Hi Larry,
I’m a little confused about applying for survivors benefits in my age range.
I am a widow who will be 66 on March 2022. My social security FRA is four months after that.
As a medical professional and based on the S.S. earnings test, I currently earn too much to receive either my own or survivors benefits. In 2020 or 2021.
Am I correct that I can start survivor benefits on my at 66, in March 2022 and not be subject to an earnings test because of the lower age threshold for the 100% widows benefit rate?
I could then continue to work and depending on the numbers, retire on my own benefits at age 70.

BTW, as soon as I learn what widow’s benefit rate I am entitled to, I plan to obtain your program and work out the best results for my future.

Many thanks for all the help you provide with your articles,
Sue

HI Sue. No, that isn't correct in your case. Although the full retirement age (FRA) for widow's benefits can be up to 4 months earlier than a person's FRA for retirement benefits, the Social Security earnings test continues to apply until the month they reach FRA for retirement benefits. For people born in 1956, FRA for widow's benefits is the month they reach age 66, but their FRA for retirement benefits is the month they reach age 66 & 4 months.

Therefore, if you reach age 66 & 4 months in July 2022, your benefits could be subject to being withheld due to the earnings test until July 2022 even though your FRA for widow's benefits is March 2022. However, note that a higher earnings test exempt amount would apply for you in 2022, and Social Security would only count the amount that you earn prior to July 2022. So, whether or not you might be able to be paid any widow's benefits prior to July 2022 would depend on the amount of your widow's benefit rate and your expected earnings from January through June of 2022.

For example, let's say Bobbi was born in March 1956. Bobbi's full unreduced benefit rate if she started drawing widow's benefits in March 2022 or later would be $2000, however, Bobbi is planning to continue working until age 70. Bobbi earns $150,000 annually, so her projected earnings for the first 6 months of 2022 is $75,000. The earnings test exempt amount for people who reach FRA in 2021 is $50,520, and the exempt amount for people reaching FRA in 2022 isn't yet known. Let's say for our example, though, that the 2022 exempt amount turns out to be $54000. In that case, Bobbi's countable excess earnings in 2022 would be $21000 (i.e. $75000 - $54000), so if Bobbi files for her widow's benefits prior to July 2022 then Social Security would need to withhold $7000 of Bobbi's benefits before she could be paid (i.e. $1 of benefits for each $3 of her excess earnings).

If Bobbi in our example above files for widow's benefits effective January 2022, her widow's rate would be at least temporarily reduced for age from $2000 to $1984. But, at that rate it would take less than 4 months of benefit withholding in order for Social Security to recover the $7000 they'd need to withhold due to Bobbi's earnings.
Thus, Bobbi in our example could start drawing her widow's benefits in full starting with May 2022, and she'd be due a partial payment for April 2022. Plus, since Bobbi wasn't actually paid any benefits for months prior to her widow's FRA, her widow's rate would be adjusted to her unreduced rate of $2000.

Even if our fictitious Bobbi was going to earn a million dollars in 2022, though, she could still be paid benefits starting with July 2022 when she reaches her FRA for retirement benefits. I don't have enough information to know whether or not you could be paid any benefits prior than July 2022, but you may want to strongly consider using our software ((https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze your options in order to make sure you choose the best possible strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry