Can I continue to work full time and receive my survivors benefits at age 60
Or is there a penalty

Hi,

Your survivor benefits would be subject to Social Security's earnings test (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/whileworking.html) until you reach full retirement age (FRA). So, if you filed for survivor benefits at age 60, Social Security would need to withhold $1 of your benefits for each $2 that you earn in excess of $17,040 this year.

It sounds like your best strategy would likely be one of the following:
1) File for reduced widow's benefits at age 60 or as soon as your earnings will permit at least some benefits to be paid, then switch to your own record at age 70; or,
2) File for reduced retirement benefits on your own record at 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 your full retirement age. However, if your deceased spouse received reduced retirement benefits prior to his or her death that could affect the optimal time for you to claim widow's benefits.

Generally, you would want to start out drawing the lower benefit first and then switch to the higher benefit when it reaches it's highest potential rate. Our maximization software can sort all of this out for you and help you determine your best filing strategy.

Best, Jerry