Social Security survivor benefits vs. my own with earnings limit - working until 67 for child's health insurance
Hi everyone - I'm in a bit of a dilemma about when to start collecting Social Security. I'm currently 62 and working full-time ($86,000/year) primarily because my daughter (20) needs my health insurance for her chronic condition. My husband passed away 8 years ago, and I haven't touched any SS benefits yet. I'm planning to work until at least 67 when my daughter will hopefully finish her medical treatments. I've heard there's an earnings limit if I try to collect SS while still working? My original plan was to wait until 67 to claim my own retirement benefits, then switch to my late husband's survivor benefits at 70 (which should be higher by then). Does that strategy still make sense, or am I missing something by not claiming anything now? I'm confused about whether I should be collecting something while working or if I'd just lose it all to the earnings test. Thank you!
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Freya Thomsen
The strategy you're considering is generally solid, but there's an important correction: survivor benefits don't grow after your FRA (Full Retirement Age). Only your own retirement benefits grow with delayed retirement credits between FRA and 70. Since you're already 62, you might want to claim survivor benefits now (even with the earnings limit reduction) and then switch to your own retirement benefit at 70 when it will be maximized. Check your benefit amounts on my.ssa.gov to compare the numbers.
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NebulaNomad
•Wait - survivor benefits don't grow after FRA? I had no idea! So I've been planning this all wrong? I'm going to check my account right away. Do you know how much the earnings limit would reduce my survivor benefits if I claimed now while earning $86k?
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Omar Fawaz
somene told me its $1 reduction for every $2 you earn above the limit. my brother got hit with this and was FURIOUS. he didnt know about it and had to pay back like $14k to ss. be careful!!
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Chloe Martin
•This is correct! For 2025, the annual earnings limit is $22,320 if you're under FRA the whole year. So at $86,000 income, you'd lose about $31,840 in benefits for the year, possibly eliminating your entire survivor benefit. After FRA though, there's NO earnings limit. That's why many people wait until FRA to claim if they're still working full-time.
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NebulaNomad
I just checked my statements online - my own benefit at FRA would be about $2,800/month and my husband's survivor benefit would be around $3,100/month if I claimed at my FRA. So it sounds like maybe I should wait until I retire at 67 to claim the survivor benefit since the earnings limit would wipe most of it out anyway? Then switch to my own at 70 when it's grown to about $3,470? This is so confusing!
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Diego Rojas
•I had almost the EXACT same situation!!! I was working FT for health insurance for my son who has special needs. Don't feel bad about being confused - the SSA reps gave me conflicting info THREE TIMES when I called. I finally got through to someone who really knew their stuff after using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to bypass the phone wait. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Worth every penny because the specialist confirmed exactly what you need to do: wait until FRA for survivor benefits then switch to your own at 70. The health insurance for your daughter is worth waiting for.
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Anastasia Sokolov
My neighbor tried to collect SS at 63 while still working full time and she ended up having to PAY BACK almost all of it!!! Just wait until you're done working. The system is RIGGED against working people. They don't tell you about these penalties until it's too late!!!
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Omar Fawaz
•exactly what happened to my brother!! they should make this clearer
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Chloe Martin
Based on the numbers you shared, your strategy should be: 1. Continue working until 67 for health insurance coverage 2. At 67 (your FRA), claim the survivor benefit of $3,100/month 3. At 70, switch to your own retirement benefit of approximately $3,470/month This maximizes your lifetime benefits and provides the health insurance your daughter needs. Your understanding is correct that claiming survivor benefits now while earning $86,000 would result in most or all of those benefits being withheld due to the earnings test. The good news is that survivor benefits reach their maximum at your FRA (67), so you're not losing any survivor benefit growth by waiting.
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StarSeeker
•I agree with this strategy but just wanted to add - make sure you explicitly APPLY for the survivor benefits at 67. SS doesn't automatically switch you or tell you when to switch! I missed out on 8 months of higher benefits because I didn't know I had to actually apply for the switch.
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NebulaNomad
•Thank you both so much! This really clarifies things. I'll definitely make sure to explicitly apply for survivor benefits at 67 and then switch to my own at 70. It's a relief to know I'm not leaving money on the table by continuing to work for the health insurance.
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Sean O'Donnell
Does anyone know if the OP could still claim now and just have benefits suspended? My sister did something like this but I'm fuzzy on the details. Something about claiming but not receiving?
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Freya Thomsen
•You're thinking of a different strategy that applies to retirement benefits, not survivor benefits. With retirement benefits, you can file and suspend after FRA. With survivor benefits, if you claim while working under FRA, they're simply reduced by the earnings test - there's no advantage to a voluntary suspension. The OP's best strategy is already outlined above - wait until FRA to claim survivor benefits, then switch to her own at 70.
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Omar Fawaz
my cousins husband died too and she got a one time payment of like $255 did you get that?? not much but its something
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NebulaNomad
•Yes, I did receive that death benefit payment back when my husband passed. You're right that it's not much, but I appreciate you mentioning it in case I had missed it!
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