Widow benefits at 62 with high income - will SS earnings test affect my deceased husband's higher benefit?

As a widow, you have options, but your current income will definitely affect things. Yes, the earnings test DOES apply to widow benefits if you're under your full retirement age. For 2025, if you earn over about $23,000 (the exact limit changes yearly), they'll withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. The good news: you would be eligible for your husband's age 69 amount (including all his delayed retirement credits), not just his FRA amount. That's probably significantly higher! I'd recommend waiting until at least your FRA (67) to claim widow benefits so you avoid the earnings test completely. At that point, you can collect 100% of what your husband was entitled to at his death.

I'm so sorry for your loss. My husband died 3 years ago when I was 61 and I've learned A LOT about survivor benefits since then. YES your income matters A LOT right now!!! With you making $53k, they will withhold most if not all of your survivor benefit due to the earnings test. It's really frustrating!!! Here's what worked for me: I waited until my FRA (which was 66 and 6 months) to claim the survivor benefit so I wouldn't lose anything to the earnings test. THEN I'm going to switch to my own retirement benefit at 70 since mine will be higher with the delayed credits. Does your own benefit at 70 possibly exceed your husband's benefit? If so, you might want to consider this strategy too.

You've gotten some good advice, but let me clarify a few things about widow benefits: 1. Yes, you would receive what your husband would have gotten at 69 (including all delayed retirement credits he earned), not just his FRA amount. 2. As a widow claiming before your FRA, you'll face both the earnings test AND a reduction for claiming early. At 62, widow benefits are reduced to about 71.5% of what you'd get at your FRA. 3. Your best strategy depends on the relative amounts of your benefit vs. your husband's. You can contact SSA directly to get exact benefit estimates based on your specific situation. 4. With your current income, waiting until at least your FRA (67) makes the most sense to avoid the earnings test completely. One more thing - you can make an appointment at your local SSA office to discuss survivor benefits. They can pull up both your records and give you precise figures for different claiming ages.

So sorry about your husband. I went through something similar recently and had a terrible time getting through to Social Security to sort everything out. After trying for weeks with endless busy signals and disconnects, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes. You might want to check them out at claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU After I finally spoke with someone, they explained that I needed to bring my husband's death certificate, our marriage certificate, his Social Security number, and proof of my age. The agent was really helpful in calculating exactly what my benefit options were. Definitely worth getting accurate information directly from SSA for your specific situation.

your husband died at 69 so you get what he WOULD have gotten at 69 which is a lot more than at 66!! but ya at 62 you will lose alot from working thats why i stopped working when i claimed widows benefits but you make good money so probly better for u to keep working and wait

wait til 67!! the earnings test is SO ANNOYING and they take back so much $$ if ur still working. my sister tried taking SS at 63 working part time and it was a MESS with overpayments and everything

Is anyone else annoyed that SS doesn't just TELL people this stuff clearly?? They make everything so complicated! Why should we have to figure out all these weird rules ourselves?? My dad worked for 45 years and when he died my mom had to practically become a financial advisor just to understand her options. The whole system is ridiculous!!

After reading all the responses, I think your best strategy would be: 1. Wait until your FRA (67) to claim widow benefits based on your husband's record including his delayed retirement credits. This avoids the earnings test completely. 2. Contact SSA to get exact benefit amounts. To access information about your husband's benefit, you'll need his SSN, your marriage certificate, and his death certificate. 3. If desired, you could even wait until 70 to claim if your own benefit would be higher (though from what you've said, your husband's benefit with his delayed credits will likely be higher). The most important thing is to get actual numbers from SSA so you can make an informed decision. Widow benefits have very specific rules that differ from regular retirement benefits.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Hannah. Losing a spouse is incredibly difficult, and dealing with Social Security on top of grief is overwhelming. From what I understand about widow benefits, you're in a tough spot with the earnings test at 62. Since you're making $53K, you'll likely lose most or all of your widow benefit to the earnings test (the 2025 limit is around $23,040, and they reduce benefits $1 for every $2 over that limit). The silver lining is that your husband's benefit at 69 would include all his delayed retirement credits from age 66 to 69 - that's about 24% more than his full retirement age benefit! That's a significant amount. Given your situation, I'd strongly consider waiting until your FRA at 67 to claim widow benefits. You'll avoid the earnings test completely and get 100% of what your husband was entitled to. Plus, you can keep working without penalty. One thing to consider: if you think you might want to retire before 67, you could always reassess closer to that time. But with your current income, waiting seems like the financially smart move. Take care of yourself during this difficult time.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Hannah. Going through this at 62 while still working full-time makes an already difficult situation even more complex. You're absolutely right to be confused - the intersection of widow benefits, earnings limits, and delayed retirement credits is tricky. Here's what I understand from my own research when my sister went through something similar: Since your husband passed at 69, you would be entitled to his full benefit INCLUDING the delayed retirement credits he earned from age 66-69. That's roughly 24% more than his age 66 amount - a substantial difference. However, at 62 and earning $53K, you're way over the 2025 earnings limit (around $23,040). You'd lose about $15,000 in benefits annually to the earnings test, which might wipe out most of your widow benefit anyway. My sister's financial advisor suggested this approach: Keep working and wait until your FRA (67) to claim the widow benefit. At that point, no earnings test applies and you get 100% of what your husband earned with his delayed credits. The hardest part is the waiting, especially when you're grieving. But financially, it seems like the smart move given your current income. Have you been able to get any preliminary estimates from Social Security yet? Thinking of you during this difficult time.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Hannah. Losing your husband so young and having to navigate these complex Social Security rules while grieving is incredibly challenging. Everyone here has given you solid advice about the earnings test - with your $53K income, you'd definitely lose most of your widow benefit if you claim at 62. The 2025 earnings limit is around $23,040, so you'd be looking at losing about $15,000 in benefits annually. One thing I want to emphasize that others have touched on: your husband's benefit at 69 is significantly higher than what it would have been at his FRA of 66. Those delayed retirement credits from 66-69 add up to about 24% extra - that's a substantial amount that you don't want to leave on the table. Here's something practical that might help: before making any decisions, try to get a Social Security statement for both you and your husband (you'll need his death certificate and your marriage certificate). This will show you exactly what his benefit was worth at 69 and what yours would be at different claiming ages. Having those real numbers makes the decision much clearer. Given your situation, waiting until 67 to claim the widow benefit seems like the smartest financial move, even though I know waiting 5 years feels daunting right now. You can keep working without penalty and get 100% of what your husband earned with his delayed credits. Take care of yourself during this difficult time.