Hi Larry,
My son-in-law passed away a year ago. He was 65 and was receiving SS disability. He was also receiving disability benefits through his former employer. My daughter is 53. Assuming she reaches age 60 and has not remarried, what are her options for finding her best benefit? I am pretty sure his lifetime earnings will have exceeded hers, even if she works another 17 years.
Thanks!

Hi. I'm sorry for your loss. In most cases, the best filing strategy for a widow such as your daughter is one of the following:
1) File for reduced widow's benefits at age 60 (or before then if she's disabled or has an eligible child in her care) or as soon as her earnings will permit at least some benefits to be paid, then switch to her own record at age 70; or,
2) File for reduced retirement benefits on her own record at age 62 or as soon as her earnings will permit at least some benefits to be paid, then file for unreduced widow's benefits at full retirement age (FRA).

Normally, your daughter would want to start out drawing the lower benefit first and then switch to the higher benefit when it reaches its highest potential rate. Our software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) could help sort all of this out for your daughter so that she can determine the best strategy for maximizing her benefits.

Best, Jerry