Income limits on Social Security survivor benefits before FRA - Will working reduce my payments?

Yes, there definitely are earnings limits for survivor benefits before your FRA. I went through this exact situation last year. In 2025, the limit is $22,320 (for people reaching FRA after 2025). For every $2 you earn above that limit, they'll deduct $1 from your benefits. Since you're earning $38,000, you're about $15,680 over the limit, so they'd withhold about $7,840 from your annual survivor benefits. The month you reach FRA, these restrictions go away completely and you can earn as much as you want with no penalty. It's definitely something to calculate carefully before deciding when to file!

The previous reply is correct about the earnings limit, but I want to add something important - it's not just a straight $2 for $1 reduction spread evenly across months. SSA will actually withhold FULL monthly benefit payments until they've covered what you owe for the excess earnings. So if your monthly survivor benefit would be $1,500, they might withhold 5-6 full months of benefits rather than reducing each month a little bit. Also remember that survivor benefits taken early are permanently reduced. At 62, you'd only get about 71% of what you'd receive at your FRA. Have you considered waiting until at least 60% of the way to your FRA when the earnings limit becomes more generous?

my wife died back in 2018 and i tried collecting at 63. big mistake!!!!! they took back almost everything cuz i was still workin. just wait til FRA unless ur really in financial trouble. not worth the hassle IMO

You should also consider how survivor benefits interact with your own retirement benefits. If your own benefit at FRA would be higher than the survivor benefit, it might make sense to take the reduced survivor benefit now (even with the earnings limit) and then switch to your own higher benefit at 70 when it reaches its maximum value. Or vice versa - take your reduced retirement benefit early and then switch to the unreduced survivor benefit at your FRA. The optimal strategy depends on the relative amounts and your life expectancy. It's definitely worth speaking directly with an SSA rep to explore all your options before making a decision.

I think everyone's forgetting to mention that there's a special earnings test for the first year you receive benefits! If you're retiring mid-year, they use a monthly test rather than annual, something like $1,860/month I think. Worth checking into if you're planning to stop working soon!

Wait I'm confused... does this earnings limit apply to SSI too? My cousin gets SSI and she's always worried about earning too much.

The whole SS system is RIGGED against working people!!! They take our money our whole lives then PUNISH us for working by reducing benefits. Meanwhile people who never worked a day in their lives get all kinds of free benefits!!! It's THEFT plain and simple. The earnings limits are RIDICULOUS and need to be abolished completely!!!!

One more important thing about the earnings limit that hasn't been mentioned yet - it only applies to wages or self-employment income. It does NOT apply to investment income, pension payments, annuities, capital gains, rental income, or other non-work sources. So if you have income from investments or rentals, that won't reduce your survivor benefits at all. Also, if your benefits are withheld due to working, when you reach FRA, your benefit amount will be recalculated to give you credit for those months when benefits were withheld. So you do eventually get some adjustment for the withheld benefits.

After working through all this with my own survivor benefits last year, my suggestion would be to run the numbers carefully. Calculate exactly what your survivor benefit would be (reduced for early claiming), how much would be withheld based on your earnings, and compare that to waiting until FRA for unreduced benefits. For me, even with the earnings test, claiming early still made mathematical sense because I needed the income and expected to live a long time. Everyone's situation is different though!

I'm sorry for your loss, Nia. Navigating survivor benefits while working can be really complex. Based on the discussion here, it sounds like you have several factors to consider: 1. The $22,320 earnings limit for 2025 means you'd have about $7,840 withheld from your annual benefits 2. SSA withholds entire months rather than reducing each payment proportionally 3. Survivor benefits claimed at 62 are permanently reduced to about 71% of your FRA amount 4. Your investment/rental income won't count toward the earnings limit 5. You'll get credit later for withheld benefits when you reach FRA One strategy to consider: Could you reduce your work hours to get closer to the $22,320 threshold? Even dropping to part-time might allow you to collect most of your survivor benefits while still working. You mentioned you were hoping to reduce hours anyway. Also, since you have rental income that doesn't count toward the limit, that might give you more flexibility in your work decisions. Definitely worth speaking with an SSA representative to model out different scenarios before making your final decision.

I'm really sorry for your loss, Nia. This is such a difficult situation to navigate while you're still grieving. One thing that might help with your decision-making is to get your actual survivor benefit estimate from SSA before you decide. You can create a my Social Security account online to see what your monthly survivor benefit would be at different ages. That way you can do the math more precisely rather than guessing. Also, don't forget that if you do decide to claim survivor benefits now, you can always reassess later. For example, if your work situation changes or you decide the earnings test is too much of a hassle, you could potentially suspend your survivor benefits and restart them later, or switch to your own retirement benefit if that becomes more advantageous. The most important thing is not to rush into a decision. Take time to understand all your options, maybe even consider meeting with a financial advisor who specializes in Social Security planning. Your situation with the rental income actually gives you more flexibility than many people have.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Nia. This thread has covered the earnings limit really well, but I wanted to add one more consideration that might help with your planning. Since you mentioned you're 62 and about 5 years from FRA (so FRA at 67), you might want to look into whether your own retirement benefit at age 70 would be higher than your survivor benefit. If your own benefit would be significantly higher, you could potentially use a "claim and switch" strategy: 1. Claim reduced survivor benefits now (even with the earnings test reducing them) 2. Let your own retirement benefit grow with delayed retirement credits until age 70 3. Switch to your own higher benefit at 70 This only works if your own benefit at 70 would exceed the survivor benefit, but it's worth checking. Your own benefit grows by about 8% per year from FRA to age 70, so it can get quite substantial. Given your rental income providing some financial cushion, you have more options than many people. The online benefit estimator others mentioned will show both your survivor benefit and your own retirement benefit projections, which will help you see if this strategy makes sense for your situation.