My husband passed in 2008 and had just been approved for disability. He never collected a check because he passed too soon. I will be 58 this year and still working full time. I plan to retire soon and wanted to know how much of his disability I will collect and when can I start collecting?

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

If you start drawing widow's benefits at your full retirement age (FRA) you'll receive your husband's primary insurance amount (PIA), which is basically a projection of what he would have received at full retirement age had he lived. You could start drawing as early as age 60, but then your benefit rate would be reduced by 28.5%.

Assuming that you've worked long enough to also be eligible for benefits on your own record, your best filing strategy is likely 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 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 your full retirement age.

Normally, you would want to start out drawing the lower benefit first and then switch to the higher record when it reaches it's highest potential rate. Our maximization software could sort all of this out for you and help you determine your optimal strategy.

Best, Jerry