I am married to a much older man . When he passes away can I collect his social security. I am in my 60's and do not want to collect on mine until of age. Can I collect both? I still have to work .. can I collect his while still working without be penalized . We need me to work on top of his SS to live
Thank You

Hi,

You can't collect both retirement and a full spousal or widow's benefit at the same time. If you're entitled to both benefits for the same month, you can only receive essentially the higher of the 2 rates. And, if you were born after January 1 1954, you can't file for spousal benefits without also filing for your own retirement benefits (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/deemedfaq.html).

Also, if you file for any type of benefits prior to full retirement age, your benefits may be partially or fully withheld if you work and earn too much. For more information about the earnings test, refer to Social Security's website: https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/whileworking2.html.

Your best filing strategy depends on your and your husband's relative benefit rates, as well as your date of birth and other factors. You should strongly consider using the maximization software available on this website in order to compare your filing options and determine your best strategy.

Best, Jerry