I am 63 years and working ($43K). My husband died in 2015 at age 61 ($130k). Can I receive my SS benefit at age 66 and then claim my husband's SS benefit when I am 70?

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

You could do what you've proposed, but it would almost certainly be a bad idea. The reason is that your widow's benefit rate will not be any higher if you take it at age 70 instead of at your full retirement age of 66. So, you would likely just be forfeiting benefits for no gain.

Assuming that your own benefit rate if you started drawing at age 70 would be lower than your unreduced widow's rate, your best option would likely be to file for your widow's benefits at age 66. And, if your own retirement rate would be high enough to permit you to receive any benefits on your record before age 66 in spite of your earnings, you would want to file for reduced retirement benefits as soon as your earnings would permit payment of at least some benefits.

Our maximization software is designed to handle all of the variables involved in a case like yours, so you should strongly consider using it to determine your optimal filing strategy.

Best, Jerry