Should I claim Social Security survivor benefits at 67 while working full-time then switch at 70?

sorry for your loss man. my wife passed 2 years ago and the SS stuff is a mess to figure out. i think you can do what youre saying but not sure about the pension part

Yes, your strategy makes perfect sense and is actually optimal in your situation. Since you're past 60, you could technically claim reduced survivor benefits now, but waiting until your FRA at 67 means no earnings test applies, so you can continue working with no reduction. Regarding the teacher's pension: if it's from employment where Social Security taxes WERE NOT paid (common for some state/local government positions), then the Government Pension Offset (GPO) could reduce your survivor benefits by 2/3 of your pension amount. If Social Security taxes WERE paid on the employment that earned the pension, then GPO doesn't apply. At 70, definitely switch to your own retirement benefit if it's higher. Survivor benefits don't grow after your FRA, but your own benefit increases 8% per year from FRA to 70.

I don't think that's right about the GPO!!! The GPO only applies if YOU receive a pension from non-covered work. If your WIFE had the pension from non-covered work, then her benefit would have been reduced by WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision), but YOUR survivor benefit isn't affected by GPO unless YOU have a non-covered pension. The rules are super confusing but this is one thing I'm pretty sure about because I went through this exact situation with my father-in-law!!!

Your strategy is excellent. I'd like to clarify a few points: 1. You can absolutely claim survivor benefits at your FRA (67) with no earnings test while continuing to work. 2. About the pension: If the $550 is being paid to you as a survivor pension from your wife's employment where she didn't pay Social Security taxes, this is generally NOT subject to GPO for your Social Security survivor benefits. GPO typically applies when YOU earned a pension from non-covered work. 3. At 70, you should definitely switch to your own retirement benefit if it's higher. Remember that survivor benefits don't increase after your FRA, but your own retirement benefit grows 8% annually until 70. 4. One thing to verify: Make sure you're eligible for survivor benefits based on your wife's Social Security record (she needs to have earned enough credits, generally 40). I recommend scheduling an appointment with SSA to get an official calculation of both benefit amounts.

I went through something similar when my husband died. Try calling SSA at 7:30am exactly when they open - thats the only time I could get through without being on hold for 2+ hours and then getting disconnected!!! So frustrating. Also be prepared they will ask for death certificate and marriage certificate when you apply just FYI

The most important thing is to actually RUN THE NUMBERS. My husband passed in 2016 and I thought for sure his benefit would be higher than mine. Turns out I was wrong! I earned more over my lifetime than I realized. Don't make assumptions - get the exact calculation from SSA for both your own benefit at 70 AND what the survivor benefit would be. Also consider that taking survivor benefits from 67-70 while working will mean you owe taxes on 85% of those benefits if your income is high enough. Just something else to consider in your planning.

I had the EXACT SAME ISSUE trying to get through to someone at Social Security. After getting disconnected 5 times and spending hours on hold, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a live agent in under 10 minutes. Seriously saved me so much frustration! Check out their video to see how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or go to claimyr.com Once I got through, the agent was able to pull up both my record and my late spouse's record and give me exact benefit amounts which made my decision SO much easier. They scheduled an application appointment right then. For complicated situations like survivor benefits with pensions involved, speaking directly with SSA is really the only way to get accurate info.

i forgot to say make sure u keep ALL paperwork they send u. my sister threw away what looked like junk mail but was actually important SS stuff & it was a huge mess to fix

One final consideration: Double-check when your FRA actually is for survivor benefits. For retirement benefits, FRA for someone born in 1962 is 67. But for survivor benefits, the FRA can be different - it could be 66 and 10 months. This small difference matters for planning purposes if you want to completely avoid the earnings test.