I am 60 years old Can I collect my late husbands SS while I work til 62

Hi,

That depends on how much you're earning. If you file for widow's benefits in 2019, Social Security would likely need to withhold $1 of your benefits for each $2 that you earn in excess of $17640 (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/whileworking.html). That could result in either full or partial withholding of your benefits depending on your benefit rate and how much you earn.

It sounds like your best 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 at age 62 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). However, if your husband received reduced Social Security retirement benefits prior to his death, then it would likely be more advantageous to claim widow's benefits at some point prior to your 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