I'm planning to retire at age 62 when I'm eligible for the rule of 90 to collect my pension. Can I begin to collect my deceased husband's SS benefits at 62 and then collect my full SS benefits at FRA? My husband was 53 when he passed away. I have not remarried. My SS benefits will be higher than his. Thank you!

Hi,

Potentially, yes. You can even start reduced widow's benefits as early as age 60 if your earnings permit (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/whileworking2.html).

Assuming that your own benefit rate is higher than your widow's rate, you should likely file for reduced widow's benefits as soon as your earnings will permit payments, then wait until age 70 to switch to your own record. Your can accrue delayed retirement credits (DRC) on your own account from full retirement age (FRA) until age 70 even if you are drawing widow's benefits during that time. You may want to run the maximization software available on this website in order to make sure that this is your best strategy.

Best, Jerry