Social Security survivor benefits at 60 vs. my own retirement - confused about widow options

You have it almost right, but there's an important distinction. At age 60, you ONLY qualify for survivor benefits (at a reduced rate). You cannot take your own retirement benefits until 62 at the earliest. However, the good news is that you can employ a strategy: take reduced survivor benefits at 60, then switch to your own retirement benefit later if it would be higher (at 62, FRA, or even age 70 if you want maximum growth). This is one of the few remaining 'switch' strategies in Social Security.

I went through this EXACT situation last year!!! When I turned 60, I could ONLY get my late husband's benefit (and at a reduced amount - about 71.5% of what he would've gotten). You absolutely CANNOT get your own SS until 62 minimum. And let me tell you, the SS phone lines are IMPOSSIBLE to get through - took me 9 calls and 3 weeks to finally talk to someone who could explain it all to me!

When I was going through a similar situation trying to figure out widow benefits vs. my own, I was getting disconnected from Social Security constantly. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to a real person at SSA in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Totally worth it because the agent I spoke with explained all my options clearly - including that I could take reduced survivor benefits at 60, then switch to my own retirement benefit later if it would be higher.

The church person was correct. Survivor benefits can begin at 60 (or 50 if disabled), but your OWN retirement benefits cannot start until 62 at the earliest. This is a common point of confusion. What's powerful about your situation is that unlike regular retirement benefits where you must choose one filing strategy, as a widow you have the unique ability to separate your survivor claim from your own retirement claim. This means you could: 1. Take reduced survivor benefits at 60 2. Allow your own retirement benefit to grow until 70 if you wish 3. Switch to your own benefit whenever it exceeds the survivor benefit Or alternatively: 1. Wait to file for survivor benefits until your FRA to get 100% of your husband's benefit 2. Take your own reduced benefit at 62 3. Switch to the survivor benefit at your FRA It depends entirely on the specific benefit amounts in your case.

my sister made a big mistake with this!!! she took widows benifits at 60 not realizing how much it gets reduced. she only gets like $1,400 when she would have got $2,400 if she waited till her FRA!!! talk to a financial advisor before you do ANYTHING!!!

The whole system is deliberately confusing! I swear the SSA makes these rules complicated on purpose so people mess up and get less money. When my husband died, I got so many different answers from different SSA employees. One told me I could get my own at 60, another said I had to wait. It's ridiculous how poorly trained their staff is.

Another important detail: if you're still working at age 60 and claim survivor benefits, be aware of the earnings limit. In 2025, if you earn above approximately $22,750 (the exact amount gets adjusted annually), your survivor benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn above that limit. This earnings test applies until you reach your FRA.

widow benefits r so confusing i just turned 59 and trying to figure out what to do next year. good luck to you hope u figure it out