Social Security survivor benefits from SSDI spouse while still working - when should I claim?
My husband passed away three months ago at age 63 (I'm turning 64 next month) and I'm trying to understand my survivor benefit options since he was receiving SSDI. His disability payment was around $2,450/month, which is higher than what my own retirement benefit would be until I'm about 69 or 70. I'm currently working full-time earning about $89,000 annually, which I know is well above the earnings limit. My plan is to continue working for at least 2-3 more years if my health holds up. Does it make sense to wait to claim the survivor benefits until I actually stop working? And once I do claim them, will they have received cost-of-living adjustments during the waiting period, or would they be frozen at the amount he was receiving when he died? I don't want to make any mistakes with this decision since it impacts our retirement planning significantly. Has anyone navigated a similar situation?
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Luca Greco
I'm sorry for your loss. You're on the right track with your thinking. Since you're earning well above the earnings limit ($21,240 for 2025 if you're under FRA), any survivor benefits would be reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn above that limit - meaning you'd likely get nothing while working at that salary level. The good news is that when you do claim survivor benefits, they WILL include all the COLAs that would have occurred between your husband's passing and when you claim. The benefit amount isn't frozen. One thing to consider: If you're planning to work until age 66/67 (your full retirement age), the earnings limit disappears completely at that point. You could then collect full survivor benefits while working without any reduction.
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Zara Malik
•Thank you, that's a huge relief about the COLAs! I was worried the benefit would be frozen at the July 2025 amount. My FRA is 66 and 8 months, which I'll reach in mid-2028. So if I'm understanding correctly, I could actually start collecting the full survivor benefit then even if I'm still working? That changes things...
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Nia Thompson
my husband was on ssdi too when he passed and i waited til i stopped working to claim survivors. the ssa rep told me i was smart to wait bc of the earnings test, it wouldve been mostly wiped out anyway. but u should still file an intent to file!! even if ur not ready to take benefits, it protects ur filing date for up to 6 months!!
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Zara Malik
•I didn't know about filing an intent to file - thank you! Would I do that at the local SSA office or can it be done online? I definitely want to protect my options.
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Mateo Rodriguez
You're absolutely making the right decision by waiting until you stop working. With your income level, the earnings test would essentially eliminate your survivor benefit completely while you're working. One critical thing to understand with survivor benefits: you have flexibility in when you claim them. Unlike retirement benefits (which increase until age 70), survivor benefits reach their maximum at your Full Retirement Age. They don't grow after that. So if you're planning to work past your FRA (66+8mo), it would actually make sense to claim survivor benefits AT your FRA even while still working (since the earnings test disappears), then switch to your own retirement benefit at 70 if it's higher by then. This is one area where getting professional advice can be valuable - the claiming strategy between survivor and your own benefits can be quite complex.
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Aisha Hussain
•what about retroactive benefits? I thought survivor benefits could be paid retroactively for up to 6 months?
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Mateo Rodriguez
•Yes, that's correct. When applying for survivor benefits, you can receive up to 6 months of retroactive benefits (assuming you were eligible during those months). However, in the original poster's case, their high earnings would likely eliminate those retroactive payments due to the earnings test.
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GalacticGladiator
NOBODY HERE MENTIONED HOW THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!!! I went through this same thing when my wife passed and the SSA told me I couldn't get ANYTHING until I stopped working. But then I found out later I could have been getting benefits for our daughter the WHOLE TIME!!! They NEVER TOLD ME THAT!!! They just want to keep all the money they can!!!
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Luca Greco
•You're right that child benefits are different and aren't subject to the same earnings test as the surviving spouse. If the original poster had dependent children under 16 or disabled, they could receive benefits regardless of the surviving parent's earnings. But it sounds like this is just about survivor benefits for the spouse.
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Ethan Brown
I've been trying to reach SSA for weeks about a similar survivor situation and kept getting disconnected or told the wait time was 2+ hours. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a rep in about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The rep confirmed exactly what others are saying here - with your income level, waiting until either you stop working or reach your FRA makes the most sense. She also mentioned that when you do apply, you'll need your marriage certificate, spouse's death certificate, and your most recent W-2 or tax return.
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Zara Malik
•Thank you for the suggestion! I tried calling SSA twice already with no luck. I'll check out that service if I need to speak with someone directly.
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Nia Thompson
so sorry abt ur husband. when u do go to apply bring EVERYTHING with u. birth certificates, marriage license, death certificate, social security cards. they need so much paperwork its rediculous. and get there when they open otherwise ull be waiting all day!!
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Yuki Yamamoto
I went thru similar after my wife died. She was on SSDI too. The thing nobody told me is that if you take reduced survivor benefits early (before FRA) you are STUCK WITH THAT REDUCTION FOREVER. So definitely wait if u can afford to.
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Zara Malik
•That's good to know. I definitely don't want to take a permanent reduction. Since I'm still working and don't need the income right now, I'm leaning toward waiting until at least my FRA, especially now that I understand the COLA adjustments will be applied.
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Aisha Hussain
My sister just went through this exact thing! Her husband was on disability too. She was shocked when she found out how the math works. Since she makes about $50k, she basically would get $0 in survivor benefits until she either quits or hits her FRA.
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Luca Greco
One thing to clarify about survivor benefits that might affect your planning: your survivor benefit amount is based on what your husband would have received if he had reached full retirement age, even though he was receiving SSDI. So the calculation is: - If he died before his full retirement age (which it sounds like he did): Your survivor benefit is based on his full retirement age benefit amount - If he died after reaching his full retirement age: Your survivor benefit would be based on what he was actually receiving This is why it's important to speak directly with SSA about your specific situation - the exact calculation can affect your planning significantly.
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Zara Malik
•This is getting confusing. So his SSDI amount might not be what my survivor benefit would be based on? I thought since he was already receiving disability, that would be the amount (plus COLAs). I definitely need to talk to someone at SSA to get the exact numbers for my situation.
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Luca Greco
•For SSDI recipients, the disability benefit is calculated the same way as a full retirement age benefit, so they're typically the same amount. Your husband's SSDI payment should be the basis for your survivor benefit (plus any COLAs since his passing). I just wanted to clarify since some people confuse SSDI with SSI or other benefits.
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