Will low-wage job until 70 reduce Social Security benefits? Confused about survivor benefits calculation

Good news - your husband working a lower-paying job until 70 won't hurt his benefits! Social Security calculates based on his highest 35 years of earnings (adjusted for inflation). If he's worked a full career, those final lower-earning years will likely just drop off and not be counted. The "3 year thing" might refer to the 3 year lookback for disability, but that's not relevant for retirement benefits. Regarding survivor benefits: If your husband passes before claiming, your survivor benefit would be based on what he would have received if he had applied for benefits on the date of death (including any delayed retirement credits he earned up to that point). So if he dies at 69, you'd get a survivor benefit based on his age-69 amount, not his FRA amount. If he files at 70 and then passes away later, you'd receive his full age-70 benefit amount as your survivor benefit. Hope this helps clarify things!

I was in almost your exact situation with my husband. Let me simplify what the SSA person was probably trying to explain: SSA takes your 35 highest earning years (adjusted for inflation) to calculate your benefit. If your husband has 35+ years of solid earnings, then working those last couple years at lower wages won't affect his benefit at all - those years just won't be used in the calculation. As for survivor benefits, if he passes before filing, you'll get what he would have been entitled to when he died, including delayed retirement credits. So if he dies at 69 without filing, you'd get his age-69 benefit amount (which is higher than his FRA amount). BTW, when trying to reach SSA to discuss these details, I was getting nowhere with the regular phone line until I found Claimyr (claimyr.com). They connected me to an agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me hours of frustration!

my husband did this exact thing worked at walmart greeter for 2 yrs before claiming at 70. didnt hurt his check at all still got the big delayed credits and his check was way higher than if he took at frs. just make sure hes not collecting any ss while working before 70 or hell hit the earnings limit!!

PLEASE be careful with this decision! My brother-in-law waited until 69 to claim and then dropped dead a month later!! All those years of waiting and my sister only got a single month's worth of the higher benefit. If your husband's health isn't 100% perfect, you might be making a HUGE MISTAKE by waiting. Has anyone calculated your break-even age?? That's what really matters!!!!

I worked with retirees for 30+ years and can confirm these answers are correct. SSA uses your highest 35 earning years, indexed for inflation. If your husband has 35+ years of good earnings, a couple years of lower wages won't hurt him at all. For survivor benefits: 1. If he dies before claiming: you get what he would have received at his age of death (including delayed retirement credits) 2. If he claims at 70 then dies later: you get his full age-70 benefit amount As for professional help, look for a fee-only financial planner who specializes in retirement planning, not someone who earns commissions selling products. They can run scenarios specific to your situation. There are also specialized Social Security consulting services ranging from $50-300 that can analyze your claiming options.

To answer your question about who to speak with: The SSA representatives typically won't give claiming strategy advice. I'd recommend looking for a fee-only financial advisor who specializes in retirement planning, particularly someone who has experience with Social Security optimization strategies. Some advisors have specialized software that can model various claiming scenarios based on your specific situation, life expectancy, and other factors.

i dont think anyone mentioned yet but the 3 year thing might be the earnings test lookback? if u work after claiming SS before FRA they look at monthly earnings not just annual. its complicated tho so maybe thats not what the rep meant

I was in a similar boat to u last year & honestly the BEST thing we did was just schedule an appointment at our local SSA office. My husband & I brought all our questions written down & the rep walked us thru everything step by step. Took about an hour but so worth it! Just be prepared for a long wait to get an appointment (took us like 3 weeks).

make sure u look at the tax situation too bc sometimes waiting doesnt help if ur gonna pay more taxes on the bigger benefit its all about whats left after taxes