Social Security widow benefits denied because I earn too much - is this accurate?

The SSA rep was giving you correct information. Since you're under your FRA and earning well above the annual earnings limit ($22,320 for 2025), your widow's benefits would be completely offset by the earnings test. For every $2 you earn above the limit, $1 in benefits is withheld. With your $85,000 income, the reduction would exceed any potential widow's benefit payment. However, you should know that once you reach your FRA, the earnings test no longer applies and you can earn any amount without reduction in benefits. You might want to inquire about filing a restricted application for just widow's benefits at your FRA, which would allow your own retirement benefit to continue growing until age 70.

that happened to me too!!!! The ssa lady told me i couldnt get ANY of my late husbands ss because i was making too much at my job. but then my sister said i should apply anyway because rules change sometimes. im so confused by all of this tbh

I went through something very similar last year - my husband passed and I was still working making about $70k. I couldn't collect widow's benefits either because of the earnings test. After dealing with endless busy signals and disconnections trying to get more information from SSA, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a representative without the wait. They connected me to SSA in about 20 minutes instead of spending days trying to get through. The agent I spoke with confirmed I couldn't get benefits while earning that much, but gave me the exact calculations and helped me understand my options for when I do retire. There's a quick video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU

Not to contradict anyone here but wantd to say that I think you should double check this with another SSA rep. My cousin was in almost the same situation (widow at 63, still working) and she does get a small payment even though she makes about $65k. Something about how her husband's benefit was much higher than what her own will be. So maybe it depends on your specific numbers?

My wife had same experience after I... wait sorry, I meant my friend's wife had this same issue after he passed. She was 63 making about $90k and couldn't get any of his benefits until she retired. She was pretty upset about it too. When she finally retired at 66 (her FRA), she started getting the widow benefit which was higher than her own retirement would have been. The SSA actually did explain it well to her but she had to visit the office in person to get all the details.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses. I'll definitely try to get a more detailed calculation from SSA about my specific case. From what I'm understanding, I probably won't be eligible for any widow's benefits until I reach my FRA due to my current earnings, but I need to confirm the exact numbers. I'll look into getting an appointment with my local office or using that Claimyr service to avoid the endless phone waits. I'll update here if I find out anything useful that might help others in the same situation!