I’ll be 60 in mid January 2019. Social Security told me to come back in November 2018 to start the process of receiving my widows benefit when I turn 60. Two questions. My income for 2018 will be approx. 20,000. Does/or will social security take penalize me for this years wages? Or since I turn 60 in mid January 2019 will I not be penalized for previous years wages? I understand I can’t make more than $17,600 in 2019. My 60th Birthday will be January 18th 2019. Will I start collecting my first check/pymt in February or will it be March. I believe I have to be 60 years old for a full calendar month. Thank you

Hi,

No, since your first possible month of eligibility for widow's benefits is January 2019, your 2018 earnings would be irrelevant with regard to the 2019 Social Security earnings test. You do not have to be age 60 for the entire month to qualify for widow's benefits, so you can choose to start your benefits effective with January, which would be the payment that is due in February.

Before filing for a reduced widow's benefit, though, you should strongly consider using our software to compare your options and make sure that you're choosing your optimal filing strategy. Depending on the relative amounts of your widow's rate vs. your own retirement benefit rate, it's possible that a better choice might be to start out drawing reduced retirement benefits at age 62 and wait until your full retirement age to apply for unreduced widow's benefits. I don't have enough information to be able to advise you, but our software could analyze your options and determine your optimal strategy.

Best, Jerry