Social Security survivor benefits while working - FRA confusion and earnings limit questions

I can help clarify some of this for you based on my experience with survivor benefits and work penalties. First, your FRA year is indeed 2025, but your actual FRA is December 2025. These are different concepts with different rules: 1. If you apply for survivor benefits before your FRA (December 2025), they WILL be reduced. The reduction is a percentage based on how many months before FRA you apply. This reduction is permanent. 2. The earnings test works differently in the year you reach FRA versus before your FRA year. In the year you reach FRA (2025), you can earn up to $62,160 (using 2023 numbers adjusted for COLA) without penalty, and the penalty is $1 for every $3 over that amount. In years BEFORE your FRA year, the limit is much lower (about $21,240) with a penalty of $1 for every $2. 3. With your $80,000 income, you would be about $17,840 over the limit in your FRA year, meaning approximately a $5,947 reduction in benefits that year. In my opinion, with your income level, it might make more financial sense to wait until your actual FRA in December 2025 when there's no earnings limit at all.

when i was in your situation i waited until FRA and im SO GLAD i did! the reductions are PERMANENT if u take early and with your income the penalties would eat up a lot of the benefit anyway. not worth the hassle IMO

I'm going through almost the EXACT same situation right now and it's been a nightmare trying to get straight answers from SSA! I've called 14 times in the past month and either get disconnected or told different things by different agents. My husband passed in November and I'm trying to figure out if I should take survivor benefits now or wait. The whole earnings test thing is so confusing - one agent told me there's a monthly test in the first year which is different from the annual test? Has anyone heard of this??

my wife took her survivors benefit early and regrets it. they reduced it by like 30% FOREVER just for taking it 2 years early. the math just doesnt work out unless you really need the money now or have health problems. also make sure you understand youll need to file annual earnings reports with SSA as long as youre working under FRA, big hassle

Something important no one has mentioned: you need to compare your own retirement benefit to the survivor benefit. At FRA, you're entitled to 100% of your husband's benefit OR your own retirement benefit, whichever is higher. But you can't receive both simultaneously. Some strategies to consider: 1. Take reduced survivor benefits now, then switch to your own (possibly higher) retirement benefit at age 70 if your work record would provide a higher amount 2. Take your own reduced retirement benefit now, then switch to survivor benefits at your FRA 3. Wait until FRA and take whichever benefit is higher The optimal strategy depends on your own work history and benefit amount compared to your husband's. This is where a careful analysis of your Social Security statement becomes crucial.

my condolences on ur loss. i was in similar boat last yr. the paperwork is crazy!! bring EVERYTHING to ur interview - marriage cert, death cert, ur ID, birth cert, tax returns, even divorce papers from previous marriages if applicable. they rejected my first application cuz i didnt have my ex-husband's death certificate even tho we'd been divorced 20 yrs! make copies of everything b4 u go

Is anyone else FURIOUS about how complicated they make this whole system?? I worked as an accountant for 30 years and even I struggle to understand all the rules. My sister-in-law got completely different survivor benefits than expected because no one explained the Government Pension Offset to her. The whole system needs to be simplified!