Must I take higher benefit from soc. Sec. When I turn 70 from my own earnings vs my late husbands?

Hi. No. I don't know anything about your specific benefit options, but if you're collecting survivor benefits there's no requirement that you ever must apply for your own benefits. However, if your own Social Security retirement benefit rate will be higher than your survivor rate when you reach age 70, I can't imagine what reason you'd have for not claiming the higher benefit. Delayed retirement credits (DRC) can't be accumulated starting with the month you reach age 70, so waiting past then to claim your own Social Security retirement benefits would not increase your benefit rate.

You may want to strongly consider using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze the options available to you in order to determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry