Hi Larry,
I did purchase Maximize My Social Security and tried to enter all the info it asked for but I am still confused. My husband passed September of 2012, he was 63 and receiving SSI each month. I will turn 60 years old October of this year 2017 and it is my understanding I can apply for Survivor Benefits. My annual gross income is approximately $50,000 so I don't think I would be eligible to draw Survivor Benefits. Here is why I am asking about Survivor Benefits; I have met a man who lost his wife May of 2013, he retired from the UP Railroad in 2015 with 43 years of service. If I were to marry this man, it is my understanding I would be eligible for Railroad Retirement benefits as his spouse after 1 year of marriage. I also "think" but I am not sure, if I am receiving Survivor Benefits before I marry this man, I can continue receiving Survivor Benefits plus Railroad Retirement Benefits after I have been married 1 year. Hopefully all this makes sense and you can offer some guidance. Thank you in advance for any help.

Hi,

If you remarry at age 60 or later, the marriage would not bar you from potentially receiving widow's benefits on your former deceased spouse's record. You don't say what type of income that you receive and I can't access to the data that you entered into the software, so I don't know whether or not your benefits would be affected by the Social Security earnings test (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/whileworking2.html). You will need to submit an online contact form via the help menu if you have questions about your results.

I'm not an expert on the Railroad Retirement (RR) program nor does our software handle RR benefits, but I can tell you that if you file for both Social Security and RR benefits, you will only receive a) the higher of your Social Security benefit or your RR tier 1 benefit rate, plus b) any tier 2 RR benefits to which you are entitled.

Best, Jerry