I am 66 and 3 months old. I am currently working and making about 42,000. My husband died in 2002 when he was 62. I received a death benefit at that time and monthly benefits for my 2 children who were in high school at that time.
I plan to continue working till I am 70. Is it possible for me to apply for survivors benefits until I reach age 70? Can I still earn my annual salary or will I do better earning less? My husbands benefits were not that good as he had major health issues for some time.

Hi. Yes, and it sounds like you probably should. If you were born in 1955 then your full retirement age (FRA) for widow's benefits is 66, even though your FRA for retirement benefits is 66 & 2 months. Therefore, you could apply now and claim widow's benefits retroactively to the month in which you reached age 66.

As long as your earnings were below $50,520 in the months of 2021 prior to the month you reached age 66 & 2 months then your earnings won't prevent you from being paid any benefits. And, since you've now reached FRA there is no limit on how much you can earn from now on and still be paid your benefits.

If your own benefit rate will be higher than your widow's rate, then you would almost certainly want to claim your widow's benefits as soon as possible and then switch to your own account at age 70. But, you may want to confirm that by using our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully analyze all of your options in order to determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry