When can I claim Social Security survivor benefits at age 60 after husband died?

Yes, you can claim survivor benefits as early as age 60, but you'll receive a reduced amount compared to waiting until your Full Retirement Age (FRA). At 60, you'd get about 71.5% of your husband's full benefit amount. If you wait until your FRA (probably 67 if you're 60 now), you'd get 100% of what he would have received. Also important - since you're working, be aware of the earnings limit. For 2025, if you claim benefits before your FRA and earn over $22,320, they'll withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. Since you're making about $28,000, some of your benefits would be withheld. My suggestion? Call SSA directly to get a personalized calculation based on your exact situation. I waited on hold for 3+ hours last month before I found a better way to reach them.

I lost my husband at 57 and waited till FRA to claim survivior benifits. best decision i ever made. the monthly amount is so much higher when u wait. dont rush into it if u dont have too!

One strategy worth considering: You could claim survivor benefits at 60 (with the reduction) and then switch to your own retirement benefits at age 70 if they would be higher by then due to delayed retirement credits. Or reverse that - claim your own reduced retirement benefits at 62 and then switch to survivor benefits at your FRA to get 100% of your husband's amount. What makes the most sense depends on: 1. How much your own benefit would be vs. survivor benefit 2. Your current financial needs 3. Your health and life expectancy 4. Your planned working income The SSA's website calculator isn't great for these complex situations. You really need to speak with someone who can look at both your records.

The whole system is DESIGNED to be confusing!!! They WANT you to claim early so they pay you less over your lifetime. I made this mistake with my husband's benefits and I regret it EVERY SINGLE MONTH when I see that smaller check. Don't let them trick you into claiming early unless you absolutely need the money right now!!!

I tried calling SSA about survivor benefits for weeks and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a real person at SSA in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - totally worth it for getting my questions answered about the earnings limit and benefit calculation. The agent I spoke with ran different scenarios for me which was super helpful.

Some important technical details about survivor benefits at 60: 1. The 71.5% reduction at age 60 is fixed - each month you wait after 60 until your FRA increases your percentage slightly. 2. If you're still working, the 2025 earnings limit of $22,320 will affect you. Since you earn about $28,000, approximately $2,840 in benefits would be withheld for the year (($28,000-$22,320)/2). 3. The earnings test no longer applies once you reach your Full Retirement Age. 4. Any benefits withheld due to working aren't truly lost - they're added back when you reach FRA, resulting in a higher monthly benefit. 5. Survivor benefits and retirement benefits are separate - you can choose to take one first and switch to the other later if that maximizes your lifetime benefits. I'd recommend getting a benefit verification letter from SSA showing exactly what both your retirement and survivor benefits would be at different ages.

dont 4get about taxes 2! if ur working AND getting benifits, more of ur SS might be taxable. my sister got hit with a big tax bill she wasnt expecting

Thank you all so much for the advice! I think I need to speak with SSA directly to understand exactly what my benefit amounts would be at different ages. The earnings limit is definitely a concern since I need to keep working. I'm leaning toward waiting a bit longer to claim, but I'll try to get through to SSA first to get personalized calculations. I'll look into that Claimyr service too since it sounds like it might save me hours of frustration on the phone.