Should I notify Social Security about retiring when I'm already receiving widow benefits?

Yes, you should definitely contact SSA when you retire. While your widow benefits will continue, there are a couple of important considerations. First, they need to know you've stopped working for earnings record purposes. Second, and more importantly, you should verify whether your own retirement benefit might now be higher than your widow benefit. At 68, you've earned delayed retirement credits on your own record, and depending on your earnings history compared to your husband's, you might actually get more by switching to your own benefit. The SSA won't automatically check this for you - you need to specifically ask them to compare the two benefits.

Thank you so much for this information! I had no idea I might be eligible for a higher amount on my own record. My husband worked in management and had a higher salary than me for most of our careers, so I just assumed the widow benefits would be more. But I've worked for 47 years total, so maybe my benefit could be higher? Should I call the SSA or go to the local office for this kind of comparison?

In addition to what was already mentioned, there's another important reason to contact SSA when you retire. You'll need to make decisions about Medicare Part B premiums and whether they should be deducted from your monthly benefit. Also, your tax withholding situation might change once you're fully retired. The best approach is to schedule an appointment with SSA about 2-3 months before your retirement date. Have your most recent tax return and your estimated retirement date ready when you call.

I didn't even think about the Medicare premium deductions! I've been paying those separately since I have employer coverage until retirement. That's a great point about tax withholding too. I'll definitely schedule that appointment a couple months before December.

when my mom was in your situation she didnt tell ssa when she retired and nothing bad happened lol. the checks just kept coming like normal. they already know how old you are so why bother?

This is actually bad advice. The SSA won't automatically review whether she could get a higher benefit on her own record versus widow benefits. They need to be specifically asked to do this comparison. Plus, there are tax withholding and Medicare premium issues that need to be addressed. If your mother didn't report her retirement, she might have left money on the table without realizing it.

I'm in a similar boat but reversed - I'm receiving my own benefits and my wife gets spousal. Do widow benefits have the same earnings limit as regular retirement? I thought there was some special rule for widows?

There are special rules for widow(er) benefits, but they relate primarily to when you can claim them (as early as age 60) and what happens if you remarry. The earnings limit works the same way - if you're under Full Retirement Age, earnings above the limit reduce benefits. Since the original poster is 68 (past FRA), there is no earnings limit affecting her benefits. But that doesn't mean she shouldn't report her retirement - there are other potential advantages as I mentioned above.

SSA is USELESS when it comes to maximizing benefits!! They DON'T volunteer information about which benefit would pay more. My sister-in-law was in almost EXACTLY your situation and went YEARS getting widow benefits when her OWN record would've paid $430 more PER MONTH!! When she finally figured it out they only gave her 6 months of back pay. THOUSANDS of dollars LOST because no one at SSA bothered to check!!! DEFINITELY call them when you retire and DEMAND they check both records!!!

Oh my goodness, that's terrible about your sister-in-law! Now I'm definitely going to make that call. I can't afford to lose out on any potential benefits. Thanks for sharing her experience - it's making me realize how important this is.

I had such a hard time reaching someone at the SSA to discuss a similar situation. Kept getting busy signals or disconnected after waiting for ages. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me hours of frustration, and I was able to get my benefit comparison done right away. The agent confirmed I was better off switching from widow to my own record, which gave me an extra $215 monthly!

Thanks for the tip! I tried calling the 800 number once before and gave up after being on hold for over an hour. I'll check out that service if I have trouble getting through. An extra $215 monthly is significant - congratulations on getting that sorted out!

congrats on retirement! i retired last year at 66 and 4 months (my FRA) and didnt tell social security anything. but i was already on my own benefits not widows. but to be safe better call them maybe

Yes, it's a different situation when you're receiving widow(er) benefits versus your own retirement benefits. In the original poster's case, she should definitely contact SSA because there's a chance her own benefit amount could be higher than the widow benefit, especially since she's earned delayed retirement credits by working until 68.

I just wanted to update that I called the SSA today and managed to get through after about 45 minutes on hold. The representative said I should definitely come in for an appointment when I retire to compare my own benefit to the widow benefit. She also mentioned something about

Great news! Just so you know, \