Taking survivor benefits at 65 while working part-time - delaying own SS until 70?
I'm struggling with making a smart decision about my SS benefits after losing my husband recently. I'm currently 65 and still working full-time, but thinking about scaling back to part-time for my mental health. I understand I might be eligible for survivor benefits now while delaying my own retirement benefits until I turn 70. My husband started collecting his Social Security at his Full Retirement Age before he passed. We were married for over 23 years. I'm wondering if it makes financial sense to: 1) Take the survivor benefit now while continuing to work part-time 2) Let my own retirement benefit grow until I reach 70 I make about $58,000 annually at my full-time job but would drop to around $29,000 if I go part-time. Would the earnings limit affect my survivor benefits? Is this delay strategy actually beneficial in my situation? I've heard conflicting advice and the SSA website is confusing me more than helping.
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Chloe Robinson
This is actually a really smart strategy! As a widow, you have options that married or single people don't have. You can claim survivor benefits now at 65 (they're already reduced a bit since your FRA is probably 66 and 4 months or so) and then switch to your own retirement benefit at 70 when it's reached its maximum. The only catch is the earnings test - in 2023, if you earn more than $21,240 and you're under your FRA, SSA will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. At part-time work making $29,000, you'd be about $7,760 over the limit, so they'd withhold about $3,880 in survivor benefits for the year. But even with that reduction, you're still coming out ahead versus not taking the survivor benefit at all. And once you reach your FRA, the earnings test no longer applies at all!
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Omar Hassan
•Thank you for explaining this! I was so confused about the earnings test. So even though I'll lose some of the survivor benefit due to working part-time, I'd still get something, and then my own benefit can grow until 70? That sounds like it might work. Do I need to specifically tell SSA that I'm taking ONLY the survivor benefit and not my retirement benefit when I apply?
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Diego Chavez
I did exactly this after my wife passed away 3 years ago. I took her survivor benefit at 66 (my FRA) and am waiting until 70 to switch to my own. It's working out great financially. The key is to be VERY clear when you apply that you only want to file for the survivor benefit and that you're planning to file for your retirement benefit later. Here's what worked for me: 1. Made an appointment specifically for survivor benefits 2. Brought a letter stating my intention to ONLY file for survivor benefits now 3. Asked them to document in their notes that I was restricting my application 4. Got the representative's name and direct number Some SSA reps will try to file you for both because they don't understand the special rules for survivors. Stand your ground!
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Omar Hassan
•This is SO helpful! I wouldn't have thought to bring a letter stating my intentions. I'll definitely do that. Did you apply online or go in person to an office? I've heard horror stories about trying to do specialized applications online.
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NeonNebula
my husband died 2 years ago and i tried to do this exact strategy. it was a NIGHTMARE!!! the ssa people kept trying to give me both benefits at once which woulda ruined my plan. i had to go back THREE TIMES before someone knew what they were doing. make sure u get someone who knows about the special rules for widows!!!
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Omar Hassan
•Oh no, that sounds terrible! Did you eventually get it straightened out? I'm worried about the same thing happening to me. Did you find anything specific that helped them understand what you were trying to do?
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NeonNebula
yeah i finaly got it fixed but only after i talked to a supervisor. regular workers didnt seem to be trained on this. bring printouts of the ssa rules about survivor benefits if you can find them! i wish i had done that. and dont give up!!
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Anastasia Kozlov
I'm going through something similar and I've been trying to reach SSA for weeks! Endless busy signals, disconnected calls, and the one time I got through, I was on hold for 3 hours before getting disconnected. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a representative in about 20 minutes. They connected me directly with SSA and I was able to speak with someone who understood the survivor/retirement delay strategy. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was a huge relief after weeks of frustration. The rep confirmed I could take survivor benefits now and switch to my own at 70, which will be about 40% higher than if I took it now. Definitely worth the wait if you can afford to!
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Sean Kelly
•Does this claimyr thing actually work? I've been trying to get through to SSA about my husband's application for weeks. I'm skeptical of these services but at this point I'm desperate enough to try anything!
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Anastasia Kozlov
Yes, it definitely worked for me! I was skeptical too, but after spending almost a month trying to get through on my own, I was willing to try anything. They connected me directly to SSA and stayed on the line until a real person answered. Saved me hours of frustration.
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Zara Mirza
The whole SSA system is BROKEN!!! My brother tried to do this exact strategy and they COMPLETELY messed up his application. They started paying him BOTH benefits at once which triggered some complicated rule that now he CAN'T go back and fix it!!! He lost THOUSANDS of dollars because of their incompetence!!! BE CAREFUL and document EVERYTHING. Record the conversation if your state allows it. These people don't know their own rules and YOU will pay the price!!!
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Omar Hassan
•That's terrifying! I'm so sorry that happened to your brother. Did he try to appeal or get any resolution? I'm definitely going to document everything carefully.
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Zara Mirza
He tried appealing but they said once benefits start being paid, you can't undo it. Something about "irrevocable application" rules. He even hired a lawyer but they couldn't fix it. The system is RIGGED against us!!! Just be SUPER clear and get EVERYTHING in writing!!!
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Luca Russo
i dont understand why everyone makes this so complicated? just take whichever benefit is bigger now and be done with it. all this switching stuff sounds like too much hassle for maybe a few extra dollars
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Chloe Robinson
•It's not just "a few extra dollars" - it can often mean tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime. For example, if someone's own benefit at 70 would be $3,000/month vs. $2,100/month at 65, and their survivor benefit is $1,800/month, they could collect $1,800/month for 5 years, then $3,000/month for the rest of their life, instead of just $2,100/month forever. That's $900/month more for potentially 20+ years - over $200,000 in extra lifetime benefits!
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Nia Harris
This has been super informative, everyone. I'm in a similar situation (62, widowed last year) but I'm confused about one thing. My husband took his benefits early at 62. Does that affect how much I can get as a survivor benefit? Someone told me I'd only get what he was getting when he died, which was reduced because he filed early.
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Chloe Robinson
•Yes, your survivor benefit is based on what your husband was receiving when he died. Since he filed early at 62, his benefit was reduced by about 30% from what it would have been at his FRA. Your survivor benefit will be based on that reduced amount. However, if you wait until your FRA to claim the survivor benefit, you can get 100% of what he was receiving. If you claim before your FRA, your survivor benefit will be further reduced based on your age. But the strategy of claiming survivor benefits and then switching to your own retirement benefit at 70 can still be advantageous, especially if your own work record is strong.
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Omar Hassan
Thank you all for the detailed advice! I'm going to move forward with applying for the survivor benefit while continuing to work part-time, and I'll definitely bring documentation about restricting my application to ONLY the survivor benefit. I'll also print out the relevant SSA rules just in case. I think this makes the most sense for my situation - I'll get some income from the survivor benefit now (even with the earnings test reduction), and then switch to my maximized retirement benefit at 70. Seems like the best of both worlds if I can get SSA to process it correctly. And if I can't get through to them by phone, I'll definitely check out that Claimyr service. Thanks again for all your help!
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