Hi Larry I am 58 and my husband died a few months ago. I want to retire at 62. Should I get my husbands ss. And wait to apply for mine? Also I have an ex husband that I can claim ss on. How should I work this put to my benefit? One last question, my job is kinda iffy due to 19, if I am fired can I start getting my widowers benefits?

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

You can't draw widow's benefits prior to age 60 unless you're disabled or if you have an eligible child in your care. However, there is a one-time death benefit of $255 for which you'd probably qualify, so if you haven't applied for that benefit yet you should contact Social Security.

I assume you mean that your ex-spouse is still living, in which case the earliest you could file for divorced spousal benefits is age 62. However, you could only qualify for divorced spousal benefits if 50% of your ex's primary insurance amount (PIA) is higher than your own PIA, and if your ex is either drawing his benefits or he's at least age 62. A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

It sounds like your best strategy for claiming benefits would likely be one of the following:
1) File for reduced widow's benefits at age 60 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 (and divorced spousal benefits if you qualify) at age 62 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).

In your case, though, divorced spousal or divorced survivor benefits could factor into the mix depending on the potential benefit rates involved. 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