Can I work while collecting survivor benefits from ex-husband? Different from SS retirement limits?

same rules apply for survivors as for retirement. you'll still have the $21,240 limit in 2025 and theyll take back $1 for every $2 you make over that. i found out the hard way last year ugh

The previous response is correct that the earnings test applies, but there's more to consider here. Yes, survivor benefits (including those from an ex-spouse) are subject to the same annual earnings limit as retirement benefits before your Full Retirement Age (FRA). However, there's something important to understand: claiming survivor benefits doesn't affect your own retirement benefit amount. This means you could: 1. Take reduced survivor benefits now at 62 (subject to earnings limit) 2. Let your own retirement benefit grow until 70 for maximum amount 3. Switch to your own benefit later if it's higher This is one of the few remaining claiming strategies after the 2015 law changes. The survivor benefit amount is based on what your ex-husband would have received at his FRA, or what he was receiving when he died. If you're making $45,000, you'd be about $23,760 over the limit, so they'd withhold approximately $11,880 from your annual survivor benefit. If the survivor benefit is large enough, this could still make financial sense.

My sister got hit with a HUGE overpayment when she was working and collecting survivors. Like $9000 she had to pay back!! Be super careful and make sure you report your earnings.

I was in almost the exact same situation last year! Trying to reach SSA to get clear answers was IMPOSSIBLE. Busy signals for weeks and when I finally got through, they'd disconnect me after being on hold forever. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at Social Security in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent explained everything about survivor benefits and working. Turns out in my case, even with the reduction from working, it still made sense to claim survivor benefits at 62 and then switch to my own benefit at 70. The agent ran all the calculations for my specific situation. Worth every penny not to deal with the phone frustration!

WHY does SS make everything SO COMPLICATED??? The rules are different for disability, retirement, survivors... it's like they WANT us to make mistakes! 😡 I spent HOURS trying to figure this out when my husband died and got different answers from THREE different SS employees. The entire system is designed to confuse seniors!

To directly answer your follow-up question: Yes, you absolutely need to be specific that you're applying only for survivor benefits. When you apply, make it very clear that you want to restrict your application to survivor benefits only and that you're not applying for retirement benefits on your own record. This is critical because the SSA representative might not volunteer this information. Their default is often to process applications for all benefits you're eligible for, which would trigger your retirement benefit too. The technical term is that you want to "restrict the scope of your application" to widow's benefits only. Get this in writing if possible during your application process. Also, after you apply, check your my Social Security account to verify they processed it correctly as survivor benefits only.

one other thing - if you do go over the earnings limit, they don't take it evenly from each check. they withhold FULL checks until they've collected the amount you owe. so you might not get any benefits for a few months and then they start again. just fyi so you can plan your budget

Here's something important that hasn't been mentioned yet: the earnings limit disappears completely the month you reach your Full Retirement Age. If you're 62 now, your FRA is likely 67 (depending on birth year). So you'd face the earnings limit for 5 years, then could earn unlimited amounts without affecting your benefits. Also, if you decide to file, the SSA does a "mid-year monthly test" in your first year of entitlement. This means if you've already earned over the annual limit before claiming, but then stop working or reduce hours after claiming, you can still receive benefits for the months your earnings are under the monthly limit (about $1,770 for 2025). Finally, only wages from employment or net earnings from self-employment count toward the earnings limit. Investment income, pensions, other government benefits, etc. don't count against you.

my mom went thru this exact thing! she just waited till 66 to claim cuz the math worked out better with her salary. every situation is unique tho

I'm still confused about survivor vs retirement benefits. Are they the same amount? How do you know which one to take?

Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I've made an appointment with my local SSA office for next month to discuss my specific situation. In the meantime, I'll gather my ex-husband's death certificate and our marriage/divorce documents. It's complicated, but it sounds like it might still be worth claiming survivor benefits even with the earnings reduction - especially if I can switch to my own benefit later. I'll definitely be clear about restricting my application to ONLY survivor benefits!