I am a widow currently receiving child in care Social Security payments. I am planning to sign up for my widow's benefits at my full retirement age of 67 (but why sign up for my husband's benefits if I am already receiving them because I care for our daughter?). Then I could switch to my own benefits, which will be maximized and more than my widow's benefits, at age 70. Can I do this or am I considered SSDI so I will be automatically switched to my own retirement at age 67? I am not disabled but I am receiving benefits as the caretaker of our adult daughter who is currently receiving SSDI on her father's record. Thank you!

Hi,

It sounds like you are currently receiving what are called mother's benefits, not disability benefits, so you should be able to wait until age 70 to file for your own retirement benefits. Your mother's benefits will automatically convert to widow's benefits at full retirement age (FRA), although you could switch to reduced widow's benefits before FRA if it was more advantageous. Unreduced widow's benefits are paid at a rate of up to 100% of the deceased worker's primary insurance amount (PIA), as opposed to 75% of the worker's PIA like mother's benefits.

The reason that it might be more advantageous for you to switch to widow's benefits before FRA is that, if you will be switching to a higher retirement rate on your own account at age 70, you would want to maximize the amount of benefits you can draw on your husband's record prior to then. An added complication is that the family maximum benefit could come into play once you switch to widow's benefits, so that must be factored in when determining the optimal time for you to switch to widow's benefits. You should strongly consider using the maximization software available on this website to explore all of your options and determine your best strategy.

Best, Jerry