My husband past away at age 60 which was three years ago. He was receiving a Disability check for the prior couple years of his passing away. I am 63 and still working. Can I receive his SS or partial SS or does my wages play a part in that?

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

You could potentially receive widow's benefits depending on your benefit rate and the amount that you're earning. If you file for benefits before you reach full retirement age (FRA), the Social Security earnings test could result in full or partial withholding of your benefits depending on how much you earn (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/whileworking.html).

Your optimal filing strategy would likely be one of the following:
1) File for reduced widow's benefits now or as soon as your earnings will permit at least some benefits to be paid, then switch to your own record at age 70; or,
2) File for reduced retirement benefits on your own record now or as soon as your earnings will permit at least some benefits to be paid, then file for unreduced widow's benefits at your full retirement age (FRA).

Normally, you would want to start out drawing the lower benefit first and then switch to the higher record when it reaches it's highest potential rate. Our maximization software could sort all of this out for you and help you determine your optimal strategy.

Best, Jerry