I am 63 and my husband and i had been married 35 years when he passed away. My question is, am I able to begin collecting my SS now and then at 66 (full retirement age) will I be able to switch to my deceased husbands SS.? His is more than mine. Thank you for your reply.

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

Yes, if you are at least age 62 you could file for reduced retirement benefits on your own record now and then potentially file for unreduced widow's benefits at full retirement age. Or, if your own retirement benefit rate at age 70 would be higher than your maximum potential widow's rate, you could reverse the order and file for widow's benefits first and switch to your own record at age 70.

A couple of caveats are involved, though. If you are still working, the Social Security earnings test could limit the amount of benefits that you could be paid prior to full retirement age (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/whileworking2.html). And, if your husband received reduced retirement benefits prior to his death it could affect the optimal time for you to apply for widow's benefits.

Our maximization software can sort out all of the above variables and help you determine the best time to apply for each type of benefit, so you may want to strongly consider subscribing.

Best, Jerry