I am 63 and my husband passed away two years ago at 62, he never collected SS. I was wondering if I could go ahead and apply for my SS now and then when I turn 66 apply for my deceased husbands? I really need his higher benefit in retirement, so I don't want to make a mistake. Thank you

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

Yes, you could potentially file now for your own Social Security benefits and then file for widow's benefits later, or you could file for widow's benefits now and file for your own benefits later. However, if you're working and if you earn too much, then at least some of your benefits would need to be withheld until you reach full retirement age (FRA). In 2020, Social Security would withhold $1 of your benefits for each $2 that you earn in excess of $18,240.

It sounds like your best strategy for claiming benefits would likely be 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 on your own record now 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