I’m a widow and wondering if I should start receiving my husbands benefits at 60?

Hi. It depends on whether or not you're insured for benefits on your own earnings record and if so how your relative benefit rates compare, and whether or not you're working and if so how much you are earning. Until the year you reach your full retirement age (FRA), Social Security would need to withhold $1 of your benefits for each $2 that your earnings exceed the annual earnings test exempt amount. The exempt amount in 2021 is $18,960.

Your best strategy for claiming benefits would likely be one of the following:
1) File for reduced widow's benefits at age 60 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 full retirement age (FRA).

Normally, you would want to start out drawing the lower benefit first and then switch to the higher benefit when it reaches it's highest potential rate. Our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) could help sort all of this out for you so that you can determine the best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry