Social Security survivor benefits suspended due to earnings - will SSA notify me about suspension length?

Yes, you should receive an official notice from SSA that explains the suspension and shows your benefit calculation. It typically arrives 2-3 weeks after the suspension decision. The letter will show your monthly benefit amount and explain that benefits are suspended until your earnings drop below the annual limit or you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA), whichever comes first. At FRA, the earnings test no longer applies, even if you continue working. Make sure to report your anticipated earnings for next year if you're reducing hours. You might become eligible for partial benefits depending on how much your income drops.

waiting for a letter from ssa lol good luck with that! i waited 7 weeks for mine and when it finally came it barely explained anything. you should call them back and insist on getting the details. their letters are super confusing anyway

The Social Security earnings limit for survivor benefits in 2025 is $22,320 if you're under Full Retirement Age for the full year. You lose $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. Since you're earning around $53,000, you'd lose about $15,340 in benefits ($53,000 - $22,320 = $30,680 ÷ 2 = $15,340). If your monthly survivor benefit is less than $1,278, all your benefits would be withheld. The suspension continues until either: 1. Your earnings drop below the limit 2. You reach the year of your Full Retirement Age (different limit applies) 3. You reach your Full Retirement Age (no more earnings test) The notification letter should explain this calculation and your benefit amount, but it won't specify an end date since that depends on your future earnings or age.

My husband passed 3 years ago and I went thru the EXACT same thing!!! The SSA is terrible about sending clear info. They suspended my survivors benefits because I was still working but didn't tell me ANYTHING about how much I would get once I retired. I had to keep calling and calling to get answers. So frustrating!!!

I had this exact problem last year. After weeks of trying to call SSA and getting nowhere, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real SSA agent in about 20 minutes. I was skeptical at first, but it actually worked - saved me hours of frustration. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU and their website is claimyr.com. The agent I reached was able to tell me exactly what my suspended benefit amount was and how the earnings test would affect me when I reduced my hours.

Quick tip about the earnings test and survivors benefits: keep track of exactly when you reduce your work hours. If you have a month where you earn less than the monthly limit ($1,860 in 2025) AND you're not performing substantial services in self-employment, you can receive benefits for that month regardless of your annual earnings. This is called the Monthly Earnings Test and it's especially useful in transition years.

I'm so ANGRY at how SSA handles these situations!! I went through something similar with my widows benefits and they suspended payments without any clear explanation!!! I had to fight for MONTHS to get a straight answer about what my benefit amount actually was. The whole system is designed to CONFUSE US and make us give up! Don't trust that they'll send you any letter that makes sense - KEEP CALLING until someone explains it clearly!!!

my mom had this happen and she got a letter about 3 weeks later but honestly it was super confusing so she ended up having to call again anyway. something about work deductions and future adjustments. good luck!

One more thing to consider - any benefits withheld due to the earnings test aren't lost forever. When you reach Full Retirement Age, SSA will recalculate your benefit amount to credit you for months when benefits were withheld. This results in a permanent increase to your monthly benefit amount after FRA. So while it feels like you're losing money now, you do get some of it back later in the form of higher monthly payments.