My husband passed away at age 75. He was collecting SS at age 66. I will turn 65 this August and am still working full time.
Should I wait until my FRA of 66 to collect SS? Is there a "loophole" to collect his full SS amount now?
As of 2016, his SS amount was $2,330. It is now 2018. Of course, this amount should be increased after 2.5 yrs since his death.
I really need advice. Can you please advise? Thanks so much.

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

The best time for you to apply for benefits depends on the amount of your own retirement benefits, the amount of your widow's benefits, and the amount of your earnings. There's no loophole per se that would allow you to draw benefits now, but you may be able to do so if you're not earning too much (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/whileworking.html).

Your best strategy is almost certainly 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 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