Can I work part-time before reaching my Social Security FRA while receiving survivor benefits?

You're subject to the earnings limit until you reach your FRA in October. For 2025, if you're under FRA for the whole year, the limit would be around $22,320 (it goes up each year with COLA). But since you'll reach FRA during 2025, you have a higher limit of about $59,520 for the months before your FRA. Social Security only counts earnings before the month you reach FRA. For every $3 you earn above that limit, $1 is withheld from benefits. So yes, you can definitely work, just be mindful of these limits if you want to avoid benefit reductions.

I went through the EXACT same thing last year!! I was on survivors and got a job offer in March but my FRA wasn't until June. I just kept my hours low enough until my birthday and then went full time after. The SSA didn't take anything from my checks but I was careful to stay under the limit. It worked out fine!!

My neighbor got in BIG TROUBLE for working while on benefits!!! They made her pay back thousands!!! Be VERY CAREFUL!!! The government doesn't mess around with this stuff!!!

Just make sure u tell ssa when u start working they need to know ur earnings report it dont try hiding it cause they will find out anyway when ur taxes get filed

The earnings limit is one of the most confusing aspects of Social Security. You absolutely can work part-time before your FRA. Just be aware that the earnings test applies to wages/self-employment, not other income like investments or pensions. Also, if your benefits are reduced because you exceed the earnings limit, you'll get that money back gradually after you reach FRA in the form of higher monthly payments. The most important thing is to notify SSA when you start working. You can do this by calling their main number, but honestly, that's been a nightmare lately with hold times of 2+ hours. I recommend using Claimyr.com to get through to an agent quickly. They connect you to SSA without the wait. There's a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Made my life much easier when I needed to report my job last year.

Hang on im confused. Aren't survivor benefits different from retirement? i thought with survivor benefits you could work as much as u want? Or am i mixing this up with something else?

One important point no one has mentioned: you need to be careful about the Social Security definition of 'retirement month.' Your FRA is October 5th, but Social Security considers you to reach FRA for the entire month of October. This means the earnings limit would apply to January through September, and from October onward, you can earn unlimited amounts. Also, the earnings limit is based on when you EARN the money, not when you receive it. If you're paid in November for work you did in September, that still counts toward your pre-FRA earnings limit. Since you mentioned the benefit amount is higher than your own retirement benefit would be, you're making the right choice by collecting survivors. At your FRA, you might want to check if your own retirement benefit has grown enough to exceed the survivor benefit, though this is rarely the case if you already compared them.

When my sister turned 66 (her FRA) she got a job and her benefit check went UP the next year! Something about recalculation of her benefits because she was working again. So working might actually help your benefit amount in the long run too!

I think what matters most is how much this job is gonna pay you. If it's just a few hours a week maybe you don't even hit the limit? My cousin works at Walmart just 15 hours a week and stays under just fine.