Social Security widow benefits at 63 - will taking them now reduce my own retirement benefits at FRA?

The SSA representative gave you incorrect information. Taking widow benefits now at a reduced rate will NOT affect your own retirement benefit at your FRA. These are completely separate benefits with separate rules. You absolutely can take reduced widow benefits now and then switch to your own higher retirement benefit at 67. This is actually one of the few remaining "claim now, claim more later" strategies that still works after the 2015 rule changes. The reduction only applies to the widow benefit itself, not to your future retirement benefit. Make sure to specifically tell them you want to restrict your application to ONLY widow benefits when you apply. Be very clear about this.

my condolences on losing your husband. i went thru same thing 2 yrs ago and took widow benefit at 60. the SSA people told me same thing but its WRONG!!! my sister in law works for SSA and told me widow benefits have no effect on your own SS at FRA. dont let them confuse you!!

You need to be careful about your earnings while collecting widow benefits before your FRA. In 2025, the earnings limit for beneficiaries under FRA is $22,320. Since you're earning about $22,000, you're just under the limit, but if you earn more, SSA will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. But to answer your main question - no, taking widow benefits early will not reduce your retirement benefit at FRA. Those are calculated separately. Make sure you get a knowledgeable representative who understands the distinction between the two benefit types.

My mom did exactly what youre planning - took widow at 63 and switched to her own at 67. It worked fine! But she had to argue with the SSA person who kept trying to get her to apply for both at the same time which would have been a mistake. Be prepared to stand your ground and specifically ask to "restrict your application to widow benefits only." The earnings limit mentioned above is definitely something to watch though.

I think you might be confusing FRA with 70. If you take SS at 67 you don't get the max. Wait til 70 for that. Widow benefits are complicated tho so I could be wrong.

After dealing with the exact same issue last year, I found it nearly impossible to get through to anyone at SSA who actually understood widow benefits correctly. I spent 3 weeks calling and getting disconnected or waiting on hold for hours only to get wrong information. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to SSA in under 20 minutes. They have a service that navigates the phone system for you and calls you back when they have an agent on the line. Saved me so much frustration! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I actually got through, I was able to restrict my application to just widow benefits. Now I'll switch to my own at 67 just like you're planning.

Why does SSA CONSTANTLY give out wrong information?!?! This happens all the time! I was also told my widow's benefit would reduce my retirement and it was COMPLETELY FALSE. They make it so confusing on purpose I swear. When you go in, bring the exact regulation printed out - it's in their Program Operations Manual System (POMS). I don't have the exact reference but maybe someone else here does?

just wondering but did ur husband work for railroad or government? sometimes that changes things with pensions and stuff i think

To follow up on your question about earnings - SSA counts GROSS earnings toward the limit, not net after taxes. And they count it when earned, not when paid (except for special payments like bonuses or accumulated vacation pay). Given that you're only $320 below the annual earnings limit, you might want to keep careful track of your income throughout the year. Going over by even a small amount could trigger withholding of some of your widow benefits.

One more important point - when you do go to apply for your own retirement benefits at 67, make sure you specifically tell SSA you want to SWITCH from widow benefits to retirement benefits. Don't simply say you want to "apply for retirement" or they might just give you a small increase instead of recalculating the full amount you're entitled to based on your work record. Also, you can actually file for this switch online through your my Social Security account when the time comes, which might be easier than dealing with representatives who may not understand the rules.