I contacted SSA regarding Survivior benefit. My husband passed 10 years ago. I have recieved two different answers. The last being I could collect his social security amount without having to quit my job and still be able to change over to my amount at full retirement age or at age 70. This was not the same answer I recieved previously. Thank you

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

I can't give you a good answer because you don't mention your current age nor how much you're earning. You could potentially qualify for widow's benefits starting as early as age 60 (or age 50 if you're disabled), but if you file for benefits prior to full retirement age (FRA) your benefits would be subject to full or partial withholding if you earn too much (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/whileworking.html).

Assuming that you aren't disabled, your best strategy for claiming benefits is almost certainly one of the following:
1) File for reduced widow's benefits as early as age 60 or as soon as your earnings will permit you to receive at least some benefits, then switch to your own record at age 70; or,
2) File for reduced retirement benefits on your own record as early as age 62 or as soon as your earnings will permit at least some benefits to be paid, then file for unreduced widow's benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

Normally, you would want to start out drawing the lower benefit first and then switch to the higher record when it reaches it's highest potential rate. Our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) could sort all of this out for you and help you determine the best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry