Will my frozen survivor benefits increase after I stop working? SS benefits confusion at 60
I lost my wife to cancer about 4 years ago (she was receiving SSDI). I filed for survivor benefits when I turned 60 last year while working part-time at a hardware store. Recently I had to take on full-time hours which has put me over the earnings limit, so I'm only getting survivor checks for January and December when my hours are cut back. I'm completely confused about what happens to my survivor benefit going forward. Is the amount permanently frozen at what I'm getting now? I know my own retirement benefit keeps growing if I wait until 70 to claim it (which I'll need to do since I can't afford to retire earlier). But what about the survivor benefit? If I eventually reduce my work hours at 65 or 67, will the survivor amount increase or is it permanently set at the reduced 60-year-old rate? And do I still get to choose between my own benefit or survivor benefit when I hit 70? I'm worried I've locked myself into a permanently reduced survivor amount by claiming early.
17 comments
Join the conversation
Sofia Rodriguez
I can help clarify this. Your survivor benefit amount is permanently reduced because you claimed at age 60. That reduction factor stays in place even after you stop working. However, you WILL still have the option to switch to your own retirement benefit at 70 if that's higher (which it sounds like it will be in your case). The earnings limit affects how much you receive each month, but doesn't affect your base benefit rate. Once you're at full retirement age (probably 67 for you), the earnings limit goes away completely.
0 coins
NightOwl42
•Thank you for explaining! So even though I'm barely getting any survivor benefits now due to working, when I eventually cut back hours, I'll still only get the reduced 60-year-old rate? That seems unfair since I'm essentially not even receiving the benefit most months due to working.
0 coins
Dmitry Ivanov
Im in almost the EXACT situation!! Took survivors at 60 when my husband died (he was on disability too). Now working full time and only get maybe 1 or 2 payments a year when I take vacation time. Its so frustrating that they freeze our benefit at the 60-year rate but then don't even pay it most months because we have to work!!! The whole system seems designed to punish widows who work. I talked to SSA three times and got three different answers about what happens later.
0 coins
Ava Thompson
•The system isn't punishing you - it's actually protecting your options. If you hadn't filed at 60, you wouldn't have had the survivor benefit option at all (even for those few months). And you still retain the right to switch to your own higher benefit at FRA or age 70. Think of those occasional survivor payments as a bonus while you're working.
0 coins
Miguel Herrera
have you tried calling SSA directly to get the real answer? i found the agents can explain it better than ppl online. but good luck getting through... took me 3 days of calling
0 coins
Zainab Ali
•I was going to suggest calling too but I discovered a service called Claimyr that gets you through to SSA without the wait. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - I used it last month when I had questions about my disability review and got through to an agent in about 15 minutes. Their website is claimyr.com. Totally worth it since I had already wasted hours trying to get through on my own.
0 coins
Connor Murphy
my mom did somethin similar and she regrets takin benefits at 60. she says wait as long as possible!!!
0 coins
Yara Nassar
•Waiting isn't always the right answer though. Taking survivor benefits early can make sense if you keep working and build up your own record. The OP is doing the right thing by working and waiting until 70 for their own benefit.
0 coins
Ava Thompson
Let me clarify a few technical points here: 1. Your survivor benefit IS permanently reduced to 71.5% of your wife's PIA because you claimed at age 60. This reduction factor doesn't change. 2. The earnings test is reducing how much you receive now, but once you reach your FRA (Full Retirement Age), the earnings test disappears completely. 3. You absolutely retain the option to switch to your own retirement benefit at any point, including at age 70 when it's maximized. 4. The survivor benefit does NOT grow with delayed retirement credits - it's based on your deceased spouse's record. The good news is your strategy is actually optimal - collecting reduced survivor benefits while working (even if mostly withheld) and then switching to your own maximized benefit at 70. You're essentially getting "free money" during the months you receive survivor benefits while still building your own record.
0 coins
NightOwl42
•Thank you for breaking it down so clearly. I was worried I'd made a mistake by claiming at 60, but it sounds like I'm on the right path even though it's frustrating to barely get any benefits now. At least I know I can still get my maximized benefit at 70.
0 coins
Dmitry Ivanov
One thing nobody mentioned - when you do reach full retirement age, SSA is supposed to give you back some of the benefits they withheld due to working! At least that's what an agent told me. Has anyone actually had this happen? Or is it just something they tell you but never actually do??
0 coins
Sofia Rodriguez
•That's partially correct. If you have benefits withheld due to the earnings test, when you reach FRA, SSA recalculates your benefit and gives you credit for the months benefits were withheld. This results in a slightly higher monthly benefit going forward. They don't give you a lump sum of all withheld benefits, but rather adjust your monthly amount to account for the months you didn't receive benefits.
0 coins
Yara Nassar
By the way if your own benefit will be higher at age 70, you were smart to take survivors at 60 even with the reduction. It's actually the optimal strategy in many cases - take the reduced survivor benefit while continuing to work and build up your own record, then switch to your own maximized benefit at 70. So you've actually handled this correctly!
0 coins
NightOwl42
•That's really reassuring to hear! I was starting to think I'd made a huge mistake.
0 coins
Connor Murphy
wait i'm confused... doesnt the earnings limit go away at 62? or is it 67? my brother is dealing with this too
0 coins
Ava Thompson
•The earnings limit applies until you reach your full retirement age (FRA), which is between 66-67 depending on your birth year. At that point, you can earn any amount without reduction in benefits. There's no special rule at 62 - that's just the earliest age you can claim regular retirement benefits.
0 coins
Lena Schultz
I'm sorry for your loss, and I understand how confusing this whole situation can be. You're actually doing everything right! The key thing to remember is that even though your survivor benefit is reduced because you claimed at 60, you still have the flexibility to switch to your own retirement benefit later if it's higher. Since you're planning to wait until 70 for your own benefit, you'll get those delayed retirement credits that can make your own benefit significantly higher than the survivor benefit. The months where you don't receive survivor payments due to working aren't "lost" - you're still building up your own Social Security record during that time. One tip: keep track of your earnings each year and maybe consider using the SSA website to estimate what your benefit will be at 70. That way you can plan ahead and know for sure which benefit will be better when the time comes to switch.
0 coins