRUSTRATING!!!! Why cant they just make this simple for people who just lost their spouse and are already stressed out???

After reading all these comments, I think the most important thing is to get accurate estimates of BOTH your retirement benefit and your survivor benefit at different ages. That's what helped me make my decision. But as others mentioned, getting through to Social Security to get this information can be extremely difficult. I spent weeks trying before using Claimyr to get connected. Once I finally spoke with a representative, they ran different scenarios showing what my benefits would be at different ages. That personalized information was crucial for making an informed decision about whether to work part-time and when to switch benefits.